Shadow Fleet

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

"Captain's Log, Stardate 79825.7. We are on our way back ta Starbase 153 in the Otorin Sector opposite the Romulan border, which is split on the Romulan side with half belongin' ta the Romulan Free State and half under the control of the remnant of the Romulan Empire.

"Back when I was assigned to USS Discovery, we had been assigned ta an anti-smugglin' operation that met some success. Challenger had been assigned ta this sector ta keep the smugglin' suppressed, but the missions we've been assigned have pulled us far, far from this sector. As a result, the smugglers are back in force.

"Normally smugglin' would be the responsibility of local planetary law enforcement, but the sensitive nature of this sector and the fact the smugglers are comin' through Federation territory has given this operation much more priority by Starfleet Command. So, thus our assignment back ta Starbase 153.

"Just as I did before, we will use a civilian freighter and crew operatin' undercover ta make our approach ta the black market in this sector. Challenger will remain at the edge of our sensor range ta provide support ta the freighter.

"Since Calindra's Dream is in such bad shape, I have Lieutenant Sunik's people workin' full time ta get the ship functional for this mission. How I long ta be goin' on this mission as it will be just like old times. However, regulations forbid that, so it will be up ta Commander Grippen ta select the crew for this mission.

"Ta say I am disappointed ta be stuck aboard the Challenger, for once, is an understatement, but there is simply no way for me ta go. Regardless, we have ten more days ta reach our destination and I have no doubt that Sunik's people will have the freighter ready by then. End Log."

Ian sat back in the command chair and sighed. It was times like these that he longed to be First Officer again, but he'd chosen a different path and that previous road was closed to him now. He couldn't be prouder to be in command of Challenger, but there were times that the adventurer in him wished he was once more on the ground and in the thick of things.

However, on reflection, his time in The Pit reminded him that he wasn't as young as he'd once been and that maybe being in the thick of things might not be as great as his memories thought they were.

[ Lt. JB Dersch | Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 1 | USS Challenger]

JB stood at the tactical station, his fingers flying over the console as he ran diagnostics on the weapon systems. After their last mission, he was determined to ensure that everything was in peak condition—no surprises if they were suddenly thrust into action. The testing progress was steady; he was 67% through, and so far, each check had come back clear. Satisfied with the results, he took a moment to scan for any potential vulnerabilities, not wanting anything to compromise the ship's readiness in a critical moment. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, but he'd keep a close watch until the diagnostics completed.



[ NPC Freya Dersch | Medical Bay | Deck 7 | USS Challenger]

Freya was tired, Not physical, But mentally, Katie was a huge pain during the revolt to take back the ship, JB was was put into a gladiator match, Freya could not even stand imagine him fight the gorn he describe, At least he and the others made it back safely. She couldn't imagine him not. She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head and entered Sick bay. She had no idea what the current mission was, but whatever it was she wanted to be ready. She grabbed a tricorder and quickly checked its readings, All systems normal, Now to check the other gear, She didn't know if the Ship thefts messed with anything from medical or not, But hopefully not, Ethier way Freya would figure it out and try her best to fix.

(https://i.ibb.co/jGx6CNB/Freya-ID-Card.png)

[ NPC Katie Dersch | School | Deck 3 | USS Challenger]

SHCOOL! REALLY THEY SENT ME TO SCHOOL! Katie fumed inside her head, She DID not want to go to school. Yet here she was, walking herself to the school while her mother was in sick bay and father somewhere on the ship, most likely the bridge. She kept trying to help the crew take back the ship but Mother would not let her, but WHY!, She could always do her part! Father even told her when she was a few years younger, To always play your part! And her part was to Help take the ship back! Yet Mother kept saying no!!....Now to scho....What if she just skipped school and checked out Engineering? Yea, That sounds good.....

With that Katie turned and entered the turbolift heading for Main Engineering.

(https://i.ibb.co/4s5GbyS/Katie-Dersch-ID-Card.png)

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Main Engineering Corridors | Deck Thirteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Alhanjhu got his shift assignment and was already at it. Corridor patrol may sound boring, but after some time spent in holodecks, the gymnasiums and his quarters, Alhanjhu felt that a patrol will do good in getting to know the ship in its status not being captured.

Alhanjhu got to talk to Uncle Anju when he was able to, and they shared how things were. Alhanjhu could understand how Anju felt a connection to the Challenger. He did help the ship stop a rogue Romulan fleet for the most part in starting a new rain of logs. In many ways, Anju owed the Challenger, especially after Challenger saved Andgarr from a new Planet Killer.

So far, Alhanjhu had not been able to talk to Captain Galloway, let alone pass on Anju's regards. Early days yet, and he was a lowly ensign. In fact, a lot of the crew who had been to Andgarr are, for the most part, gone, reassigned, like Nira Said, among others.

Since having to help reclaim the bridge from criminals, Alhanjhu had asked for patrol every so often, and he reasoned it was the ideal situation to get to know Challenger without the Jefferies Tubes. So here he was, him in his uniformed self, despite his scruffy feral look, always looking around. But it was a gesture of curiosity. And today, the deck he was to patrol included Main Engineering. He intended to be careful, not to get in the way, if he came across it.

Quote from: Alhanjhu on October 29, 2024, 01:40:34 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Main Engineering Corridors | Deck Thirteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Alhanjhu got his shift assignment and was already at it. Corridor patrol may sound boring, but after some time spent in holodecks, the gymnasiums and his quarters, Alhanjhu felt that a patrol will do good in getting to know the ship in its status not being captured.

Alhanjhu got to talk to Uncle Anju when he was able to, and they shared how things were. Alhanjhu could understand how Anju felt a connection to the Challenger. He did help the ship stop a rogue Romulan fleet for the most part in starting a new rain of logs. In many ways, Anju owed the Challenger, especially after Challenger saved Andgarr from a new Planet Killer.

So far, Alhanjhu had not been able to talk to Captain Galloway, let alone pass on Anju's regards. Early days yet, and he was a lowly ensign. In fact, a lot of the crew who had been to Andgarr are, for the most part, gone, reassigned, like Nira Said, among others.

Since having to help reclaim the bridge from criminals, Alhanjhu had asked for patrol every so often, and he reasoned it was the ideal situation to get to know Challenger without the Jefferies Tubes. So here he was, him in his uniformed self, despite his scruffy feral look, always looking around. But it was a gesture of curiosity. And today, the deck he was to patrol included Main Engineering. He intended to be careful, not to get in the way, if he came across it.

[ NPC Katie Dersch | Main Engineering Corridor | Deck 13 | USS Challenger]

Katie got out of the lift and took a quick peek around. She knew she might get in trouble, But she REALLY wanted to see Main Engineering. She noticed an Engineering walking away from main engineering. She turned to head to the main entrance and ran right into what looked to be a Engineering Officer? No, Must be Security, He has the Security stance or posture of a Officer assigned to Patrol. Katie quickly apologized. And then quickly recognized him, He was the new Security Officer! The Romulan one! Katie might have and might have not read some of his files, Fathers PADDs were not really hard to crack on security codes, plus she knew how to hide her tracks. I can't believe it!. Katie quickly spoke a Romulan Greeting.

"jolan'tru Mr. Jei'Jendak*" Katie said to Alhanjhu with a slight bow. "I'm Sorry about running into you, Just on my way to Engineering" Might have to lie a bit about the reason....Just say Father sent me? hmm....Gonna have to think fast.

(https://i.ibb.co/4s5GbyS/Katie-Dersch-ID-Card.png)

[Shuttlebay 2]

Ardy wasn't required to be on the engineering crew meant to fix the hunk of junk, but since it was theirs now, she decided that it would be getting all the upgrades she could give it.... on the inside.  It still would look like that piece of junk, albeit maaaaybe with some slightly comfier seats and more advanced rest and medical facilities (replicated to look aged and worn, of course.)  The inertial dampeners and engines? those were definitely new.  And, if she might add, she was already souping it up with the best stuff she could find. Of course, she would probably have to source some of the more... exotic parts herself, but right now, the main goal was to just get the thing flying good enough.

"How's it going guys?" she asked about as she grabbed a stabilizer. "Think she's good enough to try and fly?"

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on October 30, 2024, 01:54:24 AM[Shuttlebay 2]

Ardy wasn't required to be on the engineering crew meant to fix the hunk of junk, but since it was theirs now, she decided that it would be getting all the upgrades she could give it.... on the inside.  It still would look like that piece of junk, albeit maaaaybe with some slightly comfier seats and more advanced rest and medical facilities (replicated to look aged and worn, of course.)  The inertial dampeners and engines? those were definitely new.  And, if she might add, she was already souping it up with the best stuff she could find. Of course, she would probably have to source some of the more... exotic parts herself, but right now, the main goal was to just get the thing flying good enough.

"How's it going guys?" she asked about as she grabbed a stabilizer. "Think she's good enough to try and fly?"

[Calindra Hejaran - USS Challenger - Shuttlebay 2]

Calindra stood in the middle of the shuttlebay, hands on her hips as she surveyed Calindra's Dream, the freighter that now bore her name. She shook her head, half in disbelief. Calindra's Dream. The name rolled off her tongue, a playful jest that felt both flattering and absurd. It was a hunk of scrap metal. Ok — it had managed to get them all out of Bralok's clutches, but it was a far cry from the sleek ships that were rolling off the assembly lines at the Utopia Planitia shipyards, yet here it was — destined to become something special, thanks to the crew's relentless efforts.

She turned around at Ardyn's greeting and offer of help. Calindra wasn't part of the engineering team, but Operations did work with Engineering on certain systems together, especially where field testing was concerned.

"Hey, Ardyn!" she called out, a teasing smile creeping onto her lips. "If we keep souping this thing up, we might actually have to rename it 'Ardyn's Beauty' instead! I'm just about to run a test on her sensors before we test the engines." She added as she powered up the freighter's system for the test.

Quote from: J.B Dersch on October 29, 2024, 02:34:15 PM[ NPC Katie Dersch | Main Engineering Corridor | Deck 13 | USS Challenger]

Katie got out of the lift and took a quick peek around. She knew she might get in trouble, But she REALLY wanted to see Main Engineering. She noticed an Engineering walking away from main engineering. She turned to head to the main entrance and ran right into what looked to be a Engineering Officer? No, Must be Security, He has the Security stance or posture of a Officer assigned to Patrol. Katie quickly apologized. And then quickly recognized him, He was the new Security Officer! The Romulan one! Katie might have and might have not read some of his files, Fathers PADDs were not really hard to crack on security codes, plus she knew how to hide her tracks. I can't believe it!. Katie quickly spoke a Romulan Greeting.

"jolan'tru Mr. Jei'Jendak*" Katie said to Alhanjhu with a slight bow. "I'm Sorry about running into you, Just on my way to Engineering" Might have to lie a bit about the reason....Just say Father sent me? hmm....Gonna have to think fast.

(https://i.ibb.co/4s5GbyS/Katie-Dersch-ID-Card.png)

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Main Engineering Corridors | Deck Thirteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Alhanjhu heard the Romulan greeting and he turned in surprise. A little girl was wandering about. When she gave her reasons, he only placed his hands on his hips firmly and stared sternly. "I beg your pardon, but this is not the place for children to be wandering around, let alone Main Engineering."

He got a good look at the child as she spoke, and he realized he had seen her before. The child of his own department head. "I believe there's a school for children. I will need you to follow me, please."

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on October 30, 2024, 12:30:34 PM[Calindra Hejaran - USS Challenger - Shuttlebay 2]

Calindra stood in the middle of the shuttlebay, hands on her hips as she surveyed Calindra's Dream, the freighter that now bore her name. She shook her head, half in disbelief. Calindra's Dream. The name rolled off her tongue, a playful jest that felt both flattering and absurd. It was a hunk of scrap metal. Ok — it had managed to get them all out of Bralok's clutches, but it was a far cry from the sleek ships that were rolling off the assembly lines at the Utopia Planitia shipyards, yet here it was — destined to become something special, thanks to the crew's relentless efforts.

She turned around at Ardyn's greeting and offer of help. Calindra wasn't part of the engineering team, but Operations did work with Engineering on certain systems together, especially where field testing was concerned.

"Hey, Ardyn!" she called out, a teasing smile creeping onto her lips. "If we keep souping this thing up, we might actually have to rename it 'Ardyn's Beauty' instead! I'm just about to run a test on her sensors before we test the engines." She added as she powered up the freighter's system for the test.

[Shuttlebay 2]

Ardy gave Calindra a smirk and laughed. "Definitely a nice thought, you found 'er though.  I'm just helping make it the fastest. I've done a fair bit of souping up on shuttles in my day, and don't tell the captain, but I've already upgraded the shuttles we have as well. This is a nice challenge, if you ask me," she grinned, hefting a set of tools into their bag. She'd love to get her hands on a sweet set of thruster accelerators, but that was something you'd more find in the backrooms from some Ferengi's shop than in the replicator catalogue, and they weren't anywhere near a station, much less one who had unscrupulous back rooms.   "Sounds good. I'll keep an eye on the numbers as you fire her up,"  she said, looking at the PADD she had running that gave the readings. 'Lemme know when you're ready."

Quote from: Alhanjhu on October 30, 2024, 05:32:25 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Main Engineering Corridors | Deck Thirteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Alhanjhu heard the Romulan greeting and he turned in surprise. A little girl was wandering about. When she gave her reasons, he only placed his hands on his hips firmly and stared sternly. "I beg your pardon, but this is not the place for children to be wandering around, let alone Main Engineering."

He got a good look at the child as she spoke, and he realized he had seen her before. The child of his own department head. "I believe there's a school for children. I will need you to follow me, please."

[ NPC Katie Dersch | Main Engineering Corridor | Deck 13 | USS Challenger]

 "I beg your pardon, but this is not the place for children to be wandering around, let alone Main Engineering."

I'm gonna check it out either way.... "My Father sent me to get something from Neva" Katie quickly said.

"I believe there's a school for children. I will need you to follow me, please.". Yep, not today."Sorry But I'm not going to school today, I want to explore" Katie quickly turned and took off down the corridor. Pretty sure there's a Jefferey tube entrance some where near here, Remember the schematic this read this morning,


(https://i.ibb.co/4s5GbyS/Katie-Dersch-ID-Card.png)

[Captain's Ready Room - USS Challenger]

Ian was taking the time it would take to get to Starbase 153 to catch up on his data work, crew reassignments, fuel consumption, Replicator Mass consumption, along with a dozen of myriad things he had to know about and report. He had noticed that Replicator Mass consumption was up by 30% over last week, but the source of this usage was split between Engineering and the Shuttlebay. Clearly, the crew was working hard to repair and upgrade Calindra's Dream. Based on what he knew about Ardy and her past with racing shuttles, she was dancing on the edge of what was legal when it came to upgrades, especially when it came to boosting speed.

Ian had heard from Sunik on the progress with the freighter and based on the five days they'd been working on the old rust bucket, they had made a lot of progress. The hull was now space worthy, several of the internal systems like sensors, inertia dampening, the transporter, and what passed for an infirmary were now fully up to code. However, it turned out the warp engines were in far worse shape than expected. All four engines had gone far too long without proper maintenance and three of them required complete rebuilds. Even with the increase in replicator mass, there was only so much to be done.

Ian sighed as his finished the day's datawork, stood up and stretched expansively. He moved over to the viewport in the ready room and stared out at the starscape streaking by.

"Computer, time."

"The time is 1803."

"Och, tis time for the Flyin' Tigers, need ta keep the skills sharp."

He exited his ready room, waved, Lieutenant Davenport back into the command chair and made for the turbolift.

[USS Challenger - Deck 7 - Sickbay]

Like most of his peers, Alex wasn't a big fan of visiting the doctors, but he also didn't have the luxury of youthful resilience to rely on anymore. After another night spent mostly awake in the fruitless quest for a comfortable position, trying to stay quiet so not to wake Ardyn or Maddy, he had been forced to admit defeat. The terakine he'd been using, a fairly low dose out of the common replicators, did help but Alex was reluctant to keep relying on medications to make it through the day.

Walking through the doors into the main patient area, Alex stopped infront of the reception station. "Hi there," He greeted the crewman sitting behind the table. "I was wonder if it'd be possible to see someone about some back pain."

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
USS Challenger - Deck 13 - Main Engineering

The Vulcan hated him, almost as much as the Tellerite, Dashlish had hated him. 
The only difference being that Sunik had cause to.  Lahr had shot up console with the intent to make them difficult to repair. 

He was reaping what he sowed. 

Repairs were rather arduous but bit by bit were getting done. 

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on October 30, 2024, 11:34:55 PM[Shuttlebay 2]

Ardy gave Calindra a smirk and laughed. "Definitely a nice thought, you found 'er though.  I'm just helping make it the fastest. I've done a fair bit of souping up on shuttles in my day, and don't tell the captain, but I've already upgraded the shuttles we have as well. This is a nice challenge, if you ask me," she grinned, hefting a set of tools into their bag. She'd love to get her hands on a sweet set of thruster accelerators, but that was something you'd more find in the backrooms from some Ferengi's shop than in the replicator catalogue, and they weren't anywhere near a station, much less one who had unscrupulous back rooms.  "Sounds good. I'll keep an eye on the numbers as you fire her up,"  she said, looking at the PADD she had running that gave the readings. 'Lemme know when you're ready."

Cali and Ardyn both glanced over the PADD as Ardy ran through the preliminary readouts. Calindra's Dream was humming to life, its systems showing a bit of that cobbled-together charm. "If only we were near a Ferengi's backroom shop, eh? They'd probably try to charge us a fortune for thruster accelerators... but I'd love to see what this beauty could do with them," Calindra mused, her eyes glinting with mischief.

After the test was completed, Cali went to fetch a box of what looked like old toys. Among the items was a plastic t-rex, a bauble head of some pirate type, fuzzy dice, and some vintage film posters. "I think we're at the embellishment stages, what do you think?" she asked with a grin.

[XO's Office, USS Challenger]

Malik rubbed his renewed forearm as it ached with soreness, remembering the feeling of the Gorn chomping down and crushing his ulna and radius. Thanks to modern medicine his arm and been fully healed, though it had taken a complex surgery to knit everything back together and ensure the nerves were repaired. Now he and 'BukBuk' as the Gorn was known were corresponding via subspace messages. The Gorn had returned to his homeworld and reunited with his family. He had been just as much a victim as Malik, and the Risan harboured no ill-will towards him.

The Pit battle hadn't been a complete loss either, Malik had taken his gladius and mounted it to the office wall as a battle-trophy.

For their next mission they were to return to their usual patrol area around starbase 153, and investigate smuggling across the border.

Malik had a lot of studying to do in preparation for the mission. He had to know as much as possible on the players involved, the local politics and locations.

And so he returned to the terminal screen to read the next intelligence file.

Quote from: J.B Dersch on October 31, 2024, 08:34:06 AM[ NPC Katie Dersch | Main Engineering Corridor | Deck 13 | USS Challenger]

 "I beg your pardon, but this is not the place for children to be wandering around, let alone Main Engineering."

I'm gonna check it out either way.... "My Father sent me to get something from Neva" Katie quickly said.

"I believe there's a school for children. I will need you to follow me, please.". Yep, not today."Sorry But I'm not going to school today, I want to explore" Katie quickly turned and took off down the corridor. Pretty sure there's a Jefferey tube entrance some where near here, Remember the schematic this read this morning,


(https://i.ibb.co/4s5GbyS/Katie-Dersch-ID-Card.png)

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Main Engineering Corridors | Deck Thirteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Alhanjhu only scoffed and scrambled after the child. She was fast, but to Alhanjhu, it was no different from chasing down wild animals. Like the Mungarr, those scampering little furballs back on Andgarr. They were similar to bear cubs, but tended to be as lithe as weasels. And they were plenty fast. Alhanjhu used to hunt them, either to capture them for pets or food, and he was experienced with chasing them down.

As such, chasing the little girl brought back memories. It was like chasing a Mungarr again. She was just as big as a juvenile Mungarr, was just as fast, and was just as stubborn. The only difference was the the lack of hair.

Besides, Alhanjhu spent enough time in the Andgarr wilds that he had quite the endurance about him. He participated in the Academy Marathon and made champion for the year, but regretted not taking more, on account that he had only a year at the Academy. Some of his Academy friends even dared him to chase some deer, and bets were taken on whether or not he could catch them, and six out of ten times, he was able to - although he let them go every time he caught one.

As such, while the little girl gave a good chase, Alhanjhu was eventually able to catch her. Like with catching Mungarr, all he simply did was scoop her up and drape her over his shoulder. Some people were nearby when he caught her and he said, "Excuse me. Caught a little truant, and I'm bringing her to school."

And he took her away.

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on October 30, 2024, 11:34:55 PM[Shuttlebay 2]

Ardy gave Calindra a smirk and laughed. "Definitely a nice thought, you found 'er though.  I'm just helping make it the fastest. I've done a fair bit of souping up on shuttles in my day, and don't tell the captain, but I've already upgraded the shuttles we have as well. This is a nice challenge, if you ask me," she grinned, hefting a set of tools into their bag. She'd love to get her hands on a sweet set of thruster accelerators, but that was something you'd more find in the backrooms from some Ferengi's shop than in the replicator catalogue, and they weren't anywhere near a station, much less one who had unscrupulous back rooms.   "Sounds good. I'll keep an eye on the numbers as you fire her up,"  she said, looking at the PADD she had running that gave the readings. 'Lemme know when you're ready."

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|Neva's Quarters-> Shuttlebay 2]

Neva slowly wiped the water from her face with a towel, eyes glued to the mirror above the sink. She looked like hell-her eyes seemed sunken & darker than usual, cheeks a patchy pink & white, lips a thin line. She was thankful she could put her hair up in a simple ponytail, but even that seemed an effort. She wasn't in uniform, however. She wore denim-looking pants, a long sleeved black V-Neck top, and her black work boots. Since the news of her mother's passing, Neva felt like a walking zombie.

She'd let both the Captain and Lt. Sunik know, and given time off to grieve and make arrangements for her to perform her mother's Death Ceremony.

She'd heard Ardy & Calindra needed help with the shuttle from the Ferengi debacle, so she was on her way to see if she could lend a hand. She'd wanted to see the thing up close and see how She ticked. The thought brought a small lift of a smile and Neva quickened her steps.

[Shuttlebay 2]

Neva walked through the doors and stopped to find her target. She realized she really didn't need to, since she could hear uncharacteristic noise coming from one area. Giving a decisive nod, she headed over.

Neva found the ladies standing outside the shuttle, heads bent over  PADD's, wrong wavering sounds coming from the ship. Covering her ears and face screwing into one of deep distaste, she called out to them.

"Please! Turn that thing off! The sensors are so out of tune its Chronic!"

Quote from: Alhanjhu on November 01, 2024, 01:28:33 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Main Engineering Corridors | Deck Thirteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Alhanjhu only scoffed and scrambled after the child. She was fast, but to Alhanjhu, it was no different from chasing down wild animals. Like the Mungarr, those scampering little furballs back on Andgarr. They were similar to bear cubs, but tended to be as lithe as weasels. And they were plenty fast. Alhanjhu used to hunt them, either to capture them for pets or food, and he was experienced with chasing them down.

As such, chasing the little girl brought back memories. It was like chasing a Mungarr again. She was just as big as a juvenile Mungarr, was just as fast, and was just as stubborn. The only difference was the the lack of hair.

Besides, Alhanjhu spent enough time in the Andgarr wilds that he had quite the endurance about him. He participated in the Academy Marathon and made champion for the year, but regretted not taking more, on account that he had only a year at the Academy. Some of his Academy friends even dared him to chase some deer, and bets were taken on whether or not he could catch them, and six out of ten times, he was able to - although he let them go every time he caught one.

As such, while the little girl gave a good chase, Alhanjhu was eventually able to catch her. Like with catching Mungarr, all he simply did was scoop her up and drape her over his shoulder. Some people were nearby when he caught her and he said, "Excuse me. Caught a little truant, and I'm bringing her to school."

And he took her away.

[ NPC Katie Dersch | Main Engineering Corridor | Deck 13 | USS Challenger]

Katie thought she was pulling away then she was high in the air and up and over his back. "I'm not a truant" With that Alhanjhu got a good kick in the chest from Katies boot, enough to at least leave a mark for a little bit. Dang it! Well....Guess I'm gonna need to work out more often...Or just trick him.... She wiggled a bit trying to get loose, It did not help. "alright alright Put me down, I can walk by myself!" Katie hated being seen like this, Yea she was really smart but she was still a kid. "Gonna have to crack dads padds open again to see who is on shift and whos not...Oh crap" Katie said out loud, She had pretty much just told this Security officer what she had done. Well, I'm for sure theres no proof of me tampering, But still I said it out loud...Argh! This is gonna be a heck of a day.

(https://i.ibb.co/4s5GbyS/Katie-Dersch-ID-Card.png)

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on October 30, 2024, 11:34:55 PM[Shuttlebay 2]

Ardy gave Calindra a smirk and laughed. "Definitely a nice thought, you found 'er though.  I'm just helping make it the fastest. I've done a fair bit of souping up on shuttles in my day, and don't tell the captain, but I've already upgraded the shuttles we have as well. This is a nice challenge, if you ask me," she grinned, hefting a set of tools into their bag. She'd love to get her hands on a sweet set of thruster accelerators, but that was something you'd more find in the backrooms from some Ferengi's shop than in the replicator catalogue, and they weren't anywhere near a station, much less one who had unscrupulous back rooms.   "Sounds good. I'll keep an eye on the numbers as you fire her up,"  she said, looking at the PADD she had running that gave the readings. 'Lemme know when you're ready."

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 01, 2024, 09:53:18 AMCali and Ardyn both glanced over the PADD as Ardy ran through the preliminary readouts. Calindra's Dream was humming to life, its systems showing a bit of that cobbled-together charm. "If only we were near a Ferengi's backroom shop, eh? They'd probably try to charge us a fortune for thruster accelerators... but I'd love to see what this beauty could do with them," Calindra mused, her eyes glinting with mischief.

After the test was completed, Cali went to fetch a box of what looked like old toys. Among the items was a plastic t-rex, a bauble head of some pirate type, fuzzy dice, and some vintage film posters. "I think we're at the embellishment stages, what do you think?" she asked with a grin.

[ Lt. JB Dersch | Bridge ---> Shuttlebay 2 | Deck 1 ---> Deck 20(Might Be Wrong, 19 and 20 have Shuttle bays| USS Challenger]

JB finished with the diagnostics, All were good, Now he wanted to check on the Ship in Shuttle bay 2 to see how it was going, Plus see if they could get some personnel weapons, if not some kind of weapons on board if all were to go to Hell he wanted who ever was aboard to be able to defend them selves. When he arrived he noticed quite a few known faces from the last mission.

"Ardyn, Calindra, Hows things going, Wanted to ask, would there be any space to add some small weapons for the crew, Or even ship to ship weapons? If not Its all good, I'm just wanting who ever is gonna crew this ship to have able defenses in case of something going wrong, Which seems to always happen" JB asked the two women in a casual manner, He wasn't really keen on playing rank or even last name when it came to these two, At least not after the latest mission.

Quote from: Alexander Wu on October 31, 2024, 11:49:58 PM[USS Challenger - Deck 7 - Sickbay]

Like most of his peers, Alex wasn't a big fan of visiting the doctors, but he also didn't have the luxury of youthful resilience to rely on anymore. After another night spent mostly awake in the fruitless quest for a comfortable position, trying to stay quiet so not to wake Ardyn or Maddy, he had been forced to admit defeat. The terakine he'd been using, a fairly low dose out of the common replicators, did help but Alex was reluctant to keep relying on medications to make it through the day.

Walking through the doors into the main patient area, Alex stopped infront of the reception station. "Hi there," He greeted the crewman sitting behind the table. "I was wonder if it'd be possible to see someone about some back pain."

[ NPC Freya Dersch | Medical Bay | Deck 7 | USS Challenger]


Freya was busy rechecking the last system when she heard the door open to sickbay. She turned to see Mr. Wu, The one who JB had talked about during their Gladiator match. Freya walked over right as he begun speaking to the crewmen busy with a update on the surgical bot.


"Hi there," He greeted the crewman sitting behind the table. "I was wonder if it'd be possible to see someone about some back pain."

"Its good Crewmen, I can take it from here, Finish up with that, We're gonna want that pristine and ready to roll if needed" Freya then turned to the computer and type up Wu and pulled her tricorder.

"So backpain? Hey we all get it at some point, Take a seat on this bed, Now how long has it been like this, And where dose it hurt?" Freya asked preparing the tricorder to scan the area of pain.

(https://i.ibb.co/jGx6CNB/Freya-ID-Card.png)

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 01, 2024, 01:53:14 PM[Shuttlebay 2]

Neva walked through the doors and stopped to find her target. She realized she really didn't need to, since she could hear uncharacteristic noise coming from one area. Giving a decisive nod, she headed over.

Neva found the ladies standing outside the shuttle, heads bent over  PADD's, wrong wavering sounds coming from the ship. Covering her ears and face screwing into one of deep distaste, she called out to them.

"Please! Turn that thing off! The sensors are so out of tune its Chronic!"

Calindra was still holding the box as the test was being done, the dampening field erected between the ship and the rest of the crew inside the shuttle bay, protecting them from the noises within. When she noticed Neva stumbling on the other side of the field, she quickly dropped the box of toys, put on some protective gear over her ears, and went to fetch Neva before the woman's ear drums split from the noise.

Calindra placed an extra pair of ear protectors over Neva's head, giving her a sympathetic smile before steering her further from the noise. As they moved toward the quieter side of the shuttlebay, the dampening field's steady hum dulled the freighter's shrill, off-key wails.

When they reached a more peaceful spot, Calindra removed her own ear gear, glancing at Neva with concern. "You alright?" she asked, her tone soft. The lieutenant must have been distracted. The state of her attire hinting that she was dealing with personal issues.

Calindra's lips curved in a sheepish smile. "We're working out the bugs, but this ship's been temperamental since day one." She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck.

[Shuttle bay 2]

Ardy smirked as the engines started running. "You sure you're not a mind reader? Because I was thinking the exact same thing. A set of those bad boys would really make her run like a charm.

She picked up the little dinosaur from Calindra's stash. It wasn't a velociraptor like Steve was, but it was pretty adorable nonetheless. The thought flashed through her mind reminding her of her tiny dinosaur Last she heard, he was stationed on Solaere with Garrison while she had her hiatus. Probably having the time of his life.

"Definitely. All we need is an Orion hula dancer bobble and it'll be perfect," She said, double-checking the measurements. "Might try to snag one  when we eventually have our honeymoon on Risa...." She mused.

When Dersch came up to her asking about the weapons compartments, she gave him a grin. "You're in luck, we've got plenty of room to get in a compliment of weapons for the ship.  We can put them in the - "

 The engine was running, going faster and faster, suddenly giving a shrieking, grinding noise, as if someone had been scraping nails on a chalkboard, as the old saying went.  Seeing Calindra run out to help Neva, Ardyn barked to the other crew working on the ship  "Abort the engine test!" as she saw Neva come down.  With the engine winding down to safe levels, she came out of the testing area.  "Hey there. You doing alright?  Sorry about catching you in that. I think that sounded like the dilithium modulators there. Maybe? Might have to pull up the hood again"

She could tell that emotionally, Neva had been through the wringer, and she did not blame her. Losing a parent was rough enough.  Ardy hoped the distraction would be enough to help her through.

"So, strike that on the flight test for now, I guess?"

[USS Challenger | Dr. Avarak's Quarters]

Though the room was dim, illuminated only by a few candles spread over a neatly arranged desk surface, the atmosphere within would have been indistinguishable from the arid heat of a Vulcan day. Avarak sat quietly within this place of repose in solitary meditation, adorned in a robe traditional of his people. In his hands sat a lute, its wood marked by the knots and checks of age, yet otherwise remarkably well preserved and cared for. The tones it produced were also as clear as the day it had been bestowed upon him by his late father many years prior.

Dr. Avarak had been in this state for quite some time - in fact, he had not seen duty since the Ferengi "delegates" had sprung their devious scheme on the ship's crew in the form of anesthizine gas. His recollection of the events immediately following the attack were nonexistent, and it was only through the assistance of the physician who had attended to him, Dr. Freya Dersch, that he had come to the attention that he had experienced a severe physiological reaction to the anesthetic that had placed him into a coma for several days. At his request, hypersensitivity and genetic testing was conducted after he made his recovery, however only nonspecific results were obtained, and it had been postulated that his body had most likely suffered from an acute reaction to a dangerously high dose of anesthizine, as his unconscious form had been found not far from the canisters that produced the sleeping agent.

The following days were spent in quiet contemplation of the events that had occurred, in part due to Dr. Dersch's insistence that the Vulcan "take it easy" for a little while. As beneficial as it was to spend this time in convalescence, he thought it all the more essential to return to his station as soon as his faculties were deemed fit once more - of which that day would be today.

[USS Challenger | Deck 7 | Sickbay]

Dr. Avarak passed through the doors of the Main Sickbay, now no longer in a patient's gown but once again properly adorned in his Starfleet uniform. He had been apprised of the casualties that the crew had suffered since the Ferengi raid, and this had included a report of the major trauma cases that had been suffered by a disproportionate number of the Challenger's command staff. Apparently, the Ferengi slavers had forced many of the ship's highest ranking officers into a primitive gladiatorial arena to fight for their lives while increasing their own potential of earning a profit off of the barbaric spectacle in turn. The report did state that many of these officers did respond well to medical intervention, however Sickbay logs indicated that there was still ongoing utilization of medical services for these wounds.

As Avarak checked through the panel of patients currently being administered to in the main ward, his eyes rested on Lieutenant Wu, of whom he had been informed was now Lieutenant Commander Wu, and Dr. Dersch, who was standing beside him.

"Dr. Dersch, I have completed my course of reduced physical activity pursuant to your recommendations and now stand ready to resume my duties in Sickbay, if it is seen fit for me to do so."

He looked over at Alex and gave a slight nod to him as well.

"Lieutenant Commander, I read a report on the situation with the Ferengi raiding party, and noticed that you had sustained several combat wounds while in active defense of the crew. Your commendation for such actions is appropriate and rightly placed."

It wasn't much, but it was the best a Vulcan could do to compliment Alex's bravery and his subsequent promotion.

USS Challenger | Autumn's quarters

The challenger was on route to Starbase 153 and the crew was getting ready for their next assignment. Being a junior officer, Autumn didn't know much about what that assignment would be, but she'd heard from some acquaintances in engineering that they were busy getting the new freighter, Calindra's Dream ready for  a new assignment.

Autumn on the other hand had been told to prepare a detailed report on the scientific properties of several unusual elements and substances. Lt. Randell had not specified why she was to look into these specific elements but the list was intriguing. Kemocite, which once refined had multiple applications. Bio-mimetic gel which was important in genetics research and medical practice. Kovalium alloys which were the main raw material of Romulan mind probes. Enolian spice wine, which had no other uses other than as a recreational beverage. A strange and disparate group of substances apart for one commonality: all of those were restricted and rigidly regulated substances in Federation Space, and often targets of contraband carriers. Starbase 153 was on the edge of the neutral zone... That gave Autumn an idea of what kind of mission waited ahead of the Challenger.

That being said, she had finished her report several hours ago – far sooner than the time frame Lt. Randell had originally stipulated, and now she was using her personal computer station to run some diagnostics in the ship's sensor array. Autumn had been trying to boost the capacity of the sensors for several days now, and these diagnostics would tell her if her latest attempt had been successful. While she worked, little Luka was asleep on her lap, and she could feel the dog's breathing as his little chest cage moved up and down.


She was interrupted by the bleep of the internal communicator. Luka lifted his head immediately.

"Lt. Randell to Ensign Autumn," Randell said over the comm. He'd already gotten into the habit of calling her by her first name only, as was the custom on Vulcan and as she generally preferred to be called.

"Autumn here, " she replied

"When you're finished with the report, take it to the XO's office right away. Randell out."

Just as he signed off, the diagnostic finished running on Autumn's computer screen. She smiled.


[USS Challenger |XO's Office]

Autumn rang the bell before walking into the XO's office.

"Sir, Lt. Randell asked me bring you the science report on the least of restricted substances," she said, offering the first officer her PADD. "I have also included the result of my latest experimental algorithms designed to boost the ship's long range sensors efficiency. You will see I was able to increase it by 1.73%."

Quote from: Autumn on November 03, 2024, 08:35:30 AMUSS Challenger | Autumn's quarters

The challenger was on route to Starbase 153 and the crew was getting ready for their next assignment. Being a junior officer, Autumn didn't know much about what that assignment would be, but she'd heard from some acquaintances in engineering that they were busy getting the new freighter, Calindra's Dream ready for  a new assignment.

Autumn on the other hand had been told to prepare a detailed report on the scientific properties of several unusual elements and substances. Lt. Randell had not specified why she was to look into these specific elements but the list was intriguing. Kemocite, which once refined had multiple applications. Bio-mimetic gel which was important in genetics research and medical practice. Kovalium alloys which were the main raw material of Romulan mind probes. Enolian spice wine, which had no other uses other than as a recreational beverage. A strange and disparate group of substances apart for one commonality: all of those were restricted and rigidly regulated substances in Federation Space, and often targets of contraband carriers. Starbase 153 was on the edge of the neutral zone... That gave Autumn an idea of what kind of mission waited ahead of the Challenger.

That being said, she had finished her report several hours ago – far sooner than the time frame Lt. Randell had originally stipulated, and now she was using her personal computer station to run some diagnostics in the ship's sensor array. Autumn had been trying to boost the capacity of the sensors for several days now, and these diagnostics would tell her if her latest attempt had been successful. While she worked, little Luka was asleep on her lap, and she could feel the dog's breathing as his little chest cage moved up and down.

(https://64.media.tumblr.com/ff63db2ec9d47b31c35e18f272100bca/2e70af16b4d7e149-29/s1280x1920/96a190a80072db3f3516426d5d21db393e14629e.pnj)

She was interrupted by the bleep of the internal communicator. Luka lifted his head immediately.

"Lt. Randell to Ensign Autumn," Randell said over the comm. He'd already gotten into the habit of calling her by her first name only, as was the custom on Vulcan and as she generally preferred to be called.

"Autumn here, " she replied

"When you're finished with the report, take it to the XO's office right away. Randell out."

Just as he signed off, the diagnostic finished running on Autumn's computer screen. She smiled.


[USS Challenger |XO's Office]

Autumn rang the bell before walking into the XO's office.

"Sir, Lt. Randell asked me bring you the science report on the least of restricted substances," she said, offering the first officer her PADD. "I have also included the result of my latest experimental algorithms designed to boost the ship's long range sensors efficiency. You will see I was able to increase it by 1.73%."

[USS Challenger, XO's Office]

Malik took the padd and reviewed its contents, the report was meticulously detailed and exactly what he needed.

"This is excellent work, ensign. Take a seat."

Malik studied the report further nodding with approval.

"Sensor efficiency is more Lieutenant Randell's territory, if you bring those to him. I'm planning an away team for our pending operation. I heard good things about you on our last mission. Tell me, if you were a smuggler, what would you try to bring over our side of the border into Romulan territory? Secondly, what would be a maximum sensor range to detect those items?"

[Bridge - USS Challenger --> Starbase 153]

Ian sat in the command chair, antsier that usual. As he waited for the docking umbilicals to be made fast, he gave a quick update to his log.

"Captain's Log Supplemental. We have arrived at Starbase 153. We have been given 72 hours of shore leave as we may be in space for some time for this anti-smugglin' mission. It's been a long haul from Ferenginar and the crew could use the break, Especially those workin' ta get that rattletrap freighter even close ta bein' serviceable. Once our leave is over, our mission proper will begin. Trackin' down the source of the smugglin' is goin' ta dangerous for the away team. Challenger's roll will be ta act as the cavalry should they get themselves in too deep. End log."

Ian was anxious to leave the ship which was unusual as he typically was one of the last to leave the ship whenever they docked at a starbase. He wanted to give the junior members of the crew the most time possible of the 72 hours they had before beginning their anti-smuggling mission. However, what motivated Ian to leave the ship earlier than usual was an unusual private message he had received. Whoever sent it knew how to remain anonymous. The text only message, which came directly to him and bypassed the usual communications channels.

All it said was "Meet at the Starlight Lounge as soon as you dock. Come alone."

The mystery of it all was enough to get Ian to go, but while the message said come alone, it didn't say anything about telling anyone about it and even though he was curious, he wasn't about to meet some unknown person without someone knowing where he was going. Thus he informed his chief of security Rachel Davenport, who was not pleased that he was going to go alone. Ian had to order her not to assign a tail because she was so concerned.

Ian wasn't the first off the ship, he waited until at least a hundred of the crew had gone before he exited the airlock. The starbase directory steered him to the Starlight Lounge and he walked into what seemed to be a very nice club. As he entered, the bartender signaled to him and handed him a single malt scotch. He said.

"The person you need to see is in booth four and that you would need this."

Now even more mystified and curious, he made his way to the indicated booth and the the figure masked by shadows. When he reached the booth, the person sitting their leaned forward into the light and an utterly dumbfounded Ian learned this mystery person was Jessica Fellows...

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 01, 2024, 09:36:52 PM[Shuttle bay 2]

Ardy smirked as the engines started running. "You sure you're not a mind reader? Because I was thinking the exact same thing. A set of those bad boys would really make her run like a charm.

She picked up the little dinosaur from Calindra's stash. It wasn't a velociraptor like Steve was, but it was pretty adorable nonetheless. The thought flashed through her mind reminding her of her tiny dinosaur Last she heard, he was stationed on Solaere with Garrison while she had her hiatus. Probably having the time of his life.

"Definitely. All we need is an Orion hula dancer bobble and it'll be perfect," She said, double-checking the measurements. "Might try to snag one  when we eventually have our honeymoon on Risa...." She mused.

When Dersch came up to her asking about the weapons compartments, she gave him a grin. "You're in luck, we've got plenty of room to get in a compliment of weapons for the ship.  We can put them in the - "

 The engine was running, going faster and faster, suddenly giving a shrieking, grinding noise, as if someone had been scraping nails on a chalkboard, as the old saying went.  Seeing Calindra run out to help Neva, Ardyn barked to the other crew working on the ship  "Abort the engine test!" as she saw Neva come down.  With the engine winding down to safe levels, she came out of the testing area.  "Hey there. You doing alright?  Sorry about catching you in that. I think that sounded like the dilithium modulators there. Maybe? Might have to pull up the hood again"

She could tell that emotionally, Neva had been through the wringer, and she did not blame her. Losing a parent was rough enough.  Ardy hoped the distraction would be enough to help her through.

"So, strike that on the flight test for now, I guess?"

[ Lt. JB Dersch | Shuttlebay 2 | Deck 20 | USS Challenger]

When Dersch came up to her asking about the weapons compartments, she gave him a grin. "You're in luck, we've got plenty of room to get in a compliment of weapons for the ship.  We can put them in the - "

JB nodded then Neva came in and sounded like she was pissed or upset about something, Possibly both. JB now went into quick thinking wondering if there something he should be aware of, But nothing was in his inbox this morning, So he finally assumed it was personnel and not something the Security Department should get into. So he turned back to Ardyn.

"Thats Good, I still have the Romulan Rifle and Ferengi pistol from the mission, So I can get those added to the list, To be honest, I rather not have any Star fleet weapons on board, Not even a simple knife or Phaser, Just in case it gets searched, I will have some security officers  get to work in getting some Pirate like Weapons Made" With that JB pulled out his PADD and begun to type.

TO: All Security Personnel
From:Lt. JB Dersch

Starting Now, Get a Weapons Supplement Made, Featuring Anything or any weapons pirates are known to have, Have them made and brought to shuttle Bay 2, as soon as possible, If there's any issue Please contact me.

Sincerely
Lt. JB Dersch


JB then hit sent and looked to Ardyn. "If there's anything else weapon wise we can fit, Please let me know, I have no idea who's gonna man this thing, But who ever it is, I want them ready, Most likely, If they select Crew, I'm gonna ask to go, I have some Experience as a Pirate, Or at least dealings with them" JB then turned and walked to the exit, But then stopped and pulled the PADD out again and sent another message


TO: Commander Malik Grippen, Captain Ian Galloway
From:Lt. JB Dersch

Hello Captain, Commander, with us now back at Star Base 153, I have a feeling the Calindra Dream will be used to fight the now growing Pirate problems, If the Challenger is chosen to Crew this vessel, I would like to volunteer my self, Due to my experience with handle pirates, I ran a Cargo Ship for a few years before Star Fleet, And I feel my experience will best used on the Calindra dream, Thats if I am Correct on the mission

Sincerely
Lt. JB Dersch

JB put the PAdd away and walked out heading to the Family Quarters to get the Weapons from the Gladiator match. On his way he pulled his PAdd out once more to check location of all the on duty security officers. And Ensign Jei'Jendak was heading towards the school. Odd. JB tapped his comm badge.

 =/\= Dersch to Jei'Jendak, Is everything okay, Location has you heading towards the school, Did a Student Escape? =/\=

Oddodd

Quote from: Avarak on November 02, 2024, 11:07:22 PM[USS Challenger | Dr. Avarak's Quarters]

Though the room was dim, illuminated only by a few candles spread over a neatly arranged desk surface, the atmosphere within would have been indistinguishable from the arid heat of a Vulcan day. Avarak sat quietly within this place of repose in solitary meditation, adorned in a robe traditional of his people. In his hands sat a lute, its wood marked by the knots and checks of age, yet otherwise remarkably well preserved and cared for. The tones it produced were also as clear as the day it had been bestowed upon him by his late father many years prior.

Dr. Avarak had been in this state for quite some time - in fact, he had not seen duty since the Ferengi "delegates" had sprung their devious scheme on the ship's crew in the form of anesthizine gas. His recollection of the events immediately following the attack were nonexistent, and it was only through the assistance of the physician who had attended to him, Dr. Freya Dersch, that he had come to the attention that he had experienced a severe physiological reaction to the anesthetic that had placed him into a coma for several days. At his request, hypersensitivity and genetic testing was conducted after he made his recovery, however only nonspecific results were obtained, and it had been postulated that his body had most likely suffered from an acute reaction to a dangerously high dose of anesthizine, as his unconscious form had been found not far from the canisters that produced the sleeping agent.

The following days were spent in quiet contemplation of the events that had occurred, in part due to Dr. Dersch's insistence that the Vulcan "take it easy" for a little while. As beneficial as it was to spend this time in convalescence, he thought it all the more essential to return to his station as soon as his faculties were deemed fit once more - of which that day would be today.

[USS Challenger | Deck 7 | Sickbay]

Dr. Avarak passed through the doors of the Main Sickbay, now no longer in a patient's gown but once again properly adorned in his Starfleet uniform. He had been apprised of the casualties that the crew had suffered since the Ferengi raid, and this had included a report of the major trauma cases that had been suffered by a disproportionate number of the Challenger's command staff. Apparently, the Ferengi slavers had forced many of the ship's highest ranking officers into a primitive gladiatorial arena to fight for their lives while increasing their own potential of earning a profit off of the barbaric spectacle in turn. The report did state that many of these officers did respond well to medical intervention, however Sickbay logs indicated that there was still ongoing utilization of medical services for these wounds.

As Avarak checked through the panel of patients currently being administered to in the main ward, his eyes rested on Lieutenant Wu, of whom he had been informed was now Lieutenant Commander Wu, and Dr. Dersch, who was standing beside him.

"Dr. Dersch, I have completed my course of reduced physical activity pursuant to your recommendations and now stand ready to resume my duties in Sickbay, if it is seen fit for me to do so."

He looked over at Alex and gave a slight nod to him as well.

"Lieutenant Commander, I read a report on the situation with the Ferengi raiding party, and noticed that you had sustained several combat wounds while in active defense of the crew. Your commendation for such actions is appropriate and rightly placed."

It wasn't much, but it was the best a Vulcan could do to compliment Alex's bravery and his subsequent promotion.

[ NPC Doctor Freya Dersch | USS Challenger | Deck 7 | Sickbay]

Freya was in the middle of waiting for a response from Wu when Avarak had entered.

"Dr. Dersch, I have completed my course of reduced physical activity pursuant to your recommendations and now stand ready to resume my duties in Sickbay, if it is seen fit for me to do so."

Freya smiled and nodded at him. "Welcome back And I do see fit, We are just seeing where the pain was on Mr. Wu, My guess is it is from the Gladiartor Match my husband, Wu and others were thrown into" Freya turned to see what other officers that were busy and who was not. There a few just milling around not doing anything.

"If you would like, See what has been checked off on the list of checks on all our Equipment and get those Crew over there" Freya said nodding to the 4 officers milling around. "And have them complete the list, I haven't seen the Chief today, To be honest, I'm not surprised,  Hes most likely enjoying some leave or something after the Ferengi incident"

(https://i.ibb.co/jGx6CNB/Freya-ID-Card.png)

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 01, 2024, 02:33:09 PMCalindra was still holding the box as the test was being done, the dampening field erected between the ship and the rest of the crew inside the shuttle bay, protecting them from the noises within. When she noticed Neva stumbling on the other side of the field, she quickly dropped the box of toys, put on some protective gear over her ears, and went to fetch Neva before the woman's ear drums split from the noise.
Calindra placed an extra pair of ear protectors over Neva's head, giving her a sympathetic smile before steering her further from the noise. As they moved toward the quieter side of the shuttlebay, the dampening field's steady hum dulled the freighter's shrill, off-key wails.
When they reached a more peaceful spot, Calindra removed her own ear gear, glancing at Neva with concern. "You alright?" she asked, her tone soft. The lieutenant must have been distracted. The state of her attire hinting that she was dealing with personal issues.
Calindra's lips curved in a sheepish smile. "We're working out the bugs, but this ship's been temperamental since day one." She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck.

Quote from: J.B Dersch on November 01, 2024, 02:32:47 PM]
[ Lt. JB Dersch | Bridge -� Shuttlebay 2 | Deck 1 -� Deck 20(Might Be Wrong, 19 and 20 have Shuttle bays| USS Challenger]
JB finished with the diagnostics, All were good, Now he wanted to check on the Ship in Shuttle bay 2 to see how it was going, Plus see if they could get some personnel weapons, if not some kind of weapons on board if all were to go to Hell he wanted who ever was aboard to be able to defend them selves. When he arrived he noticed quite a few known faces from the last mission.
"Ardyn, Calindra, Hows things going, Wanted to ask, would there be any space to add some small weapons for the crew, Or even ship to ship weapons? If not Its all good, I'm just wanting who ever is gonna crew this ship to have able defenses in case of something going wrong, Which seems to always happen" JB asked the two women in a casual manner, He wasn't really keen on playing rank or even last name when it came to these two, At least not after the latest mission.

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger – Wu on November 01, 2024, 09:36:52 PM[Shuttle bay 2]
Ardy smirked as the engines started running. "You sure you're not a mind reader? Because I was thinking the exact same thing. A set of those bad boys would really make her run like a charm.
She picked up the little dinosaur from Calindra's stash. It wasn't a velociraptor like Steve was, but it was pretty adorable nonetheless. The thought flashed through her mind reminding her of her tiny dinosaur Last she heard, he was stationed on Solaere with Garrison while she had her hiatus. Probably having the time of his life.
"Definitely. All we need is an Orion hula dancer bobble and it'll be perfect," She said, double-checking the measurements. "Might try to snag one  when we eventually have our honeymoon on Risa...." She mused.
When Dersch came up to her asking about the weapons compartments, she gave him a grin. "You're in luck, we've got plenty of room to get in a compliment of weapons for the ship.  We can put them in the – "
 The engine was running, going faster and faster, suddenly giving a shrieking, grinding noise, as if someone had been scraping nails on a chalkboard, as the old saying went.  Seeing Calindra run out to help Neva, Ardyn barked to the other crew working on the ship  "Abort the engine test!" as she saw Neva come down.  With the engine winding down to safe levels, she came out of the testing area.  "Hey there. You doing alright?  Sorry about catching you in that. I think that sounded like the dilithium modulators there. Maybe? Might have to pull up the hood again"
She could tell that emotionally, Neva had been through the wringer, and she did not blame her. Losing a parent was rough enough.  Ardy hoped the distraction would be enough to help her through.
"So, strike that on the flight test for now, I guess?"

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Shuttlebay 2|Calindra'sDream]
Neva felt a wave of relief when Cali put the earphones on her and let herself be pulled to a safer area. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the gear off her head and gave a wan smile.
"Yeah, much better! Thanks."
Standing up on her own again, Neva put her kit down on a nearby cart as she heard Ardy call out to her. Giving a thumbs up and a grin, she called back. "Yeah! No flying Her yet, m'dear!"
Neva looked down at the box Calindra had dropped then back up at her friend. Raising an eyebrow, she squatted and started picking through them. "What've you got in mind with these?"
Without waiting for an answer, Neva picked up a part and stood, twisting it around in her hands. She walked over to her kit and opened it up without looking. Her fingers walked over the contents, finally picking up a tool. She brought it up to the part and touched it to various points before putting the tool away, not looking at anything but the part she held.
Neva began mumbling incoherently under her breath, once again rolling the part in her hands. She bee-lined it for the shuttle's interior, totally engrossed in what she carried. The whole time, she moved around everyone without bumping into a soul.
Stopping dead and pulling a panel off near the cockpit, Neva fiddled with the interior a moment before thrusting the part into place and threw the panel back into place. A whoosh of power flooded the controls, and readings and buttons burst into place. Her fingers danced along, grunts and growls interspersed with words of what sounded like encouragement. Suddenly, she punched a button and spun around in the chair with hands cradling her head.
Wearing a satisfied and cocky grin, Neva scanned the area before yelling out. "Hey Ardy! You got you functioning flight controls!" She spun back around to look over the panel and grumbled unintelligibly a moment. She then reached down and smacked the underside a moment and the control panel went dark then back to normal. With a satisfied grunt, Neva turned back to towards Ardy's direction. Seeing she was no longer there, Neva shrugged and got up to go find her.

[Ensign Lira Meval • Starbase 153]

The journey to Starbase 153 had been calm, but Lira felt her heart race as she approached her destination. The Challenger. Soon, she would be on board, officially part of a Starfleet crew — a step she had always imagined but which now felt real in a way that took her breath away.

As soon as she disembarked, Lira looked for the terminal to check the Challenger's exact arrival time. There was a focused stillness within her as she waited, trying to calm her excitement and take in every second. Then, finally, the ship appeared in the dock, its imposing silhouette standing out against the starry backdrop. Lira watched it approach, almost as if she were meeting someone she'd heard about countless times but was now seeing for the first time.

Knowing she would have 72 more hours before the official departure, Lira didn't waste any time. She quickly secured authorization to explore the ship's corridors. She walked through the decks, letting her fingers lightly trace the walls, as if wanting to memorize each texture and detail. The science labs welcomed her with a calmness that made her smile — soon, that would be her workspace, her home among the stars.

After a brief exploration, she returned to the base, feeling satisfied and excited for the days ahead. She already felt a special connection to the Challenger and knew this was just the first of many journeys she would share with her new crew.

[ USS Challenger | Deck 3 | Mess Hall]

"This is why I like Romeo & Juliet." Aarwendil said to Nekab, who was seated in front of him at the other side of the table. The two were having lunch and talking in the Mess Hall like how they do everyday. This time the conversation had been about books, specifically old literature from Earth. The Betazoid had spent the past minutes explaining why he liked that story, while the Romulan stared at him with his typical emotionless face.

"I think that this story is instructive and logical." Nekab said, placing his fork on the plate. "It shows that excessive feelings can cause premature death. The human way of loving is one of the most dangerous that I ever see, it can make them dumb." it wasn't what Aarwendil was expecting the other to say.

"I like it because it's only a tragic love story." Aarwendil wondered if the Romulan said these things because it was what he really understood or it was some type of bizarre sense of humor. Now he was curious to what Nekab would think of Moby Dick.

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 04, 2024, 04:10:23 PM[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Shuttlebay 2|Calindra'sDream]
Neva felt a wave of relief when Cali put the earphones on her and let herself be pulled to a safer area. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the gear off her head and gave a wan smile.
"Yeah, much better! Thanks."
Standing up on her own again, Neva put her kit down on a nearby cart as she heard Ardy call out to her. Giving a thumbs up and a grin, she called back. "Yeah! No flying Her yet, m'dear!"
Neva looked down at the box Calindra had dropped then back up at her friend. Raising an eyebrow, she squatted and started picking through them. "What've you got in mind with these?"

[Calindra Hejaran - Shuttlebay 2 - USS Challenger]

Calindra tilted her head, watching Neva rummage through the box of random trinkets she'd brought, mostly small items she thought could add a touch of personality to Calindra's Dream—if the ship was going to carry her name, it might as well feel a bit like home. Just as she was about to explain, Neva suddenly snatched one of the pieces and walked off, clearly on a mission of her own.

With a half-smile, Calindra shrugged. "Guess she found some inspiration," she murmured to herself, amused by Neva's sudden enthusiasm.

Her eyes scanned the bay, and she finally spotted Lieutenant Dersch, who was already focused on his PADD, heading away in the opposite direction. She must have missed him talking to Ardyn in the commotion of the ear-splitting noise and pulling Neva to safety. Calindra walked back over to where Ardyn was still working on the freighter's systems, gesturing toward Dersch's retreating figure.

"So, what did he want?" Calindra asked Ardyn, still a bit curious about the lieutenant's visit and if it had anything to do with their current project. "Was he looking in to make sure we weren't about to blow the place up?" Cali laughed out loud, then glanced at the freighter with a fondly exasperated expression.

Quote from: J.B Dersch on November 01, 2024, 02:32:47 PM[ NPC Freya Dersch | Medical Bay | Deck 7 | USS Challenger]


Freya was busy rechecking the last system when she heard the door open to sickbay. She turned to see Mr. Wu, The one who JB had talked about during their Gladiator match. Freya walked over right as he begun speaking to the crewmen busy with a update on the surgical bot.


"Hi there," He greeted the crewman sitting behind the table. "I was wonder if it'd be possible to see someone about some back pain."

"Its good Crewmen, I can take it from here, Finish up with that, We're gonna want that pristine and ready to roll if needed" Freya then turned to the computer and type up Wu and pulled her tricorder.

"So backpain? Hey we all get it at some point, Take a seat on this bed, Now how long has it been like this, And where dose it hurt?" Freya asked preparing the tricorder to scan the area of pain.

(https://i.ibb.co/jGx6CNB/Freya-ID-Card.png)

Quote from: Avarak on November 02, 2024, 11:07:22 PM[USS Challenger | Deck 7 | Sickbay]

"Dr. Dersch, I have completed my course of reduced physical activity pursuant to your recommendations and now stand ready to resume my duties in Sickbay, if it is seen fit for me to do so."

He looked over at Alex and gave a slight nod to him as well.

"Lieutenant Commander, I read a report on the situation with the Ferengi raiding party, and noticed that you had sustained several combat wounds while in active defense of the crew. Your commendation for such actions is appropriate and rightly placed."

It wasn't much, but it was the best a Vulcan could do to compliment Alex's bravery and his subsequent promotion.

[USS Challenger - Deck 7 - Sickbay]

Leaning against but not quite sitting on the edge of a biobed, he was about to reply when another doctor, this one in uniform, came up. Dr. Dersch was apparently quite highly in demand but Alex was happy to wait if it meant more time before he got poked and prodded. "Doctor...Avarak, right?" He remembered seeing the Vulcan's file while reviewing Challenger's newest onboardings which had taken place during his wedding day. His department had genernously taken over some of his duties, including greeting the new arrivals, but Alex generally considered that the best part of his job. "Thank you, even if I don't think I deserved a promotion any more than the others. Who knows though, maybe third time's the charm." He jested goodhumouredly, reflecting on his tumultuous history of past jumps to the senior ranks.

"I do apologize for not meeting with you earlier when you first came onboard, and yourself, Doctor Dersch. I was a bit distracted with personal matters, and then that little adventure with the Ferengi really threw a hyperspanner into the workings. If you have any concerns with your quarters or anything else that you think I might be able to help with, please let me know. I have an open door policy, I just ask that you knock first before entering." Alex gave both what he hoped was a welcoming smile. "And to answer your question, it's mostly lower back, it's just constantly sore and achy, been that way for a while. But since that fight, I'm also getting spasms down the back into my left leg when bending down to pick stuff up. Feels a bit like like electric shocks."

[Shuttlebay 2]

Ardy nodded. They still had a lot to do with that to make it safe enough to dly first, much less flying fast.

"Works for me. The less we look like Starfleet the better. Our uniforms might look pretty, but they put a big target on us. Anything Federation made, really. I don't want them to trace it back to us and do what they did to us in the Arena " She shuddered as she remembered the fight in the Pits. The doctors had painstakingly gotten all the microscopic, nearly invisible splinters from the sharp Targ-fur out of her hands, but sometimes, the reminders of the splinters were enough to feel like they were still there, despite everything.

That last time, they had gotten lucky. Plain and simple.   She knew the underbellies of these sorts of places, at least during her youth.  They didn't seem to like the ever-watchful eyes of Starfleet. And they would scrabble back if they weren't too careful. The thrill of evading the authorities had long-since soured for her,  but she still couldn't deny that some old habits that she had picked up never really died, and she now had Maddy who was already showing some of Ardy's more... reckless tendencies.

"Once we get 'er up and running, I'll show you where we've gotten a good spot already rigged to put weapons. It's really well hidden if we need it to be."  she said,

Ardy grinned as Neva figured out what was wrong with the ship. "Looks like we're ready to test her after all!" she said, heading over to Calindra to report on what Dersch said.. "He was wondering about the weapons storage. We've got a lot of that in the hull plating. Probably not enough to blow us up, if you ask me." she grinned.

[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

There was no rest for the Risan as he continued with the mission planning. Now in astrometrics, the large holographic display showed the local systems and trade lanes. The computer had identified the most likely routes across the border where security was weakest. They would start there.

Malik had pulled together a briefing pack for each member of the away team. Within it was key mission information, local politics, players, factions involved. And the latest intelligence and interrogation reports on smugglers. Each away team member would be required to dress in appropriate 'smuggler attire' and assume the false identify provided for them. They were going undercover posing as smugglers, they had to act the part as their lives would depend on it.

Starfleet Intelligence had provided a key contact of the smuggling network, a broker who would accept goods and sell them on the smugglers behalf. Known only as 'Vesper' they had a general location, a comms code and that was about it. It was going to be a lot of flying in the dark and relying on their charisma and wit.

Malik fired off the briefing pack to the away team.

The freighter had to be ready.
The away team had to be prepared.
Autumn had to source 'smuggled goods' as per her report and stock the freighter.
Malik needed a drink.

=/\= "Commander Grippen to away team. Mission begins in 72 hours. Review your briefing packs. Any problems, report to Astrometrics." =/\=

Quote from: J.B Dersch on November 01, 2024, 02:32:47 PM[ NPC Katie Dersch | Main Engineering Corridor | Deck 13 | USS Challenger]

Katie thought she was pulling away then she was high in the air and up and over his back. "I'm not a truant" With that Alhanjhu got a good kick in the chest from Katies boot, enough to at least leave a mark for a little bit. Dang it! Well....Guess I'm gonna need to work out more often...Or just trick him.... She wiggled a bit trying to get loose, It did not help. "alright alright Put me down, I can walk by myself!" Katie hated being seen like this, Yea she was really smart but she was still a kid. "Gonna have to crack dads padds open again to see who is on shift and whos not...Oh crap" Katie said out loud, She had pretty much just told this Security officer what she had done. Well, I'm for sure theres no proof of me tampering, But still I said it out loud...Argh! This is gonna be a heck of a day.

(https://i.ibb.co/4s5GbyS/Katie-Dersch-ID-Card.png)

Quote from: J.B Dersch on November 04, 2024, 12:10:23 PM[ Lt. JB Dersch | Shuttlebay 2 | Deck 20 | USS Challenger]

When Dersch came up to her asking about the weapons compartments, she gave him a grin. "You're in luck, we've got plenty of room to get in a compliment of weapons for the ship.  We can put them in the - "

JB nodded then Neva came in and sounded like she was pissed or upset about something, Possibly both. JB now went into quick thinking wondering if there something he should be aware of, But nothing was in his inbox this morning, So he finally assumed it was personnel and not something the Security Department should get into. So he turned back to Ardyn.

"Thats Good, I still have the Romulan Rifle and Ferengi pistol from the mission, So I can get those added to the list, To be honest, I rather not have any Star fleet weapons on board, Not even a simple knife or Phaser, Just in case it gets searched, I will have some security officers  get to work in getting some Pirate like Weapons Made" With that JB pulled out his PADD and begun to type.

TO: All Security Personnel
From:Lt. JB Dersch

Starting Now, Get a Weapons Supplement Made, Featuring Anything or any weapons pirates are known to have, Have them made and brought to shuttle Bay 2, as soon as possible, If there's any issue Please contact me.

Sincerely
Lt. JB Dersch


JB then hit sent and looked to Ardyn. "If there's anything else weapon wise we can fit, Please let me know, I have no idea who's gonna man this thing, But who ever it is, I want them ready, Most likely, If they select Crew, I'm gonna ask to go, I have some Experience as a Pirate, Or at least dealings with them" JB then turned and walked to the exit, But then stopped and pulled the PADD out again and sent another message


TO: Commander Malik Grippen, Captain Ian Galloway
From:Lt. JB Dersch

Hello Captain, Commander, with us now back at Star Base 153, I have a feeling the Calindra Dream will be used to fight the now growing Pirate problems, If the Challenger is chosen to Crew this vessel, I would like to volunteer my self, Due to my experience with handle pirates, I ran a Cargo Ship for a few years before Star Fleet, And I feel my experience will best used on the Calindra dream, Thats if I am Correct on the mission

Sincerely
Lt. JB Dersch

JB put the PAdd away and walked out heading to the Family Quarters to get the Weapons from the Gladiator match. On his way he pulled his PAdd out once more to check location of all the on duty security officers. And Ensign Jei'Jendak was heading towards the school. Odd. JB tapped his comm badge.

 =/\= Dersch to Jei'Jendak, Is everything okay, Location has you heading towards the school, Did a Student Escape? =/\=

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | School | Deck Three | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Ignoring the child's protests, Alhanjhu brought the child all the way to school. And given how much she was going on, he figured it was his Department Head's little girl. On the way, he got a call from his own department head. Speak of the devil, the girl's father.

"As a matter of fact, yes, Lieutenant," Alhanjhu said. "A child was skipping school, and it transpired to your daughter. I caught her in the Engineering corridors and I'm bringing her back."

Upon arrival at the school, Alhanjhu stepped right in. "Excuse me, teacher, I believe you're missing a student," he said, setting the Dersch girl down in the classroom. "I caught her at the engineering corridors on my patrol." He then looked over at her. "Listen to me, it's best not to wander into Main Engineering alone. It can be a dangerous part of the ship. And of all people, the daughter of my department head. You should know better."

He glared sternly at her and then rose to resume his patrol, but then saw the notice Dersch made for bringing made weapons similar to what pirates used. Ah. He had been busy enough not to notice it.

 =/\= "Jei'Jendak to Dersch, I saw your notice for bringing made weapons akin to ones pirates use. I'll see what I can come up with and I'll be on my way to you." =/\=

It gave him plenty of time to think, and a lot of memories flooded back. He had seen pirates and smugglers and great varieties of scumbags at the forest floors of Andgarr for a long time; after all, he remembered how there are plenty of places to hide in the Andgarri forest floors, and it attracted criminals and spies and anybody who wanted hidey holes.

In point of fact, he captured plenty of weapons used by criminals plenty of times, and he had tendencies to dismantle them, and he had memories of what they looked like. He never thought he'd have to use weapons of what they looked like...

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Outside Calindra's Dream | Shuttlebay Two | Deck Twenty | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

A moment later, Alhanjhu had arrived, with his pirate weapons and dressed in pirate attire, as a kind of tryout.


The only thing that was made from scratch was the disruptor, and Alhanjhu figured it wouldn't make a difference: regardless of origin, pirates and criminals always had disruptors. Always. The blades he had were old presents. The longer one was a sword of the Romulan Rebirth Movement, a present from Uncle Anju. He also had a tan qalanq, but he preferred to keep it as a souvenir.

He also packed a turban, and had some belts danging from it to store two extra weapons, a pair of jagged d'k'tags he took from some exceptionally shady Klingons, souvenirs of one of his fiercest battles as a wild child. Also hanging from his turban was a computerized scope, also hiding a lean thin Andgarri scanner, design of which he also remembered from Andgarr; it was like a tricorder, albeit it was leaner, making it look like a lean bundle of sticks.

Figuring he was the first of security personnel to arrive with custom weapons, Alhanjhu stepped up to the people assembled. Plenty he recognized: Dersch, Cali, and some senior officers, though he had not gotten to know them yet. It was a tryout, he told himself, if they needed somebody in disguise. A way to show his disguise.

"Jolan Tru, everybody," he greeted. "Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak reporting as ordered, Lieutenant Dersch. Excuse the attire, this is an idea of a disguise if you need me undercover as a pirate. And the shirt will be coming back on along with the rest of the uniform momentarily. I haven't thought of a cover name, and it's a look I used before for an Academy Halloween party. I insisted on being a pirate, but my roommates insisted on the turban; Pirate Mowgli, they called it. And unfortunately, the name stuck."

He then presented the weapons, first his blades, then the disruptor. "This disruptor is what I came up with from memory. I remembered seeing plenty such weapons on criminals, hiding on the forest floors of Andgarr...my home planet, by the way. Well, where I was raised. It's no surprise to find criminals or people of secrecy, to me; Andgarr's forest floor is an excellent place to hide anything, from caches to bases. If you were at Andgarr when CHallenger was there for the 250th Frontier Day, you'd probably know that.

"Anyway, most criminals used a disruptor like this. I frequently captured them and took them apart, and I haven't forgotten how they look.

"As to the weapons, well, I had the idea that they would come in handy dangling from my turban, and it solidifies a pirate look about me," he finished.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 05, 2024, 08:25:05 AM[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

There was no rest for the Risan as he continued with the mission planning. Now in astrometrics, the large holographic display showed the local systems and trade lanes. The computer had identified the most likely routes across the border where security was weakest. They would start there.

Malik had pulled together a briefing pack for each member of the away team. Within it was key mission information, local politics, players, factions involved. And the latest intelligence and interrogation reports on smugglers. Each away team member would be required to dress in appropriate 'smuggler attire' and assume the false identify provided for them. They were going undercover posing as smugglers, they had to act the part as their lives would depend on it.

Starfleet Intelligence had provided a key contact of the smuggling network, a broker who would accept goods and sell them on the smugglers behalf. Known only as 'Vesper' they had a general location, a comms code and that was about it. It was going to be a lot of flying in the dark and relying on their charisma and wit.

Malik fired off the briefing pack to the away team.

The freighter had to be ready.
The away team had to be prepared.
Autumn had to source 'smuggled goods' as per her report and stock the freighter.
Malik needed a drink.

=/\= "Commander Grippen to away team. Mission begins in 72 hours. Review your briefing packs. Any problems, report to Astrometrics." =/\=

[Astrometrics - USS Challenger]

Hyperion completed his mapping of the space between Starbase 153 and the Romulan Free State border. He then trundled up to Malik and said.

"May I be of assistance Commander? I have e collected useful data on the Otorin sector.

[Shortly later]

[Feek's Parts and More - Starbase 153]

The shop smelled of grease, metal and oddly enough,  taquitos, as Ardy and the others went into the back rooms of the shop filled with parts, tools and other goodies.  She looked at the Bolian sitting at the countertop and grinned . "We're looking for parts that will fit a B-843 type engine.  You got any?"

" Could be, could not. You know those are pretty sought-after, right?" asked the Bolian.

"Obviously," she grinned.

Quote from: Hyperion on November 05, 2024, 06:45:47 PM[Astrometrics - USS Challenger]

Hyperion completed his mapping of the space between Starbase 153 and the Romulan Free State border. He then trundled up to Malik and said.

"May I be of assistance Commander? I have e collected useful data on the Otorin sector.

[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

Malik nearly had a brown alert as the little bot trundled up unexpectedly.

"By the gods! You gave me a fright."

Malik took a deep breath. He had no idea the little robot was in here with him.

"Hyperion, isn't it? I remember you. I was on the away mission where we found you."

He gestured to the holographic projection of the sector showing all the computer's projected smuggling routes.

"There's a whole lot of space and a whole lot of crossing routes. Do you have any insight on where we should make the crossing? We have to act like a smuggler. And think like a smuggler. Anything out of the ordinary and our cover will be blown. We have to blend in."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 06, 2024, 01:02:07 PM[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

Malik nearly had a brown alert as the little bot trundled up unexpectedly.

"By the gods! You gave me a fright."

Malik took a deep breath. He had no idea the little robot was in here with him.

"Hyperion, isn't it? I remember you. I was on the away mission where we found you."

He gestured to the holographic projection of the sector showing all the computer's projected smuggling routes.

"There's a whole lot of space and a whole lot of crossing routes. Do you have any insight on where we should make the crossing? We have to act like a smuggler. And think like a smuggler. Anything out of the ordinary and our cover will be blown. We have to blend in."

[Astrometrics - USS Challenger]

Hyperion considered the options of the question he'd been given before connecting to the main astrometrics display.

"Based on the current political situation, it is highly recommended that you avoid Romulan Empire space, especially the along the border with the Romulan Free State. The most likely avenue of approach for a stealth crossing would be between Earth Outpost 30 and Space Station K-12. This course is the shortest distance from Starbase 153 at 6.08 lightyears to Romulan Free State space. Anything trailing of that is too close to the Empire. Anything spinward of K-12 is likely to encounter other smugglers.

"However, it would be more logical to make use of the Safe Transit Corridor for your first transit as it would allow you to make contact with existing smugglers and potentially tap into their resources."

Quote from: Alhanjhu on November 05, 2024, 01:57:35 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | School | Deck Three | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Ignoring the child's protests, Alhanjhu brought the child all the way to school. And given how much she was going on, he figured it was his Department Head's little girl. On the way, he got a call from his own department head. Speak of the devil, the girl's father.

"As a matter of fact, yes, Lieutenant," Alhanjhu said. "A child was skipping school, and it transpired to your daughter. I caught her in the Engineering corridors and I'm bringing her back."

Upon arrival at the school, Alhanjhu stepped right in. "Excuse me, teacher, I believe you're missing a student," he said, setting the Dersch girl down in the classroom. "I caught her at the engineering corridors on my patrol." He then looked over at her. "Listen to me, it's best not to wander into Main Engineering alone. It can be a dangerous part of the ship. And of all people, the daughter of my department head. You should know better."

He glared sternly at her and then rose to resume his patrol, but then saw the notice Dersch made for bringing made weapons similar to what pirates used. Ah. He had been busy enough not to notice it.

 =/\= "Jei'Jendak to Dersch, I saw your notice for bringing made weapons akin to ones pirates use. I'll see what I can come up with and I'll be on my way to you." =/\=

It gave him plenty of time to think, and a lot of memories flooded back. He had seen pirates and smugglers and great varieties of scumbags at the forest floors of Andgarr for a long time; after all, he remembered how there are plenty of places to hide in the Andgarri forest floors, and it attracted criminals and spies and anybody who wanted hidey holes.

In point of fact, he captured plenty of weapons used by criminals plenty of times, and he had tendencies to dismantle them, and he had memories of what they looked like. He never thought he'd have to use weapons of what they looked like...

Quote from: Alhanjhu on November 05, 2024, 03:16:15 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Outside Calindra's Dream | Shuttlebay Two | Deck Twenty | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

A moment later, Alhanjhu had arrived, with his pirate weapons and dressed in pirate attire, as a kind of tryout.

(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/0859e11f-bd1a-4eba-b9a4-63a35c88a3c4/dii1rf3-cec01ca0-29da-4eda-92dd-5020c8ebc2b5.jpg/v1/fit/w_828,h_1036,q_70,strp/trekjhu_by_multificionado_dii1rf3-414w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTM1MCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzA4NTllMTFmLWJkMWEtNGViYS1iOWE0LTYzYTM1Yzg4YTNjNFwvZGlpMXJmMy1jZWMwMWNhMC0yOWRhLTRlZGEtOTJkZC01MDIwYzhlYmMyYjUuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwODAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.RvCrp7RWdnrjBxLlxkuEcsmY0p9V1iVLP0AKOrJjuzk)

The only thing that was made from scratch was the disruptor, and Alhanjhu figured it wouldn't make a difference: regardless of origin, pirates and criminals always had disruptors. Always. The blades he had were old presents. The longer one was a sword of the Romulan Rebirth Movement, a present from Uncle Anju. He also had a tan qalanq, but he preferred to keep it as a souvenir.

He also packed a turban, and had some belts danging from it to store two extra weapons, a pair of jagged d'k'tags he took from some exceptionally shady Klingons, souvenirs of one of his fiercest battles as a wild child. Also hanging from his turban was a computerized scope, also hiding a lean thin Andgarri scanner, design of which he also remembered from Andgarr; it was like a tricorder, albeit it was leaner, making it look like a lean bundle of sticks.

Figuring he was the first of security personnel to arrive with custom weapons, Alhanjhu stepped up to the people assembled. Plenty he recognized: Dersch, Cali, and some senior officers, though he had not gotten to know them yet. It was a tryout, he told himself, if they needed somebody in disguise. A way to show his disguise.

"Jolan Tru, everybody," he greeted. "Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak reporting as ordered, Lieutenant Dersch. Excuse the attire, this is an idea of a disguise if you need me undercover as a pirate. And the shirt will be coming back on along with the rest of the uniform momentarily. I haven't thought of a cover name, and it's a look I used before for an Academy Halloween party. I insisted on being a pirate, but my roommates insisted on the turban; Pirate Mowgli, they called it. And unfortunately, the name stuck."

He then presented the weapons, first his blades, then the disruptor. "This disruptor is what I came up with from memory. I remembered seeing plenty such weapons on criminals, hiding on the forest floors of Andgarr...my home planet, by the way. Well, where I was raised. It's no surprise to find criminals or people of secrecy, to me; Andgarr's forest floor is an excellent place to hide anything, from caches to bases. If you were at Andgarr when CHallenger was there for the 250th Frontier Day, you'd probably know that.

"Anyway, most criminals used a disruptor like this. I frequently captured them and took them apart, and I haven't forgotten how they look.

"As to the weapons, well, I had the idea that they would come in handy dangling from my turban, and it solidifies a pirate look about me," he finished.

[ Lt. JB Dersch | Shuttlebay 2 | Deck 20 | USS Challenger]

Dersch had just entered the family quarters and greeted their dogs when the ensign responded.

=/\= "Thank you Ensign, Sorry bout that, And I will meet you there soon"=/\= JB then quickly sent a message to Freya asking her to meet with Katie.

Once down there he was reading through the intel report when he walked in.

Dersch nodded. "Interesting Ensign,I will need to talk to Malik about something now that you have shown this. So you have some type of skills, Not skills Experiences with pirates I assume?"

Quote from: Alexander Wu on November 04, 2024, 09:34:25 PM[USS Challenger - Deck 7 - Sickbay]

Leaning against but not quite sitting on the edge of a biobed, he was about to reply when another doctor, this one in uniform, came up. Dr. Dersch was apparently quite highly in demand but Alex was happy to wait if it meant more time before he got poked and prodded. "Doctor...Avarak, right?" He remembered seeing the Vulcan's file while reviewing Challenger's newest onboardings which had taken place during his wedding day. His department had genernously taken over some of his duties, including greeting the new arrivals, but Alex generally considered that the best part of his job. "Thank you, even if I don't think I deserved a promotion any more than the others. Who knows though, maybe third time's the charm." He jested goodhumouredly, reflecting on his tumultuous history of past jumps to the senior ranks.

"I do apologize for not meeting with you earlier when you first came onboard, and yourself, Doctor Dersch. I was a bit distracted with personal matters, and then that little adventure with the Ferengi really threw a hyperspanner into the workings. If you have any concerns with your quarters or anything else that you think I might be able to help with, please let me know. I have an open door policy, I just ask that you knock first before entering." Alex gave both what he hoped was a welcoming smile. "And to answer your question, it's mostly lower back, it's just constantly sore and achy, been that way for a while. But since that fight, I'm also getting spasms down the back into my left leg when bending down to pick stuff up. Feels a bit like like electric shocks."

[ NPC Freya Dersch | Medical Bay | Deck 7 | USS Challenger]

Freya had just went to talk to Wu when the message from JB popped up. "Really Katie..."

Freya turned to Avarak. "Could you handle this? My Daughter made the choice to skip school and got caught exploring engineering, And JB is meeting in Shuttlebay 2 for some type of mission, Is it okay if I can go talk to her real quick??

(https://i.ibb.co/jGx6CNB/Freya-ID-Card.png)

[Starlight Lounge - Starbase 153]

Ian stood in the Starlight Lounge for several moments, unable to speak, his mouth moving, but no sounds would come out.

"You should probably sit down and drink your scotch, you look like a gasping fish out of water."

Ian's legs went out from under him and he was just glad he managed to land on a chair and not flop backwards onto the floor.

"Jess, I simply don't have words ta express how sorry I am."

It took so long for Jess to reply as she studied his face intently that Ian figured she was deciding how to dispose of his body without getting caught. After a painfully long pause, she said.

"I believe you. This is why I chose to ambush you here in person. Not even holographic communication does give the full non-verbal cues I needed to see if you were worth the effort to salvage."

"And what is the diagnosis Doctor?"

"I believe you've still got some redeeming qualities, we'll have to take things slow and see how things pan out."

"Thank you Jess."

"Don't thank me yet Ian. I have one more surprise for you."

"Oh bugger."

"Actually I believe you will like this part. I pulled some strings at Starfleet Medical. Meet your new Chief Medical Officer..."

Quote from: Alhanjhu on November 05, 2024, 03:16:15 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Outside Calindra's Dream | Shuttlebay Two | Deck Twenty | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

A moment later, Alhanjhu had arrived, with his pirate weapons and dressed in pirate attire, as a kind of tryout.

The only thing that was made from scratch was the disruptor, and Alhanjhu figured it wouldn't make a difference: regardless of origin, pirates and criminals always had disruptors. Always. The blades he had were old presents. The longer one was a sword of the Romulan Rebirth Movement, a present from Uncle Anju. He also had a tan qalanq, but he preferred to keep it as a souvenir.

He also packed a turban, and had some belts danging from it to store two extra weapons, a pair of jagged d'k'tags he took from some exceptionally shady Klingons, souvenirs of one of his fiercest battles as a wild child. Also hanging from his turban was a computerized scope, also hiding a lean thin Andgarri scanner, design of which he also remembered from Andgarr; it was like a tricorder, albeit it was leaner, making it look like a lean bundle of sticks.

Figuring he was the first of security personnel to arrive with custom weapons, Alhanjhu stepped up to the people assembled. Plenty he recognized: Dersch, Cali, and some senior officers, though he had not gotten to know them yet. It was a tryout, he told himself, if they needed somebody in disguise. A way to show his disguise.

"Jolan Tru, everybody," he greeted. "Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak reporting as ordered, Lieutenant Dersch. Excuse the attire, this is an idea of a disguise if you need me undercover as a pirate. And the shirt will be coming back on along with the rest of the uniform momentarily. I haven't thought of a cover name, and it's a look I used before for an Academy Halloween party. I insisted on being a pirate, but my roommates insisted on the turban; Pirate Mowgli, they called it. And unfortunately, the name stuck."

He then presented the weapons, first his blades, then the disruptor. "This disruptor is what I came up with from memory. I remembered seeing plenty such weapons on criminals, hiding on the forest floors of Andgarr...my home planet, by the way. Well, where I was raised. It's no surprise to find criminals or people of secrecy, to me; Andgarr's forest floor is an excellent place to hide anything, from caches to bases. If you were at Andgarr when CHallenger was there for the 250th Frontier Day, you'd probably know that.

"Anyway, most criminals used a disruptor like this. I frequently captured them and took them apart, and I haven't forgotten how they look.

"As to the weapons, well, I had the idea that they would come in handy dangling from my turban, and it solidifies a pirate look about me," he finished.

[Lieutenant JG Hejaran - Shuttle Bay II - USS Challenger]

Calindra couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as Alhanjhu arrived in full pirate attire. Her eyebrow quirked in amusement as she took in the details—the Romulan sword, the Klingon daggers, the Andgarri scanner tucked away like a bundle of sticks. It was clear he'd put thought into every accessory, and she was impressed, even if it was a bit... eclectic.

As he greeted everyone with a serious tone, she bit back a laugh at the image he made: part menacing, part over-the-top costume. The "Pirate Mowgli" bit nearly sent her into a full chuckle, but she managed to keep it together, barely.

"Jolan Tru, Ensign," she replied with mock solemnity, giving him a respectful nod, although her eyes still danced with mirth.

The mirth died down slightly, as Calindra glanced Alhanjhu up and down with a critical eye, taking in the details of his pirate getup — the turban with dangling belts, the jagged d'k'tags, and that particularly lean Andgarri scanner tucked away. She gave a short, bemused chuckle, crossing her arms as she addressed him.

"Well, Ensign, I'll give you points for enthusiasm, but if you're actually trying to go undercover, you might want to tone it down a notch." She gestured to the turban and belts. "A pirate outfit this bold could draw the wrong kind of attention in the field — unless, of course, you're aiming to create a distraction."

She tapped the hilt of one of his d'k'tags with her finger, examining its jagged edge. "And those," she said with a smirk, "might be a little too recognizable if you've tangled with Klingons before. Not exactly the kind of souvenir you'd want them to spot if you're trying to keep things low-key."

They both turned to see Lieutenant Dersch stride into the Shuttlebay.

Quote from: J.B Dersch on November 06, 2024, 01:50:01 PM[ Lt. JB Dersch | Shuttlebay 2 | Deck 20 | USS Challenger]
Dersch had just entered the family quarters and greeted their dogs when the ensign responded.
=/\= "Thank you Ensign, Sorry bout that, And I will meet you there soon"=/\= JB then quickly sent a message to Freya asking her to meet with Katie.
Once down there he was reading through the intel report when he walked in.
Dersch nodded. "Interesting Ensign,I will need to talk to Malik about something now that you have shown this. So you have some type of skills, Not skills Experiences with pirates I assume?"

Calindra raised a brow at Dersch's question, as she shifted her attention fully to Alhanjhu again. She could tell Dersch was probing, trying to gauge the young ensign's experience level — not something Dersch did lightly. And if he was curious, well, so was she.

---

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 06, 2024, 09:36:53 AM[Shortly later]

[Feek's Parts and More - Starbase 153]

The shop smelled of grease, metal and oddly enough,  taquitos, as Ardy and the others went into the back rooms of the shop filled with parts, tools and other goodies.  She looked at the Bolian sitting at the countertop and grinned . "We're looking for parts that will fit a B-843 type engine.  You got any?"

" Could be, could not. You know those are pretty sought-after, right?" asked the Bolian.

"Obviously," she grinned.

[Lieutenant JG Hejaran - Feek's Parts and More - Starbase 153]

Calindra stepped into Feek's Parts and More with a glint in her eye, immediately taking in the array of items stacked from floor to ceiling. The scents of grease, metal, and an unexpected hint of taquitos only fueled her enthusiasm. She flashed Ardy a grin, already scanning the shelves for anything that looked like it might be useful—or fun.

Hearing the Bolian's comment about the B-843 engine, she couldn't help but lean in, intrigued. "Highly sought-after, you say?" Calindra stepped up beside Ardy, folding her arms and letting her gaze sweep over the shop's shelves, cluttered with a mix of parts ranging from vintage conduits to half-functioning diagnostic consoles. She took a deep, dramatic inhale of the taquito-laced air and raised an eyebrow at the Bolian.

She leaned casually against the counter, giving him a look that was halfway between playful and no-nonsense. "How about you tell us where you keep your, uh... less sought-after stash, and we'll make sure no one else comes in here to hound you for them," she said wanting to cut through this guy's crap.

She glanced over at Ardy, a smirk tugging at her lips, before adding, "Unless you like people digging through your hidden treasures."

Quote from: J.B Dersch on November 06, 2024, 01:50:01 PM[ Lt. JB Dersch | Shuttlebay 2 | Deck 20 | USS Challenger]

Dersch had just entered the family quarters and greeted their dogs when the ensign responded.

=/\= "Thank you Ensign, Sorry bout that, And I will meet you there soon"=/\= JB then quickly sent a message to Freya asking her to meet with Katie.

Once down there he was reading through the intel report when he walked in.

Dersch nodded. "Interesting Ensign,I will need to talk to Malik about something now that you have shown this. So you have some type of skills, Not skills Experiences with pirates I assume?"

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 07, 2024, 02:03:34 PM[Lieutenant JG Hejaran - Shuttle Bay II - USS Challenger]

Calindra couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as Alhanjhu arrived in full pirate attire. Her eyebrow quirked in amusement as she took in the details—the Romulan sword, the Klingon daggers, the Andgarri scanner tucked away like a bundle of sticks. It was clear he'd put thought into every accessory, and she was impressed, even if it was a bit... eclectic.

As he greeted everyone with a serious tone, she bit back a laugh at the image he made: part menacing, part over-the-top costume. The "Pirate Mowgli" bit nearly sent her into a full chuckle, but she managed to keep it together, barely.

"Jolan Tru, Ensign," she replied with mock solemnity, giving him a respectful nod, although her eyes still danced with mirth.

The mirth died down slightly, as Calindra glanced Alhanjhu up and down with a critical eye, taking in the details of his pirate getup — the turban with dangling belts, the jagged d'k'tags, and that particularly lean Andgarri scanner tucked away. She gave a short, bemused chuckle, crossing her arms as she addressed him.

"Well, Ensign, I'll give you points for enthusiasm, but if you're actually trying to go undercover, you might want to tone it down a notch." She gestured to the turban and belts. "A pirate outfit this bold could draw the wrong kind of attention in the field — unless, of course, you're aiming to create a distraction."

She tapped the hilt of one of his d'k'tags with her finger, examining its jagged edge. "And those," she said with a smirk, "might be a little too recognizable if you've tangled with Klingons before. Not exactly the kind of souvenir you'd want them to spot if you're trying to keep things low-key."

They both turned to see Lieutenant Dersch stride into the Shuttlebay.

Calindra raised a brow at Dersch's question, as she shifted her attention fully to Alhanjhu again. She could tell Dersch was probing, trying to gauge the young ensign's experience level — not something Dersch did lightly. And if he was curious, well, so was she.

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Outside Calindra's Dream | Shuttlebay Two | Deck Twenty | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Alhanjhu nodded at Cali's points, and he looked down at his "Pirate Mowgli" attire. "I guess there is room for improvement," he said, looking up. "The daggers can be much. They can go. And I suppose I should settle for a vest or a jacket, for sake of covering up. I guess I'd be too much of a distraction."

At Dersch's question about his expertise, Alhanjhu replied, "Not too much. Just as I remember in my time as a feral child in Andgarr's wilds. I learned a lot to survive and whatnot for ten years. I've encountered people in my time in the forest floor. Some are people who have gotten lost, so I was able to guide them to settlements along the oln'garr trees. Some of the friendlies have even took time to teach me to speak to others, and one even left me a Universal Translator. Others are plenty hostile. Criminals and pirates included. Sometimes I'd engage them, but I've always been careful. Full fights I never had intentions to finish if I wasn't confident I could win it.

"When I do engage a hostile, I always go for the ambush approach. After all, if you know a forest well enough, combined with learning to hunt, guerilla tactics work extremely well. Picking off targets one by one helps the best. And if one knows how to climb trees, so much the better. High places work just as excellently. Now, Lieutenant, if you've seen me at practice using high-up places, using ladders and such, it's a honing of my skills.

"I know I have excellent ambush skills, as I've demonstrated in helping some fellow officers when we were at Ferenginar, at Engineering, of course. But I can hold excellently in a fight. Again, they're skills honed from my time as a feral child, and I was able to refine them when I joined civilization when the Jendak family took me in."

Once he was finished talking, Alhanjhu said, "If you think I'm good for it, then I'm fine with you speaking to Commander Grippen if you'd like to involve me with the team." He knew Malik meant "Commander Grippen," and spending two months on the ship so far had given him enough time for him to get to know who the senior officers are.

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 07, 2024, 02:03:34 PM[Lieutenant JG Hejaran - Shuttle Bay II - USS Challenger]

Calindra couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as Alhanjhu arrived in full pirate attire. Her eyebrow quirked in amusement as she took in the details—the Romulan sword, the Klingon daggers, the Andgarri scanner tucked away like a bundle of sticks. It was clear he'd put thought into every accessory, and she was impressed, even if it was a bit... eclectic.

As he greeted everyone with a serious tone, she bit back a laugh at the image he made: part menacing, part over-the-top costume. The "Pirate Mowgli" bit nearly sent her into a full chuckle, but she managed to keep it together, barely.

"Jolan Tru, Ensign," she replied with mock solemnity, giving him a respectful nod, although her eyes still danced with mirth.

The mirth died down slightly, as Calindra glanced Alhanjhu up and down with a critical eye, taking in the details of his pirate getup — the turban with dangling belts, the jagged d'k'tags, and that particularly lean Andgarri scanner tucked away. She gave a short, bemused chuckle, crossing her arms as she addressed him.

"Well, Ensign, I'll give you points for enthusiasm, but if you're actually trying to go undercover, you might want to tone it down a notch." She gestured to the turban and belts. "A pirate outfit this bold could draw the wrong kind of attention in the field — unless, of course, you're aiming to create a distraction."

She tapped the hilt of one of his d'k'tags with her finger, examining its jagged edge. "And those," she said with a smirk, "might be a little too recognizable if you've tangled with Klingons before. Not exactly the kind of souvenir you'd want them to spot if you're trying to keep things low-key."

They both turned to see Lieutenant Dersch stride into the Shuttlebay.

Calindra raised a brow at Dersch's question, as she shifted her attention fully to Alhanjhu again. She could tell Dersch was probing, trying to gauge the young ensign's experience level — not something Dersch did lightly. And if he was curious, well, so was she.

---

[Lieutenant JG Hejaran - Feek's Parts and More - Starbase 153]

Calindra stepped into Feek's Parts and More with a glint in her eye, immediately taking in the array of items stacked from floor to ceiling. The scents of grease, metal, and an unexpected hint of taquitos only fueled her enthusiasm. She flashed Ardy a grin, already scanning the shelves for anything that looked like it might be useful—or fun.

Hearing the Bolian's comment about the B-843 engine, she couldn't help but lean in, intrigued. "Highly sought-after, you say?" Calindra stepped up beside Ardy, folding her arms and letting her gaze sweep over the shop's shelves, cluttered with a mix of parts ranging from vintage conduits to half-functioning diagnostic consoles. She took a deep, dramatic inhale of the taquito-laced air and raised an eyebrow at the Bolian.

She leaned casually against the counter, giving him a look that was halfway between playful and no-nonsense. "How about you tell us where you keep your, uh... less sought-after stash, and we'll make sure no one else comes in here to hound you for them," she said wanting to cut through this guy's crap.

She glanced over at Ardy, a smirk tugging at her lips, before adding, "Unless you like people digging through your hidden treasures."

[Feek's Parts and More - Starbase 153]

Ardy's grin was nearly feral as Calindra brought on the pressure to the Bolian, who was clearly disoriented by the women trying to get one up on him.  " What do you mean?" he asked, clearly trying to play dumb. Probably to put a smokescreen to the... less invested.



Pulling down a box of self-sealing stem bolts, Ardy casually rummaged through them. "We're pretty sure you know exactly what you mean. Anything good?"

The Bolian, sensing a sale, grinned, and  took them to the deeper parts of the labrynth of parts.  "Take a look, but don't get handsy. All parts are as-is."

Quote[ NPC Doctor Freya Dersch | USS Challenger | Deck 7 | Sickbay]

Freya was in the middle of waiting for a response from Wu when Avarak had entered.

"Dr. Dersch, I have completed my course of reduced physical activity pursuant to your recommendations and now stand ready to resume my duties in Sickbay, if it is seen fit for me to do so."

Freya smiled and nodded at him. "Welcome back And I do see fit, We are just seeing where the pain was on Mr. Wu, My guess is it is from the Gladiartor Match my husband, Wu and others were thrown into" Freya turned to see what other officers that were busy and who was not. There a few just milling around not doing anything.

"If you would like, See what has been checked off on the list of checks on all our Equipment and get those Crew over there" Freya said nodding to the 4 officers milling around. "And have them complete the list, I haven't seen the Chief today, To be honest, I'm not surprised,  Hes most likely enjoying some leave or something after the Ferengi incident"

(https://i.ibb.co/jGx6CNB/Freya-ID-Card.png)

Avarak nodded at the consulting physician's comments and folded his hands behind his back, his interest in the case growing as the Lieutenant Commander spoke. He would see to the equipment lists as soon as Mr. Wu's assessment was completed.

Quote from: Alexander Wu on November 04, 2024, 09:34:25 PM[USS Challenger - Deck 7 - Sickbay]

Leaning against but not quite sitting on the edge of a biobed, he was about to reply when another doctor, this one in uniform, came up. Dr. Dersch was apparently quite highly in demand but Alex was happy to wait if it meant more time before he got poked and prodded. "Doctor...Avarak, right?" He remembered seeing the Vulcan's file while reviewing Challenger's newest onboardings which had taken place during his wedding day. His department had genernously taken over some of his duties, including greeting the new arrivals, but Alex generally considered that the best part of his job. "Thank you, even if I don't think I deserved a promotion any more than the others. Who knows though, maybe third time's the charm." He jested goodhumouredly, reflecting on his tumultuous history of past jumps to the senior ranks.

"I do apologize for not meeting with you earlier when you first came onboard, and yourself, Doctor Dersch. I was a bit distracted with personal matters, and then that little adventure with the Ferengi really threw a hyperspanner into the workings. If you have any concerns with your quarters or anything else that you think I might be able to help with, please let me know. I have an open door policy, I just ask that you knock first before entering." Alex gave both what he hoped was a welcoming smile. "And to answer your question, it's mostly lower back, it's just constantly sore and achy, been that way for a while. But since that fight, I'm also getting spasms down the back into my left leg when bending down to pick stuff up. Feels a bit like like electric shocks."

"No apologies are necessary at this juncture, Mr. Wu," the Vulcan doctor replied calmly. "It did come to my attention upon my arrival onboard this vessel that my personal quarters' environmental settings had been precisely calibrated to match that of the general atmospheric conditions of my homeworld. I inquired into the operations department logs and identified an Ensign Calindra Hejaran who was the officer assigned to that section of Deck 7 at the time of my embarkation. Such modifications were likely placed based on careful review of my personnel file and a logical extrapolation of my potential temperature preferences. Such behavior should continue to be encouraged among your department."

Before he could turn to addressing Alex's complaint, Dr. Dersch suddenly looked to Avarak in distress.

Quote from: J.B Dersch on November 06, 2024, 01:50:01 PM[ NPC Freya Dersch | Medical Bay | Deck 7 | USS Challenger]

Freya had just went to talk to Wu when the message from JB popped up. "Really Katie..."

Freya turned to Avarak. "Could you handle this? My Daughter made the choice to skip school and got caught exploring engineering, And JB is meeting in Shuttlebay 2 for some type of mission, Is it okay if I can go talk to her real quick??

(https://i.ibb.co/jGx6CNB/Freya-ID-Card.png)

"Very well, Dr. Dersch. You may see to your daughter. I am able to perform the exam in your stead."

As his colleague hurried out of the ward, Avarak proceeded with pulling out his medical tricorder and ran some calibrations on its scanning functions. In particular, he made sure to increase its sensitivity to detecting aberrant neurotransmitter levels and signs of neurogenic trauma.

"Now, Mr. Wu, from what I understand of your history, you had received trauma to multiple discrete areas of the posterior portion of your body. You were promptly treated for the initial injuries, however you continue to present with persistent lumbago accompanied with neuropathic pain extending into the left lower extremity that is exacerbated with flexion of the thorax..."

He made a deliberate pause for a moment to allow his assessment of the situation to be understood by his patient. He had to make sure that the history he had gathered from other sources was accurate to the patient's complaint, as this would be an important component of his differential diagnostic process.

"...Given the pattern of injuries that you had sustained and your resulting symptomatology, I suspect a potential underlying lumbar radiculopathy, and there are several reasons for this. Any direct trauma to the lumbar vertebrae can place significant pressure upon the annulus fibrosus, which is a concentric ring of type I collagen which encapsulates the gelatinous nucleus pulposus that forms the inner portion of the lumbar disk. A resulting tear in the annulus can lead to a herniation of the nucleus pulposus, typically posterolaterally into a position where it comes into contact with a descending spinal nerve. Neuronal claudication at specific levels of the lumbar spine can result in the radiation of neuropathic pain into either one of the lower extremities. Notwithstanding, there are other potential causes in the case of trauma as well, such as spondylosis with accompanying spondylolisthesis. To confirm this, I will need to perform a number of scans to assess for neural trauma, and as such, I must ask you to sit upright and erect while I perform the exam."

As he said this he began to slowly trace the probe of the tricorder down the lower length of Alex's spinal column and descended it down into the posterior pelvic region where the fossae containing the large and vulnerable sciatic nerve and its branches originate.

"Have you noticed any bowel or bladder dysfunction, or any loss of sensation to the genital area?"

Quote from: Hyperion on November 06, 2024, 01:49:28 PM[Astrometrics - USS Challenger]

Hyperion considered the options of the question he'd been given before connecting to the main astrometrics display.

"Based on the current political situation, it is highly recommended that you avoid Romulan Empire space, especially the along the border with the Romulan Free State. The most likely avenue of approach for a stealth crossing would be between Earth Outpost 30 and Space Station K-12. This course is the shortest distance from Starbase 153 at 6.08 lightyears to Romulan Free State space. Anything trailing of that is too close to the Empire. Anything spinward of K-12 is likely to encounter other smugglers.

"However, it would be more logical to make use of the Safe Transit Corridor for your first transit as it would allow you to make contact with existing smugglers and potentially tap into their resources."

[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

Malik watched the display as Hyperion focused in on the safe passage corridor. Half a light year in width, it was a bridge between Federation and RFS space.

"Security will be strongest on the corridor, all vessels are required to stop for inspection. We would have to hide our cargo really well. But crossing anywhere else would raise immediate red flags if we were caught to, it's not like we can cloak either."

"Whats the probability of success for both options?"

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 08, 2024, 12:41:32 AM[Feek's Parts and More - Starbase 153]

Ardy's grin was nearly feral as Calindra brought on the pressure to the Bolian, who was clearly disoriented by the women trying to get one up on him.  " What do you mean?" he asked, clearly trying to play dumb. Probably to put a smokescreen to the... less invested.

Pulling down a box of self-sealing stem bolts, Ardy casually rummaged through them. "We're pretty sure you know exactly what you mean. Anything good?"

The Bolian, sensing a sale, grinned, and  took them to the deeper parts of the labrynth of parts.  "Take a look, but don't get handsy. All parts are as-is."

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Feeks Parts & More]

Neva stood silently behind Ardy & Cali, arms crossed over her chest. For once, her fingers itched to use the disruptor tucked in the holster on her hips. She knew better, though. That's why her arms were crossed. She was way too into her persona already. This could be dangerous...

When they got to the area Feek brought them too, Neva quickly got to work. This was her jam, and getting to do the upgrades to a craft she'd always wanted...oh it was absolutely delicious!

Neva picked up some parts, inspecting them both intensely and casually as she strolled through the aisles. At one point, she waved Ardy over mutely.

"We need this one," Pointing at the engine part with a thumb, voice just above a whisper. "Try to get him down to..." Neva told her the price she'd researched and what it would do for them. This was fun!

[Starlight Lounge - Starbase 153 --> USS Challenger]

Ian and Jess walked to the Challenger, sharing the various events that had occurred since she had departed the ship. Jess was stunned to learn the ship had faced a Doomsday Machine and had to fight Kinshaya on the spinward border of Klingon space.

"I thought Kinshaya were a myth."

"I was skeptical about them too, but believe me Lass, they are too bloody real. We got beat up in that skirmish, but the worst was the Talinos system, There was a dead civilization there, wiped out by the Romulans over a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, their automated defense system was all too alive and it just about cored us out, hittin' us with our shields down."

"That sounds grim."

"The casualties we sustained just about broke me when I realized, since I've been in command of Challenger, I've lost over a hundred crew."

"Oh Ian, I'm so sorry."

"The burden of command. It's a hard thing, but I talked it out with a counselor, so I'm nae so great, but I'm nae in a bad place."

"Oddly progressive of you."

"I have a lot of motivation ta be better."

Jess smiled and added.

"Good timing."

They reached the ship's airlock and boarded. They stopped on Deck 2's VIP quarters.

"You can stay here until we can sort out your proper quarters. I'm certain Doctor Rasher will be relieved you are back."

"Very well, I will see you later Ian."

"That ye shall Commander."

Ian waited until the door closed before heading to his own quarters on Deck 3.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 08, 2024, 04:32:22 AM[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

Malik watched the display as Hyperion focused in on the safe passage corridor. Half a light year in width, it was a bridge between Federation and RFS space.

"Security will be strongest on the corridor, all vessels are required to stop for inspection. We would have to hide our cargo really well. But crossing anywhere else would raise immediate red flags if we were caught to, it's not like we can cloak either."

"Whats the probability of success for both options?"

[Astrometrics - USS Challenger]

Hyperion ran multiple calculations on both options using several variables, Malik only had to wait seconds as the powerful computing capability made the assigned task a trivial matter.

"Commander, simulations of both options produce different results. Using the Safe Transit Corridor has the greatest chance of you being searched. I am unaware that you are carrying anything illegal, the logical option is to use the corridor and let the authorities search you.

"If you are carrying contraband, although riskier, avoiding the corridor makes more sense, although the consequences are higher if you are detected. Are you carrying contraband?"

USS Challenger, XO's Office

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 03, 2024, 12:29:58 PM[USS Challenger, XO's Office]

Malik took the padd and reviewed its contents, the report was meticulously detailed and exactly what he needed.

"This is excellent work, ensign. Take a seat."

Malik studied the report further nodding with approval.

"Sensor efficiency is more Lieutenant Randell's territory, if you bring those to him. I'm planning an away team for our pending operation. I heard good things about you on our last mission. Tell me, if you were a smuggler, what would you try to bring over our side of the border into Romulan territory? Secondly, what would be a maximum sensor range to detect those items?"

Autumn noticed the approval in the first officer's demeanor and a little spark lit up inside her. It was a warm feeling, the feeling that she was exactly where she was supposed to be, doing her job as well as she possibly could. But she didn't allow the moment to distract her and as soon as he asked her those questions, the ensign considered her options for a moment.

"Kemocite," she replied. "It commands a hefty price because of its multiple applications, and there's a broad market for it, which means larger profit margins. Also, because of the broad market, it moves fast, and there's less of a worry of being caught transporting the substance."


Then she thought about the question about the sensor range.

"Well, in the case of kemocite, the long range sensors don't have the resolution to distinguish it from other similar compounds. I estimate that the ship would need to be at a maximum of 3.74 light years from the vessel carrying kemocite for it to be picked up by our sensors, presuming they were carrying a large enough amount, and that they don't have the special magnetic containers that shield the substance from subspace detection."


After a brief pause, she continued:

"Tricorders would be more precise and wouldn't be tricked by the containers, but they'd need a considerably shorter range. No more than 5.15 kilometers. This shouldn't be a problem if we boarded the smuggling ship for inspection," she continued presuming that this was the sort of operation that was in the Commander's mind. 

USS Challenger, Astrometrics lab (later that day)

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 05, 2024, 08:25:05 AM[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

Malik fired off the briefing pack to the away team.

The freighter had to be ready.
The away team had to be prepared.
Autumn had to source 'smuggled goods' as per her report and stock the freighter.
Malik needed a drink.

=/\= "Commander Grippen to away team. Mission begins in 72 hours. Review your briefing packs. Any problems, report to Astrometrics." =/\=

The message came through shortly after Autumn had handed the report on her sensor modifications to her direct superior in the Science division, and she immediately opened up a copy of the research for her report on her computer terminal, looking for the information she needed.

She still didn't know exactly what they would be doing in the mission but the information she had was that she was to stock the freighter with contraband, because they would be passing as smugglers on that area of the neutral zone. Based on reports of smuggling freighters arrested in the area, she calculated that most smugglers carried a minimum of two export products in their cargo bay, so it made sense to do the same thing. Kemocite would be the first, for all the reason she'd given the first officer earlier. Obtaining it was easy enough, as Federation patrol ship had apprehended dozens of vessels smuggling the substance, and therefore, kept large stores of it in a storage facility orbiting the station. Autumn knew it was important to leave no paper trail of this, and fortunately she knew one of the people supervising the patrolling of the region from her family's ship. Finding an excuse for some one-on-one time with her was easy, and there, in person, without any witnesses, Autumn made arrangements to obtain the kemocite containers she would need to fill in the freighter. Her contact would file in a report of a breach in a few days, and their cover, for having the substance, would be that they'd raided the federations storage. It was an elegant plan, containing just enough of the truth in it. 

Now that everything was arranged, she proceeded to the Astrometrics lab. Commander Grippen was there.

"Commander, I have made arrangements to obtain the first of two products to stock the freighter. When can I have the containers transferred? "

She knew the freighter was undergoing refitting in one of the shuttle bays, but she wanted to know if it was at least ready enough that she could store the kemocite containers or if she needed to wait for the end of the refit operation.  Her initial impulse had been to go straight to the shuttlebay, but her instructions were to report to astrometrics.

Quote from: Hyperion on November 08, 2024, 02:41:16 PM[Astrometrics - USS Challenger]
Hyperion ran multiple calculations on both options using several variables, Malik only had to wait seconds as the powerful computing capability made the assigned task a trivial matter.
"Commander, simulations of both options produce different results. Using the Safe Transit Corridor has the greatest chance of you being searched. I am unaware that you are carrying anything illegal, the logical option is to use the corridor and let the authorities search you.
"If you are carrying contraband, although riskier, avoiding the corridor makes more sense, although the consequences are higher if you are detected. Are you carrying contraband?"

It was only after Autumn had spoken that she noticed the ship's AI consultant at the Astrometrics lab. She was disconcerted.

"Greetings," she said, to Hyperion, and then added, apologetically and more than a little abashed "I didn't mean to interrupt."
 

[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

"We can hardly be smugglers without anything to smuggle. The plan is to carry enough to tempt the smuggler brokers to crawl out the woodwork. But not enough to bring the Romulan fleet down on us..."

Autumn arrived then and brought word of the first smuggled product, Kemocite. How she had found some was probably a question for another day. But the mission demanded it and they had the cover of Starfleet Command.

"Great work, it can be stowed right away. Ensign, this is Hyperion our resident AI consultant. We were just discussing the best crossing point of the border." He gestured to the holographic display of the local border.

He addressed both then, "What are we thinking for the 2nd product? And we'll need a way to shield them both from scans should we be intercepted or inspected."

Quote from: Autumn on November 08, 2024, 08:50:35 PMIt was only after Autumn had spoken that she noticed the ship's AI consultant at the Astrometrics lab. She was disconcerted.

"Greetings," she said, to Hyperion, and then added, apologetically and more than a little abashed "I didn't mean to interrupt."
 

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 09, 2024, 07:24:28 AM[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

"We can hardly be smugglers without anything to smuggle. The plan is to carry enough to tempt the smuggler brokers to crawl out the woodwork. But not enough to bring the Romulan fleet down on us..."

Autumn arrived then and brought word of the first smuggled product, Kemocite. How she had found some was probably a question for another day. But the mission demanded it and they had the cover of Starfleet Command.

"Great work, it can be stowed right away. Ensign, this is Hyperion our resident AI consultant. We were just discussing the best crossing point of the border." He gestured to the holographic display of the local border.

He addressed both then, "What are we thinking for the 2nd product? And we'll need a way to shield them both from scans should we be intercepted or inspected."

[Astrometics - USS Challenger]

As Hyperion turned to face Autumn, he accessed the ship's personnel records to find the unfamiliar to him ensign and on finding her, he said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Ensign Kala. I have seen your proposed modifications to the sensor array and they show promise. I would suggest inverting the theta band through the lateral sensor array to gain even more resolution.

"As for a likely cargo, antiquities are a popular item to smuggle. If you can obtain actual artifacts on the Starbase, that would be best, but very detailed artifacts can be replicated as a ruse."

[Starbase 153 Guest quarters]

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/46/a7/a4/46a7a464a6a4c6573f9aa645da175cba.jpg)

Azsayak the Gorn stood in her room on the Starbase. Finishing one last swig of the meridor a bright bluish semi-transparent liquid.  The fabric of her uniform while it made it easier to stay warm on the station. While it did still, irk her to no end the feeling of it against her scales.  And the uniform was struggling already to contain the brick house of a gorn female it was supposed to be worn by. She lifts the data pad as the flashing icon of the alert went off. The challenger was here at the station of starbase 153. Her brief stay had gone relatively unnoticed as she had remained seclude from the Starbase.


=/\=  "Hailing Captain Ian Galloway Commanding officer of the U.S.S Challenger. I request permission to come aboard with my transfer orders. I will be in your engineering department. I will send over the datapack now. I request a meeting at my temporary dorm on the StarBase. I may have some problems if I attempt to walk the distance to the docking ring. Or beam over. I'm a Gorn My name is Azsayak. I will await your decision. My passage to the U.S.S challenger will cause some unease amongst the StarBase's Personal. And it may of some challenge for me to convince your security not to stun me first and ask questions later. Which would be an unpleasant experience for me." =/\=


Her tail swished slowly behind in her agitation, as she looked around the sparse room.  Which would be evident to another gorn or perhaps a animal behaviourist. Azsayak was bracing herself for having to emerge from her quarters and stride to the docking ring. It would cause alarm amongst a few hurried looks or hurried footfalls. And most of these soft skins made odd noises she knew to be English, but she couldn't help hearing it is an odd series of hoots.

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 08, 2024, 06:22:59 AM[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Feeks Parts & More]

Neva stood silently behind Ardy & Cali, arms crossed over her chest. For once, her fingers itched to use the disruptor tucked in the holster on her hips. She knew better, though. That's why her arms were crossed. She was way too into her persona already. This could be dangerous...

When they got to the area Feek brought them too, Neva quickly got to work. This was her jam, and getting to do the upgrades to a craft she'd always wanted...oh it was absolutely delicious!

Neva picked up some parts, inspecting them both intensely and casually as she strolled through the aisles. At one point, she waved Ardy over mutely.

"We need this one," Pointing at the engine part with a thumb, voice just above a whisper. "Try to get him down to..." Neva told her the price she'd researched and what it would do for them. This was fun!

[Feek's Parts and More]

Ardy saw Neva pointing at the parts she wanted. It was an unassuming  piece  unless you really knew what you were looking at, but if it worked, it would be quite the boost to the overall efficiency of the ship.  "What's your going price for this one?" she asked, pointing at the piece.

"2200 slips. Pretty reasonable if you ask me."  he said. Ardy was pretty sure he was not being fully truthful, but she decided to try to play along. "

"That thing? You sure about that? It already looks used. 1500." Ardy said, lowballing him. 

"1500? no, no, That's way too low.  You're not gonna find these prices at any better prices. 2200." he said.

Quote from: Azsayak on November 09, 2024, 10:51:55 PM[Starbase 153 Guest quarters]

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/46/a7/a4/46a7a464a6a4c6573f9aa645da175cba.jpg)

Azsayak the Gorn stood in her room on the Starbase. Finishing one last swig of the meridor a bright bluish semi-transparent liquid.  The fabric of her uniform while it made it easier to stay warm on the station. While it did still, irk her to no end the feeling of it against her scales.  And the uniform was struggling already to contain the brick house of a gorn female it was supposed to be worn by. She lifts the data pad as the flashing icon of the alert went off. The challenger was here at the station of starbase 153. Her brief stay had gone relatively unnoticed as she had remained seclude from the Starbase.

=/\=  "Hailing Captain Ian Galloway Commanding officer of the U.S.S Challenger. I request permission to come aboard with my transfer orders. I will be in your engineering department. I will send over the datapack now. I request a meeting at my temporary dorm on the StarBase. I may have some problems if I attempt to walk the distance to the docking ring. Or beam over. I'm a Gorn My name is Azsayak. I will await your decision. My passage to the U.S.S challenger will cause some unease amongst the StarBase's Personal. And it may of some challenge for me to convince your security not to stun me first and ask questions later. Which would be an unpleasant experience for me." =/\=

Her tail swished slowly behind in her agitation, as she looked around the sparse room.  Which would be evident to another gorn or perhaps a animal behaviourist. Azsayak was bracing herself for having to emerge from her quarters and stride to the docking ring. It would cause alarm amongst a few hurried looks or hurried footfalls. And most of these soft skins made odd noises she knew to be English, but she couldn't help hearing it is an odd series of hoots.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian had just sat down in the command chair when the comm unit pinged with a message. Ian arched an eyebrow as he read, thinking. "Captains nae go ta ensigns." However, the majority of the message was properly courteous, but the idea that somehow the presence of a Gorn would somehow unnerve Starfleet officers was unsettling. Ian replied.

"Ensign. The personnel on Starbase 153 are professionals and will recognize anyone in uniform as a colleague and nae a threat. While it may be possible some civilians on the starbase may be unnerved. I believe that as you wear a Starfleet uniform, this will nae rattle you unduly, so, please report ta the nearest airlock and board the ship just like anyone else."

Ian sent the message and then ran through the ship's systems. Everything was reading nominal and ready. The Calindra's Dream was at the low end of space worthy, but it was going to have to be enough as the pressure to stop the smuggling was high and simply wouldn't wait.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 10, 2024, 10:24:24 AM[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian had just sat down in the command chair when the comm unit pinged with a message. Ian arched an eyebrow as he read, thinking. "Captains nae go ta ensigns." However, the majority of the message was properly courteous, but the idea that somehow the presence of a Gorn would somehow unnerve Starfleet officers was unsettling. Ian replied.

"Ensign. The personnel on Starbase 153 are professionals and will recognize anyone in uniform as a colleague and nae a threat. While it may be possible some civilians on the starbase may be unnerved. I believe that as you wear a Starfleet uniform, this will nae rattle you unduly, so, please report ta the nearest airlock and board the ship just like anyone else."

Ian sent the message and then ran through the ship's systems. Everything was reading nominal and ready. The Calindra's Dream was at the low end of space worthy, but it was going to have to be enough as the pressure to stop the smuggling was high and simply wouldn't wait.

[Starbase 153 temporay quarters enroute to the airdock for the challenger]

Azsayak internal was a little amused at the captain's response. While she expects it, she had also come to realize how often this soft skins mishudged their own fear.  Most sapient species in the federation no longer fearedd on the surface of their psyche being in the food chain. But staring across and up at 7'8 450 lb gorn often more then not awoke that fear.  It was one thing to hear of gorns beings brutes and not particular bright.  But once a gorn was standing across from them. That hollow often bravery that put up with intelligent reasoned minds.  It was swamped by a deep-seated perfectly rationl fear or predation anxiety atop of herpetophobia.  It is the same reason old earth slasher villians such as michael myers were masks and had no emotion.  Michael myers was cold and alien and oft compared to a great white shark.

Azsayak lumbered slowly to the door. Before sending out her confirmation of her new captains orders.  =/\=  Azsayak the gorn understands and will follow the command. Is there someone I need to report to before going to engineering?   =/\=  A soft gas of shock and scurrying of feet around a corner. Would catch Azsayak's attention. She had to resist the urge that flared up to chase after the soft skin one. Vulcans, humans, romulans, all the federation species. Oft would understand estimated they own primal fear, and overestimate the ability of their intelligence to control a base core fear.


It was for the most part un-eventful beside the corridors and hallways she took to get a turbo life always emptying of whoever was in it. A group of federation personnel even stood aside as azsayak took a turbo life by herself. Could azsayak blame them for not wanting to be in such a closed off and small space. Not really, Azsayak did blame them for pretending to be masters of themselves.  She would be more understanding if they diodnt lie so out in the open and plain.  After all, Gorns were rarely seen and referred to as unthinking relentless brutes. What odd things these soft skins were. And the fear once they usually tried to hide after getting over the more primal fear. That of realizing gorns were far less a unthinking brute, but intelligent and reasoning.

[Ensign Lira • Starbase 153 » Uss Challenger • Astrometrics Lab]

After spending some time exploring Starbase 153, getting familiar with the corridors and meeting some of the people who worked and lived there, Meval felt it was time to officially introduce herself. Her off-duty time had ended, and she was eager to take this next step.

With her last belongings in hand, she headed to the Challenger, where she would finally make her formal introduction.

"Computer, locate Commander Grippen, please."

"Commander Grippen is in the astrometrics lab."

"Alright... Here we go..."

She murmured, feeling that mix of nervousness and excitement as she walked through the Challenger's corridors. She'd done a quick tour of the ship before, so she only got lost once (which she considered progress) before finally finding the lab. Upon entering, she spotted the commander and another officer. "Wait, is she Andorian?" Meval wondered, curious as she approached with a slight smile.

"Excuse me, Commander Grippen... I'm Ensign Lira Meval. I've been assigned to the Challenger, in the science department. I would have come sooner, but when I heard we had a 72-hour break, I figured you might be off-duty too... So, here I am now!"

She said, smiling, a bit nervous but excited as she addressed the officer. Then, she turned to the other woman in the lab. The officer's uniform showed that she was also an ensign, probably in the science department, which made Meval eager at the chance to make a new friend.

"Hi! I'm Lira Meval, nice to meet you!"

She introduced herself in a friendly, easygoing manner, trying not to seem as anxious as she felt about starting this new chapter on the Challenger.

Quote from: Azsayak on November 10, 2024, 01:02:15 PM[Starbase 153 temporay quarters enroute to the airdock for the challenger]

Azsayak internal was a little amused at the captain's response. While she expects it, she had also come to realize how often this soft skins misjudged their own fear.  Most sapient species in the federation no longer feared on the surface of their psyche being in the food chain. But staring across and up at 7'8 450 lb gorn often more then not awoke that fear.  It was one thing to hear of gorns beings brutes and not particular bright.  But once a gorn was standing across from them. That hollow often bravery that put up with intelligent reasoned minds.  It was swamped by a deep-seated perfectly rationl fear or predation anxiety atop of herpetophobia.  It is the same reason old earth slasher villians such as michael myers were masks and had no emotion.  Michael myers was cold and alien and oft compared to a great white shark.

Azsayak lumbered slowly to the door. Before sending out her confirmation of her new captains orders.  =/\=  Azsayak the gorn understands and will follow the command. Is there someone I need to report to before going to engineering?   =/\=  A soft gas of shock and scurrying of feet around a corner. Would catch Azsayak's attention. She had to resist the urge that flared up to chase after the soft skin one. Vulcans, humans, romulans, all the federation species. Oft would understand estimated they own primal fear, and overestimate the ability of their intelligence to control a base core fear.


It was for the most part un-eventful beside the corridors and hallways she took to get a turbo life always emptying of whoever was in it. A group of federation personnel even stood aside as azsayak took a turbo life by herself. Could azsayak blame them for not wanting to be in such a closed off and small space. Not really, Azsayak did blame them for pretending to be masters of themselves.  She would be more understanding if they didn't lie so out in the open and plain.  After all, Gorns were rarely seen and referred to as unthinking relentless brutes. What odd things these soft skins were. And the fear once they usually tried to hide after getting over the more primal fear. That of realizing gorns were far less a unthinking brute, but intelligent and reasoning.

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 10, 2024, 03:49:34 PM[Ensign Lira • Starbase 153 » Uss Challenger • Astrometrics Lab]

After spending some time exploring Starbase 153, getting familiar with the corridors and meeting some of the people who worked and lived there, Meval felt it was time to officially introduce herself. Her off-duty time had ended, and she was eager to take this next step.

With her last belongings in hand, she headed to the Challenger, where she would finally make her formal introduction.

"Computer, locate Commander Malik, please."

"Commander Malik is in the astrometrics lab."

"Alright... Here we go..."

She murmured, feeling that mix of nervousness and excitement as she walked through the Challenger's corridors. She'd done a quick tour of the ship before, so she only got lost once (which she considered progress) before finally finding the lab. Upon entering, she spotted the commander and another officer. "Wait, is she Andorian?" Meval wondered, curious as she approached with a slight smile.

"Excuse me, Commander Malik... I'm Ensign Lira Meval. I've been assigned to the Challenger, in the science department. I would have come sooner, but when I heard we had a 72-hour break, I figured you might be off-duty too... So, here I am now!"

She said, smiling, a bit nervous but excited as she addressed the officer. Then, she turned to the other woman in the lab. The officer's uniform showed that she was also an ensign, probably in the science department, which made Meval eager at the chance to make a new friend.

"Hi! I'm Lira Meval, nice to meet you!"

She introduced herself in a friendly, easygoing manner, trying not to seem as anxious as she felt about starting this new chapter on the Challenger.

[Astrometrics - USS Challenger]

As Hyperion waited for Commander Grippen's response, the doors to the lab opened to admit a pair of females. The first was a Bajoran, who were well known for their service to Starfleet. The second female was a Gorn, a rare sight in the Federation and even rarer in Starfleet. He ran through the ship's personnel files and noted two new entries. He turned to regard the two new arrivals and said.

"Welcome to Challenger Ensign Azsayak and Ensign Meval. I am Hyperion, Astrometrics Comsultant."

Hyperion then ran through his social interaction sub-routine and the results indicated that he might have made an error by speaking ahead of Commander Grippen. The sub-routine further indicated that further conversation had a high percentage of making the interaction worse, so he remained silent to see what reaction the Commander would have.

[USS Challenger, Astrometrics Lab]

As they discussed what to take as the 2nd smuggled product, two new arrivals entered the lab. Malik did a double take at seeing the Gorn, getting a flashback to the arena battle last mission where they faced a Gorn champion. He knew they were expecting a Gorn crewman however, so it wasn't a complete shock.

"Good timing, crewmen. Welcome aboard. I have two jobs, one for each of you."

"Hyperion has given me the perfect idea. Ensign Lira. Head to my quarters and grab my collection of antique horga'hn. Replicate them and stow them aboard the freighter."

Malik's collection contained some fine artefacts of fertility statues. Some were several hundred years old and were rare and valuable to collectors.

"Crewman Azsayak. Head to the shuttlebay. We need a way to hide our contraband from external scans. Either a special alloy compartment or a shielding of some sort. Ensign Kala has the Kemocite already enroute."

The plan was coming together nicely.

"Dismissed."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 11, 2024, 05:05:57 AM"Hyperion has given me the perfect idea. Ensign Lira. Head to my quarters and grab my collection of antique horga'hn. Replicate them and stow them aboard the freighter."

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Astrometrics Lab → XO Quarters → Industrial Replicator]

Shortly after entering the lab, a Gorn came in right behind her. Meval took a few seconds to register her presence, and though the initial sight startled her, she quickly relaxed upon realizing the Gorn was an officer. That reassured her — if she was a Starfleet officer, there wouldn't be any issues. Meval knew very little about Gorns, except that they were often fierce fighters.

She then noticed a fourth figure in the room: an Artificial Intelligence. This piqued her curiosity, and when Hyperion spoke, she smiled. "Thank you, Hyperion... It's a pleasure to meet you," she replied with an enthusiastic smile before turning to the commander.

When the commander gave his response, she listened carefully, nodding as he outlined her task. Once he finished, she took a few moments to make sure she understood, even if the specifics were still unclear to her. "Aye, sir!" she responded, and as she was dismissed, she quickly exited the lab.

Once outside, she walked through the corridor for a bit before realizing she had no idea where she was actually going. "Computer... Could you tell me the direction to Commander Grippen's quarters, please?"

"Go straight to the turbolift, then go to deck 2. Commander Grippen's quarters will be to your left."

Following the computer's precise instructions, she soon reached the commander's quarters. Once inside, she quickly found the statues, then left promptly to avoid disturbing anything in the room.

"Computer, where is the industrial replicator room?"

"Deck 16."

"I really need to spend some time studying the layout of this ship... I can't keep asking where everything is," she thought briefly.

With that, she headed to the industrial replicator and began her task, replicating the statues she'd collected so they could be stored aboard the freighter as instructed.

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 10, 2024, 12:29:08 AM[Feek's Parts and More]

Ardy saw Neva pointing at the parts she wanted. It was an unassuming  piece  unless you really knew what you were looking at, but if it worked, it would be quite the boost to the overall efficiency of the ship.  "What's your going price for this one?" she asked, pointing at the piece.

"2200 slips. Pretty reasonable if you ask me."  he said. Ardy was pretty sure he was not being fully truthful, but she decided to try to play along. "

"That thing? You sure about that? It already looks used. 1500." Ardy said, lowballing him. 

"1500? no, no, That's way too low.  You're not gonna find these prices at any better prices. 2200." he said.

[Lieutenant JG Hejaran - Feek's Parts and More - Starbase 153]

"Looks like he's not being serious, I say we take our chances at the repair bay, the guy has all sorts of parts that haven't been sitting and collecting dust," Cali suggested as she turned around and started walking out of the shop.

She shot the Bolian behind the counter a final look that wasn't quite challenging, but enough to let him know they weren't about to be swindled. As she stepped toward the door, she couldn't help but wonder just how many other shops across the starbase would be just as eager to sell things at a marked-up price.

The Bolian blinked, his previously confident demeanor faltering as Cali and the girls turned to leave. Realizing he might lose the sale, he stammered quickly, trying to salvage the situation.

"W-Wait! Wait!" he called out, scrambling from behind the counter. He quickly wiped his hands on his apron, his voice rising with a touch of panic. "I can offer you a discount! A good one! How about... 1900 slips? Still a great deal, much better than you'll find anywhere else, I swear!"

His eyes darted between Ardy and Cali, watching for any sign of hesitation. "It's practically new! Just a little used, sure, but—" He paused, looking them both over like they were about to slip through his fingers. "You two look like you're serious buyers. Let me show you what this piece can really do—if you give me a chance!"

Cali stopped mid-step, raising an eyebrow at Ardyn and Neva.

Quote from: Hyperion on November 10, 2024, 06:24:57 PM[Astrometrics - USS Challenger]

As Hyperion waited for Commander Grippen's response, the doors to the lab opened to admit a pair of females. The first was a Bajoran, who were well known for their service to Starfleet. The second female was a Gorn, a rare sight in the Federation and even rarer in Starfleet. He ran through the ship's personnel files and noted two new entries. He turned to regard the two new arrivals and said.

"Welcome to Challenger Ensign Azsayak and Ensign Meval. I am Hyperion, Astrometrics Comsultant."

Hyperion then ran through his social interaction sub-routine and the results indicated that he might have made an error by speaking ahead of Commander Grippen. The sub-routine further indicated that further conversation had a high percentage of making the interaction worse, so he remained silent to see what reaction the Commander would have.

https://youtube.com/shorts/HSoc8YMbWyA?si=y1P7yZGnAJxJgBeP

Azsayak made a deep bellowing rumbling which seemed to come more from her chest. It should the size of lungs with how long she kept the bellow going.  But It wasn't a threat as much as the humans or A.I hyperion might think. It was A greeting. I'm Here and I see you are strong and health and I'm also strong and health.

After a small delay the universal translator would begin to speak in Russian accent womans voice.

" Greeting Hyperion, XO malik Greetings, I will go and perform the task to the best of my abilities. Am I to be aboard the smuggling ship as well? A gorn onboard might help achieve the look of motley crew and banish the notion of it being a federation job. " Azsayak responded to the A.i and XO malik first before responding to her fellow new arrival. Not out of rudeness or impoliteness, but out her species caste system socializing cues which were genetic memory for the Gorn.

She would as soon as Malik and hyperion were done turn to issue a deep series of rumblings directed at Lira now. Her red eyes shifting over to her.

"Ensign Lira meval we are both starting our journey on the challenger together. I do hope we can be friends. It seems I have a task to do right now. It will please me to talk with you later when time permits."

Unlike with Malik and Hyperion, gave a little dip of her head to her fellow ensign acknowledging their common bond of rank and newcomers to the ship.  Before Azsayak would turn and head to shuttle bay. He footfalls making an audible thumping nose under her 450 lb plus weight. Azsayak didn't move like the comically slow Gorn did in various media or Tellings. Still slow but not zombie shuffling slow, a more leisurely human stroll.  And unlike the Gorn gladiator, Azsayak had a powerful looking tail which trailed on the ground after her.  Were there different Gorn sub-species or what would be considered ethnics groups? Perhaps it was due to the caste system. Those were questions that could be answered at a later time. 


Ever footfall or so she would occassionally rap her toe claws against the deck. It seemed to be unthinking action on her part as strode to the shuttlebay. She did weigh a sort of roman esq sandal like footwear. It was likely her claws were clenching and unclenching at random irrelevant as her feet learned how to adopt wearing the sandals. 

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian felt the docking clamps release as the Challenger detached from Starbase 153. Ardy smoothly maneuvered the ship clear of the massive station and set a course toward the Romulan border. From the station, the direct route to the border was 3.5 lightyears. A distance the Challenger could cover in just under 26 hours at warp 8. However, taking such a direct course would bring them within half a lightyear of Earth Outpost 30, which far too close to avoid immediate detection and likely interception by one of the Outpost's runabouts.

Looking at the starchart of the Otorin sector and knowing that Malik had chosen to avoid the Safe Transit Corridor, Ian knew their course couldn't be a straight line, turning to his First Officer, Ian asked.

"Well Lad, what's it ta be, between Outpost 30 and the Corridor or between the Outpost and the planet Shal'ti? The latter course brings you closer ta the Star Empire and probably no shortage of hurt ye nae need. The former course only requires you get past the Outpost unchallenged and then ta weasel your way across the border with the Free State. It's your mission and your hide, so tis your call Commander."

As he waited for an answer, Ian went back over the report on the Calindra's Dream. She was mostly spaceworthy and her speed was up to warp 5 reliably, warp 6 with work. Ian thought.

"No prize pig, but lightyears better than she was when we 'acquired' her."

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 11, 2024, 09:48:22 AM[Lieutenant JG Hejaran - Feek's Parts and More - Starbase 153]

"Looks like he's not being serious, I say we take our chances at the repair bay, the guy has all sorts of parts that haven't been sitting and collecting dust," Cali suggested as she turned around and started walking out of the shop.

She shot the Bolian behind the counter a final look that wasn't quite challenging, but enough to let him know they weren't about to be swindled. As she stepped toward the door, she couldn't help but wonder just how many other shops across the starbase would be just as eager to sell things at a marked-up price.

The Bolian blinked, his previously confident demeanor faltering as Cali and the girls turned to leave. Realizing he might lose the sale, he stammered quickly, trying to salvage the situation.

"W-Wait! Wait!" he called out, scrambling from behind the counter. He quickly wiped his hands on his apron, his voice rising with a touch of panic. "I can offer you a discount! A good one! How about... 1900 slips? Still a great deal, much better than you'll find anywhere else, I swear!"

His eyes darted between Ardy and Cali, watching for any sign of hesitation. "It's practically new! Just a little used, sure, but—" He paused, looking them both over like they were about to slip through his fingers. "You two look like you're serious buyers. Let me show you what this piece can really do—if you give me a chance!"

Cali stopped mid-step, raising an eyebrow at Ardyn and Neva.

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Feek's]

Neva rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. Looking at Ardy, she told her telepathically. 'Tell him to make it 1750 and he's got a deal. Anything more and he's definitely ripping us off.'

That said, Neva slipped her earphones on and made like she was listening to music. You never expect the Quiet Ones to be anything but...until they're not.

Her powerful hips would sway with the grace and power of far exctint predator of earths distant past. She moved like a Utah raptor. But with a far more upright posture. A tail that did rest on the floor when she stops but she could keep inches from the ground when she walked.  Ducking in through door ways or into the turbo life was sort of annoying for the brick house like gorn.  But her apparent size and speed beguiled the truth she could be surprisingly fast. Moving in a instant with the speed of striking crocodile.  It did terrify the smaller soft skins, and it was also tiring for Azsayak.


So entering the shuttlebay she would make the same deep rumbling crocodile like bellow. Her universal translator taking a second or so after to translate. Upon seeing some working on the Calindra's Dream.

" Hello I'm Azsayak the gorn a transfer to the engineering department, I was sent by XO Malik to help wuth work to be performed on the smuggling vessel. "

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 09, 2024, 07:24:28 AM"Great work, it can be stowed right away. Ensign, this is Hyperion our resident AI consultant. We were just discussing the best crossing point of the border." He gestured to the holographic display of the local border.
He addressed both then, "What are we thinking for the 2nd product? And we'll need a way to shield them both from scans should we be intercepted or inspected."

"Well, my first suggestion would be something like enolian wine or romulan ale," she said. "Both are leisure alcoholic beverages which are forbidden but not as strictly regulated as Kemocite. Therefore, in case of need, smugglers can use them as a decoy, to keep the more profitable substance hidden. Additionally, Enolian wine has been known to be used as a bribe to make certain patrol officers look the other way."

Quote from: Hyperion on November 09, 2024, 11:57:33 AM[Astrometics - USS Challenger]

As Hyperion turned to face Autumn, he accessed the ship's personnel records to find the unfamiliar to him ensign and on finding her, he said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Ensign Kala. I have seen your proposed modifications to the sensor array and they show promise. I would suggest inverting the theta band through the lateral sensor array to gain even more resolution.

"As for a likely cargo, antiquities are a popular item to smuggle. If you can obtain actual artifacts on the Starbase, that would be best, but very detailed artifacts can be replicated as a ruse."

Autumn raised an eyebrow at the AI consultant's suggestion. She didn't comment on his sugeestion about the sensor array, but it sounded intriguing and she would look for the consultant later, to discuss this is more detail, once her duties related to this mission were completed. Their suggestion about antiques was also interesting.

"I had not considered that. I did find a supplier for the alcohol – a Bolian trader, who's a regular at one of the starbase's drinking establishments. But antiques would be easier to obtain, especially if we are willing to make replicas. They would not be as effective as a diversion though."

She looked at the first officer again.

"About the shielding, we can build magnetic containers that shield Kemocite from long-range detection. An inspection party would have to board the ship and be in the same room as the containers to know what was inside. Wine and antiques would not require any shielding, as most starships carry supplies of legal beverages and artifacts that would show the same readings."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 11, 2024, 05:05:57 AM"Hyperion has given me the perfect idea. Ensign Lira. Head to my quarters and grab my collection of antique horga'hn. Replicate them and stow them aboard the freighter."
Malik's collection contained some fine artefacts of fertility statues. Some were several hundred years old and were rare and valuable to collectors.
"Crewman Azsayak. Head to the shuttlebay. We need a way to hide our contraband from external scans. Either a special alloy compartment or a shielding of some sort. Ensign Kala has the Kemocite already enroute."
The plan was coming together nicely.
"Dismissed."

Autumn watched the orders and used her PADD to send instructions to the cargo bay holding the kemocite, to move the containers with the substance to the freighter. Then she excused herself to make her way to the freighter, but not without stealing a glance at hyperion and saying.

"Your suggestion about our sensors is intriguing. I will study the modifications and report back for a discussion once the mission is through."

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 11, 2024, 04:02:18 PM[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Feek's]

Neva rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. Looking at Ardy, she told her telepathically. 'Tell him to make it 1750 and he's got a deal. Anything more and he's definitely ripping us off.'

That said, Neva slipped her earphones on and made like she was listening to music. You never expect the Quiet Ones to be anything but...until they're not.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 11, 2024, 02:30:42 PM[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian felt the docking clamps release as the Challenger detached from Starbase 153. Ardy smoothly maneuvered the ship clear of the massive station and set a course toward the Romulan border. From the station, the direct route to the border was 3.5 lightyears. A distance the Challenger could cover in just under 26 hours at warp 8. However, taking such a direct course would bring them within half a lightyear of Earth Outpost 30, which far too close to avoid immediate detection and likely interception by one of the Outpost's runabouts.

Looking at the starchart of the Otorin sector and knowing that Malik had chosen to avoid the Safe Transit Corridor, Ian knew their course couldn't be a straight line, turning to his First Officer, Ian asked.

"Well Lad, what's it ta be, between Outpost 30 and the Corridor or between the Outpost and the planet Shal'ti? The latter course brings you closer ta the Star Empire and probably no shortage of hurt ye nae need. The former course only requires you get past the Outpost unchallenged and then ta weasel your way across the border with the Free State. It's your mission and your hide, so tis your call Commander."

As he waited for an answer, Ian went back over the report on the Calindra's Dream. She was mostly spaceworthy and her speed was up to warp 5 reliably, warp 6 with work. Ian thought.

"No prize pig, but lightyears better than she was when we 'acquired' her."

[Feeks Parts and More]

Ardy got the message , loud and clear. "Eh... I'm not feeling it, are you?" she asked Calindra, almost trying to play it comically nonchalantly. The merchant seemed to give a look of desperation. Ardy could almost smell it like the taquitos.

"How- how about 1800?" he asked.

Ardy looked at the others like she seemed to be considering it. "Make it 1750, and it's a deal."

The Bolian looked relieved that he finally made the sale. "Done!"

"Pleasure doing business then." she smirked.

---

[A bit later - bridge]

Ardy scanned the computers. Everything seemed to be on track. Nothing abnormal. here. "I've been going through the planned routes. At one point, we might encounter some debris fields that could be a place that might be ambushable." she said.

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger]

Meval completed the replication of the ancient horga'hn statues as requested by Commander Grippen. Observing the replicas closely, she was impressed by the precise details and carefully organized the pieces. With everything ready to be transferred to the cargo ship, she performed one last check to ensure the statues were securely packed. Satisfied, she took a deep breath and gave a small smile, excited to finally be contributing to the Challenger's mission.

After preparing everything, she returned the original pieces to Commander Grippen's quarters and then transported the replicas to the cargo ship, efficiently completing her first task.

=/\= Commander Grippen, this is Ensign Lira. I've finished replicating the statues, and they're already on the ship. =/\=

She quickly sent the message to inform the commander that her task was complete.

With her mission finished, Meval decided to explore the ship further and get familiar with the scientific facilities onboard. "Maybe I can learn more about what the science teams are working on here," she thought, already curious about the ongoing projects.

Walking through the corridors, Meval carefully observed the ship's layout as she headed toward one of the science labs. Upon entering, she was greeted by a modern space filled with advanced equipment and well-organized workstations. She scanned the room, noticing some of her department colleagues focused on their analyses and experiments.

Approaching an empty workstation, Meval began reading some team reports, hoping to learn more about the ship's scientific projects and ongoing research efforts.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 11, 2024, 02:30:42 PM[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian felt the docking clamps release as the Challenger detached from Starbase 153. Ardy smoothly maneuvered the ship clear of the massive station and set a course toward the Romulan border. From the station, the direct route to the border was 3.5 lightyears. A distance the Challenger could cover in just under 26 hours at warp 8. However, taking such a direct course would bring them within half a lightyear of Earth Outpost 30, which far too close to avoid immediate detection and likely interception by one of the Outpost's runabouts.

Looking at the starchart of the Otorin sector and knowing that Malik had chosen to avoid the Safe Transit Corridor, Ian knew their course couldn't be a straight line, turning to his First Officer, Ian asked.

"Well Lad, what's it ta be, between Outpost 30 and the Corridor or between the Outpost and the planet Shal'ti? The latter course brings you closer ta the Star Empire and probably no shortage of hurt ye nae need. The former course only requires you get past the Outpost unchallenged and then ta weasel your way across the border with the Free State. It's your mission and your hide, so tis your call Commander."

As he waited for an answer, Ian went back over the report on the Calindra's Dream. She was mostly spaceworthy and her speed was up to warp 5 reliably, warp 6 with work. Ian thought.

"No prize pig, but lightyears better than she was when we 'acquired' her."

[USS Challenger, Bridge]

"The former sounds good to me, captain. Given its closer to the corridor we can use that to our advantage, and say we are off course due to navigation fault."

He then received the message about the horga'hn being filled loaded.

"The freighter is stocked with our 'smuggler goods', Kemocite Ore and a rare and valuable fertility statue collection. Could we not just ask federation outpost 30 to let us pass?"

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 12, 2024, 04:37:43 PM[USS Challenger, Bridge]

"The former sounds good to me, captain. Given its closer to the corridor we can use that to our advantage, and say we are off course due to navigation fault."

He then received the message about the horga'hn being filled loaded.

"The freighter is stocked with our 'smuggler goods', Kemocite Ore and a rare and valuable fertility statue collection. Could we not just ask federation outpost 30 to let us pass?"

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian chuckled at Malik's suggestion, even though it was logical, it wasn't an option.

"Welcome ta undercover operations Commander. If'n we told them who you were, that would be one more point of failure ta blowin' your cover. When you're ready ta depart, we'll sensor sweep out ta ten lightyears and then we'll set off an anti-proton burst so your launch will be masked so that no one sees you departed from a Starfleet ship.

"Your lives pivot on your cover, these smugglers play rough and will gut ye like carp if'n they suss out who you are. The fewer people what ken who you are, the better we will all sleep. We'll take you two lightyears ta shave off some of your travel time, you will then be on your own."

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 12, 2024, 06:34:12 PM[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian chuckled at Malik's suggestion, even though it was logical, it wasn't an option.

"Welcome ta undercover operations Commander. If'n we told them who you were, that would be one more point of failure ta blowin' your cover. When you're ready ta depart, we'll sensor sweep out ta ten lightyears and then we'll set off an anti-proton burst so your launch will be masked so that no one sees you departed from a Starfleet ship.

"Your lives pivot on your cover, these smugglers play rough and will gut ye like carp if'n they suss out who you are. The fewer people what ken who you are, the better we will all sleep. We'll take you two lightyears ta shave off some of your travel time, you will then be on your own."

[USS Challenger, Bridge]

Malik nodded, it made sense and also made him a little nervous. This wasn't anything like the standard away mission.

"Any final thoughts, captain before we make the last preparations? I'm not sure when I'll be able to check in securely once we leave, it may be a while before you hear from us."

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak | Junior Officer's Quarters | Deck Three | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

A few days had passed. Alhanjhu passed up shore leave time on the station, he wanted more time to get to know the Challenge. He was especially fascinated by the dolphins living on the ship and assisting the flight department. It did give him plenty of time, too, of course, to think about what to improve about his alternate identity, given the talks about dealing with criminals and smugglers. Something to improve his pirate disguise.

So at his best chance, he presented his updated disguise to Lieutenant Dersch, and even thought of the name for his disguise. Then suddenly, he remembered Dersch might potentially be busy, and he heard Commander Grippen was to be in charge of the infiltration team, so he sent a call to him.


 =/\= "Ensign Jei'Jendak to Commander Grippen. My apologies for calling upon you, but I understand you're in charge of an anti-smuggling and infiltration group. I have a disguise of my own that I presented to my department head, but I wanted to share it with you if you need me. It's also a little updated since I first showed it to him, but again, if you need me for infiltration I'm open. I'm sending it in as a file, with what my disguise looks like. It comes with my infiltration identity: Takil,"  =/\= he added, transmitting up an file on Takil to Grippen, as best as he could make, with an image of himself for identification. The file indicates a past working in the forest floor of Andgarr in a former operation, a compilation of stories of other criminals that Alhanjhu drew inspiration from.
 =/\=
"Anyway, I wanted to show you before I go back on duty,"  =/\= Alhanjhu explained.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 13, 2024, 08:37:35 AM[USS Challenger, Bridge]

Malik nodded, it made sense and also made him a little nervous. This wasn't anything like the standard away mission.

"Any final thoughts, captain before we make the last preparations? I'm not sure when I'll be able to check in securely once we leave, it may be a while before you hear from us."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded as it looked like the gravity of the mission had just sunk in for Malik. Ian knew exactly how he felt as he'd been on the the exact same mission just a few years ago.

"Only thing I can add is that if'n things don't feel right, pull out. I get the Free State has their knickers in a knot over the smugglin', but what the Free State wants isn't worth your lives. You send up a flare and we'll be there as fast as I can make Sunik push the engines."

Quote from: Azsayak on November 11, 2024, 05:46:37 PMHer powerful hips would sway with the grace and power of far exctint predator of earths distant past. She moved like a Utah raptor. But with a far more upright posture. A tail that did rest on the floor when she stops but she could keep inches from the ground when she walked.  Ducking in through door ways or into the turbo life was sort of annoying for the brick house like gorn.  But her apparent size and speed beguiled the truth she could be surprisingly fast. Moving in a instant with the speed of striking crocodile.  It did terrify the smaller soft skins, and it was also tiring for Azsayak.
So entering the shuttlebay she would make the same deep rumbling crocodile like bellow. Her universal translator taking a second or so after to translate. Upon seeing some working on the Calindra's Dream.
" Hello I'm Azsayak the gorn a transfer to the engineering department, I was sent by XO Malik to help wuth work to be performed on the smuggling vessel. "

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Shuttlebay 2]

Neva was outside 'Dream, putting the parts in from Feek. She was down to a green form fitting tank, black pants-also tight fitting, and black calf-high boots. The jacket & shirt were thrown in a heap near a box of parts.
Neva herself was working on a warp nacelle, laying on her side with tools spread within arms reach. She was softly singing as she worked, so she jerked up in surprise when she was spoken to and bumped her head on the underside of 'Dream.
Neva rubbed her head as she sat up, other arm on her knee. She did a slow scan up to settle on the large..Gorn's facial area. Smiling, she nods and waves with the hand not on her head.
"Hello there! I'm Lieutenant Neva Cordon, the Assistant Chief Engineer of Challenger. I can definitely use the help if the Commander sent you! I definitely have ideas and places I could use your height for. Glad you're here...uh...how do you say your name again?" Neva felt a little bad asking, but she'd learned it only right to ask how beings pronounced words and names that were unfamiliar to her. Once she knew the way they preferred their names, she made a decided effort to mirror it.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian sat in the command chair and waited while Lieutenant Evans at Science One thoroughly scanned the area within ten lightyears of the ship.

"Multiple freighter contacts, seven to be exact, the nearest is four lightyears away. There is patrol craft near K-12, and there is a Toren Assembly cruiser within a lightyear and a half. That's everything Captain."

"Very good Evan. That bloody cruiser is too close for comfort, but there's nothing we can do about that. Ops, release the anti-proton burst."

"Aye Sir."


Lieutenant jg James Greenway at Ops replied.

"Burst away Sir."

Ian toggled the comm system on the command chair.

"Launch Malik, Launch."

Calindra's Dream slid smoothly out the shuttlebay as the Challenger broke hard in the opposite direction spewing anti-protons as she went. Both ships used the cover provided by the sensor scattering pulse to go to warp. Challenger running at her full warp 9.88 for two hours to get some distance from the freighter before slowing to warp 7 and doing everything to look like nothing more than a ship on patrol.

Ian watched the Calindra's Dream departing and whispered.

"God's speed ta ye all."

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 13, 2024, 03:41:14 PM[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Shuttlebay 2]

Neva was outside 'Dream, putting the parts in from Feek. She was down to a green form fitting tank, black pants-also tight fitting, and black calf-high boots. The jacket & shirt were thrown in a heap near a box of parts.
Neva herself was working on a warp nacelle, laying on her side with tools spread within arms reach. She was softly singing as she worked, so she jerked up in surprise when she was spoken to and bumped her head on the underside of 'Dream.
Neva rubbed her head as she sat up, other arm on her knee. She did a slow scan up to settle on the large..Gorn's facial area. Smiling, she nods and waves with the hand not on her head.
"Hello there! I'm Lieutenant Neva Cordon, the Assistant Chief Engineer of Challenger. I can definitely use the help if the Commander sent you! I definitely have ideas and places I could use your height for. Glad you're here...uh...how do you say your name again?" Neva felt a little bad asking, but she'd learned it only right to ask how beings pronounced words and names that were unfamiliar to her. Once she knew the way they preferred their names, she made a decided effort to mirror it.

(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/299574335310659585/1306392697766154341/61eb2370-ab1d-4666-aba6-7f5a4b389212.png?ex=67368082&is=67352f02&hm=75f8f7dd43d414ff08d18bf03bbfd0a67d0b6975ef6942d69c6cea264c524da6&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=438&height=438)


Azsayak would tilt her head in a slight bemused display of the fearlessness of Neva.  Making some snarls and rumbling noises in her Gornish tongue before the Translator would do its job.

 " I'm Azsayak. How may I help you Lieutenant Neva Cordon "  Azsayak made what might pass as smile on her face. As her height was mentioned. Despite being on the smaller size for a female gorn. Gorns were prideful in their physical size and stregnth.   Azsayak thought this soft skin human would be a good boss and friend.

She flashed her 4 digit taloned hand to Lieutetant Neva cordon ready to take whatever was place in her hand and get to work.

Quote from: Avarak on November 08, 2024, 01:48:39 AM"Now, Mr. Wu, from what I understand of your history, you had received trauma to multiple discrete areas of the posterior portion of your body. You were promptly treated for the initial injuries, however you continue to present with persistent lumbago accompanied with neuropathic pain extending into the left lower extremity that is exacerbated with flexion of the thorax..."

He made a deliberate pause for a moment to allow his assessment of the situation to be understood by his patient. He had to make sure that the history he had gathered from other sources was accurate to the patient's complaint, as this would be an important component of his differential diagnostic process.

"...Given the pattern of injuries that you had sustained and your resulting symptomatology, I suspect a potential underlying lumbar radiculopathy, and there are several reasons for this. Any direct trauma to the lumbar vertebrae can place significant pressure upon the annulus fibrosus, which is a concentric ring of type I collagen which encapsulates the gelatinous nucleus pulposus that forms the inner portion of the lumbar disk. A resulting tear in the annulus can lead to a herniation of the nucleus pulposus, typically posterolaterally into a position where it comes into contact with a descending spinal nerve. Neuronal claudication at specific levels of the lumbar spine can result in the radiation of neuropathic pain into either one of the lower extremities. Notwithstanding, there are other potential causes in the case of trauma as well, such as spondylosis with accompanying spondylolisthesis. To confirm this, I will need to perform a number of scans to assess for neural trauma, and as such, I must ask you to sit upright and erect while I perform the exam."

As he said this he began to slowly trace the probe of the tricorder down the lower length of Alex's spinal column and descended it down into the posterior pelvic region where the fossae containing the large and vulnerable sciatic nerve and its branches originate.

"Have you noticed any bowel or bladder dysfunction, or any loss of sensation to the genital area?"

[USS Challenger - Deck 7 - Sickbay]

Alex stared blankly back at the Vulcan as a literal litany of incomprehensible sounds cascaded out of Avarak's mouth. Though he thought he might've recognized one or two words out of each sentence, Alex was left none the wiser by the end when he was asked about his bodily fluids. "No, no problems with my functions, in the bathroom or bedroom." He replied awkwardly, glancing surreptitiously around to see if anyone was coming to help with translation. "I thought for a while it was just the usual strains and pains from getting knocked about, but the shocks going down the leg are new. It's quite debilitating when it hits. I've been using a hypo daily which helps, but it's not getting better by itself so I thought I had better get it checked out."

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Astrometrics Lab]

Meval carefully adjusted the controls on a series of theoretical experiments in the science lab. She had chosen a quiet moment and occupied a console away from the central area, ensuring she wouldn't be in anyone's way. Technically, she was off duty, but with the opportunity at hand, she was fully absorbed in her research on dark matter and warp field interactions, eager to continue her studies. With sensors set to extremely high precision, she observed small variations in the data generated by her simulations.

"If I could only stabilize this variable..." she murmured to herself, her fingers quickly typing as she recalculated the theoretical effects of a new configuration in gravitational fields.

The research was something she had started during her studies, but now, with access to the Challenger's advanced resources, she could explore new possibilities. Though her discoveries were still far from practical applications, she knew these small advances could one day revolutionize warp technology. "It would be amazing if we finally had a concrete answer about the warp 10 barrier."

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 13, 2024, 05:41:10 PM[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian sat in the command chair and waited while Lieutenant Evans at Science One thoroughly scanned the area within ten lightyears of the ship.

"Multiple freighter contacts, seven to be exact, the nearest is four lightyears away. There is patrol craft near K-12, and there is a Toren Assembly cruiser within a lightyear and a half. That's everything Captain."

"Very good Evan. That bloody cruiser is too close for comfort, but there's nothing we can do about that. Ops, release the anti-proton burst."

"Aye Sir."


Lieutenant jg James Greenway at Ops replied.

"Burst away Sir."

Ian toggled the comm system on the command chair.

"Launch Malik, Launch."

Calindra's Dream slid smoothly out the shuttlebay as the Challenger broke hard in the opposite direction spewing anti-protons as she went. Both ships used the cover provided by the sensor scattering pulse to go to warp. Challenger running at her full warp 9.88 for two hours to get some distance from the freighter before slowing to warp 7 and doing everything to look like nothing more than a ship on patrol.

Ian watched the Calindra's Dream departing and whispered.

"God's speed ta ye all."

[Calindra Hejaran - Calindra's Dream - Engineering Bay]

Calindra dusted her hands off as the Calindra's Dream's warp engines gave a sputtering rumble that vibrated through the deck. She was halfway through securing the last of the smuggling compartments she and Neva had worked on, a sneaky masterpiece tucked away in the Dream's nooks and crannies which included some minimal shielding to distract any sensor sweep, when she felt the familiar hum of the engines warming up to speed.

She flipped on her comm, a grin tugging at her lips as she tried—and failed—to remember Ardyn's new undercover alias. They were in deep cover, after all, so she'd have to get used to it.

"Hey, Speed Demon at the helm!" she called out over the comm, trying to get into character, shaking her head with a smirk. "A heads-up would've been nice before firing up the warp engines — I nearly fell off this ladder here!"

She braced herself as the vibrations grew steadier, holding the ladder with one hand while giving the new compartment a final pat with the other. When the inertia dampening fields caught up, Calindra gave a well-practiced flick of the device hidden within the lining of her leather coat, and activated the shielding on the smuggling compartments. A faint hum told her it was functioning perfectly—disguising the compartments as little more than structural voids in the hull. She allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction; the field calibration she and Neva had done was paying off.

The shielded compartments would now evade most scans, hiding any sensitive cargo or contraband they picked up along the way. Satisfied, she climbed down the ladder, tugging her coat close as she made her way toward the bridge to check in. If this mission went smoothly, it might just be the beginning of something very exciting.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian watched Calindra's Dream continue on its course as the Challenger came about slowly toward Toren Autonomy space. Once on course, Ian updated his log.

"Captain's Log, Supplemental. We are on our way to follow up on a lead provided by Starfleet Intelligence regardin' the rampant smugglin' occurrin' in this sector. The Toren Autonomy, is a small, militant, autocratic power which seized four planets and three moons in three star systems that are xenophobically independent of the Federation.

"The Autonomy is a backwards military power, they are socially and technology limited and choose ta be isolated despite bein' surrounded on all sides by Federation territory. The Autonomy attempted to engage the Federation in military action roughly seventy years ago and were soundly beaten. Four Starfleet starships were able ta rout the cream of the Autonomy fleet handily. After hostilities ended, the Federation ambassador advised the Toren they could come out and play after they grew up a little. Unfortunately, the Autonomy has grown more isolationist rather than less.

"Starfleet Intelligence believes that the Autonomy has been receiving technical and military assistance from the Orion Syndicate since the end of the Dominion War, largely in exchange for foodstuffs and agricultural equipment. It is believed that the Orions are usin' the Autonomy as a hub for the smugglin' operations in the Otorin sector.

"Our mission is ta covertly enter Autonomy space ta confirm the presence of the Syndicate and ta put a stop ta the smugglin' into Romulan Free State space. End log."

Ian sighed and began to think about how he was going to 'covertly' enter Autonomy space with a ship the size and as blatantly Starfleet as the Challenger. 

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 14, 2024, 10:19:11 AM

(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6f/6e/e3/6f6ee330cbe076aaa487e8545d6d0b6c.jpg)

[Calindra Hejaran - Calindra's Dream - Engineering Bay]

Calindra dusted her hands off as the Calindra's Dream's warp engines gave a sputtering rumble that vibrated through the deck. She was halfway through securing the last of the smuggling compartments she and Neva had worked on, a sneaky masterpiece tucked away in the Dream's nooks and crannies which included some minimal shielding to distract any sensor sweep, when she felt the familiar hum of the engines warming up to speed.

She flipped on her comm, a grin tugging at her lips as she tried—and failed—to remember Ardyn's new undercover alias. They were in deep cover, after all, so she'd have to get used to it.

"Hey, Speed Demon at the helm!" she called out over the comm, trying to get into character, shaking her head with a smirk. "A heads-up would've been nice before firing up the warp engines — I nearly fell off this ladder here!"

She braced herself as the vibrations grew steadier, holding the ladder with one hand while giving the new compartment a final pat with the other. When the inertia dampening fields caught up, Calindra gave a well-practiced flick of the device hidden within the lining of her leather coat, and activated the shielding on the smuggling compartments. A faint hum told her it was functioning perfectly—disguising the compartments as little more than structural voids in the hull. She allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction; the field calibration she and Neva had done was paying off.

The shielded compartments would now evade most scans, hiding any sensitive cargo or contraband they picked up along the way. Satisfied, she climbed down the ladder, tugging her coat close as she made her way toward the bridge to check in. If this mission went smoothly, it might just be the beginning of something very exciting.

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 14, 2024, 01:40:14 PMNeva slapped the last compartment in her section into place with a satisfied grunt and smirk. She had butterflies the size of elephants dancing in her stomach when she put her clothes back on after finishing the last adjustments to Dream.

Neva had taken off her boots once inside the Engine area, something she relished doing. When she felt the thrum of the engines grow as the ship took off, she smiled in delight and closed her eyes. When she was on the ship her parents were posted on, the Chief Engineer had taken the young Betazoid girl under his wing after she'd been poking around Main Engineering one day. He encouraged her to ask questions, ever indulging her curiosity. One day, he found her looking down from the railing by the upper section of the Warp Core. Instead of making her come down, he joined her and explained how a good Engineer could feel the ship they served on. They knew through their whole body what was wrong or right with Her. From that moment on, she would find any opportunity to "feel" the ship. Her parents would find her in her room sometimes, eyes closed without a stitch of clothing on. When questioned, she explained what she was trying to do. They laughed it off as a childish game, but Neva wasn't deterred. It got to a point where, as a cadet, the feel of a ship's engines was more calming than any formal meditation.

So now that there was a relatively quiet moment, Neva savored the opportunity to indulge herself. Even though they had done what upgrades they could, she could feel the "roughness" that reminded her Calindra's Dream was still barely flyable. Laughing aloud and shrugging her shoulders in an "oh well" gesture, she snapped open her eyes and grabbed her boots in one hand.

Whistling tunelessly as she walked into the cockpit, Neva flopped down in an unused chair and put her boots on again. The butterflies settled into their perches for now, so she took the opportunity to look around. The view ahead was a deep black like her eyes, an occasional star dancing past the windows. Malik and Ardy were up front working the controls, but she didn't pay attention to what they may have said. She saw Ensign Shirtless to her side and smiled and nodded in greeting. She felt she should know the young man, but couldn't quite place how. Taking in his outfit, she couldn't help the broader smile that spread across her lips. It seemed out of place, but then so did hers. She sighed and looked down at herself, her kit transformed into a leather messenger-style bag across her body and settled on her hip. She pulled it into her lap and fished for the earphones, sliding them onto her head and ears once she found them. She'd loaded music and lessons in both Romulan and Orion languages. A quick tap or two on the right ear then she sat back. Murmuring Romulan words and phrases under her breath, Neva closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.[/color]

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cockpit | Calindra's Dream | Departing USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Alhanjhu proceeded to the shuttlebay; something had definitely held up Dersch, so he had to be the Security officer on the away team. He was glad his disguise was ready, and it was his first actual off-ship away mission.

Outside the newly named freighter Calindra's Dream, he boarded and was ready for departure. Soon, the Calindra's Dream was on its way. And its going was exceptionally rocky; Alhanjhu last felt a rocky departure when riding rapids at the Janjathu River at Andgarr. He recognized Cali barking, getting into character, and as she talked, Alhanjhu removed his shirt and draped it over his chair, ready for when it was needed.

He looked at Cali in passing and gave a greeting. He stretched in his chair and noticed a woman take a chair next to him, she being a Betazoid woman...and another one of the crew he saw when he gave his audition to Dersch.

He nodded back to her when she nodded and then pulled up some music to listen to. Alhanjhu looked at her, taken by her beauty...this ship had many beautiful ladies aboard.

He stood and put his kit (a leather pack with his usual supplies, albeit made out in a way to look pirate-like) and weapons on his seat and noticed two other of the team. He recognized Commander Grippen and the Chief Flight Officer, Ardyn Wu. He stood before them and spoke. "Jjjjolan Tru," he said in his most silky accent, rolling the "J." He then grinned and added in his regular voice, "Excuse me, getting into character. I'll be in the back exercising...and pardon my lack of shirt, but I have it nearby, I'll put it back on when the time comes, sirs."

He stepped back and went to the most empty space possible in the cockpit and then practiced jab moves of the Romulan martial art Kormerek. He learned it from Uncle Anju, a means of refining his fighting skills, and from other Romulans. He knew Kormerek pertained to swift and brutal strikes, emphasizing nerve strikes, and also utilizing moves to break bone and joints. Of course, Alhanjhu was also taught to put restraint into his strength from Anju, and later at Starfleet Academy. Reflecting on his knowledge of Kormerek, Alhanjhu was glad he didn't know it while he still lived in the wilds, he'd be even more feared.

In fact, Anju had Vulcan friends who also taught him Suus Mahna as much as possible. At present, some moves of Suus Mahna, like Navorkot, wouldn't be doable to practice in the confined space of Calindra's Dream.

Naturally, Alhanjhu took great care to step to the side whenever somebody was in passing, and he eventually came to the woman next to his seat and pulled up the earbuds...he was surprised to hear the Romulan language in singing, and then, he tapped the shoulder.

"Beg pardon, I didn't mean to bother you," Alhanjhu said. "We met earlier, but we haven't introduced properly. I'm Ensign Jei'Jendak. First name Alhanjhu, of course."

[Calindra's Dream]

Ardy sat at the helm of the clunker of a ship. For as what little time they had to make sure this ship actually worked, it was working great, purring (mostly) like a dream. She still shook and rattled when you turned too hard, and the stick drift on the pitch forced Ardy to make a course correction every five minutes or so,  but for what they got done in so many days, it worked, and that's what counted.

She gave a nod to Malik. "So far we're in the clear and on track," she noted as  she did another  course correct. Suddenly,  she heard Calindra's voice calling out after her on the comms, mentioning the sharp turn she had made.

=/\= "Well ya better hang on! She's safe enough to fly, but  she's definitely still squeaky in spots."=/\= she yelled playfully to Calindra  -  Or Kelly - over the Comms.  There was something just a bit freeing not being in a uniform with a fake name and story that wasn't too far off from her own story. It was almost dangerous, as she felt like she was back in her first Flyer, a junky shuttle she had fixed and made her own.  But she had a purpose this time.  She couldn't get too carried away back into bad habits. The last mission against the Ferengi had given her just a taste of who she had once been before. And maybe might have stayed that way had things not changed. "

She noticed the ensign — Alhanjhu — out of the corner of her eye she gave him a grin. he definitely played off the "muscled hired gun" look off well enough.  All of them seemed pretty legit-looking, to say the least. Now all they had to do was fly casual. 

An alert pinged on the navicomputers.  "I can't quite tell what's on the computers. Darn thing's acting up again.  Anyone want to hit the computers to see if that'll work?"

Quote from: Azsayak on November 13, 2024, 06:09:35 PM(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/299574335310659585/1306392697766154341/61eb2370-ab1d-4666-aba6-7f5a4b389212.png?ex=67368082&is=67352f02&hm=75f8f7dd43d414ff08d18bf03bbfd0a67d0b6975ef6942d69c6cea264c524da6&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=438&height=438)

Azsayak would tilt her head in a slight bemused display of the fearlessness of Neva.  Making some snarls and rumbling noises in her Gornish tongue before the Translator would do its job.

 " I'm Azsayak. How may I help you Lieutenant Neva Cordon " Azsayak made what might pass as smile on her face. As her height was mentioned. Despite being on the smaller size for a female gorn. Gorns were prideful in their physical size and stregnth.  Azsayak thought this soft skin human would be a good boss and friend.

She flashed her 4 digit taloned hand to Lieutetant Neva cordon ready to take whatever was place in her hand and get to work.

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Shuttlebay 2]

Neva attempted to listen more closely to Azsayak than the translator, her eyebrows down and face concentrated. She nodded slowly when the Gorn stopped speaking and then tried to talk.

"Ozzz-sssaaayyy-awkkk." She tried showing a tentative grin. "Is that close?"

As Neva waited for her newest member of Engineering to rate her effort, Neva touched various tools beside her without looking until she found it. Grabbing it up, she held it up to Azsayak's outstretched hand.

"Well, at any rate, use this to check the stability and flow rate of the upper nacelle on the other side of the ship first, then do the one here. I should be done with this lower one shortly." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder to indicate where she'd been working. "If you need any tools, let me know and I'll either give you mine or have you replicate them. It would be handy to have a kit with tools you can personally use on the ship or wherever. Considering our work is different almost every day, it just makes sense. I can help you replicate tools that work best for your hands and articulations if you'd like after this mission." Again, Neva smiled, nodded decisively, laid on her back once more, and got back to work without another word.

[/color]

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 14, 2024, 10:19:11 AM

(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6f/6e/e3/6f6ee330cbe076aaa487e8545d6d0b6c.jpg)

[Calindra Hejaran - Calindra's Dream - Engineering Bay]

Calindra dusted her hands off as the Calindra's Dream's warp engines gave a sputtering rumble that vibrated through the deck. She was halfway through securing the last of the smuggling compartments she and Neva had worked on, a sneaky masterpiece tucked away in the Dream's nooks and crannies which included some minimal shielding to distract any sensor sweep, when she felt the familiar hum of the engines warming up to speed.

She flipped on her comm, a grin tugging at her lips as she tried—and failed—to remember Ardyn's new undercover alias. They were in deep cover, after all, so she'd have to get used to it.

"Hey, Speed Demon at the helm!" she called out over the comm, trying to get into character, shaking her head with a smirk. "A heads-up would've been nice before firing up the warp engines — I nearly fell off this ladder here!"

She braced herself as the vibrations grew steadier, holding the ladder with one hand while giving the new compartment a final pat with the other. When the inertia dampening fields caught up, Calindra gave a well-practiced flick of the device hidden within the lining of her leather coat, and activated the shielding on the smuggling compartments. A faint hum told her it was functioning perfectly—disguising the compartments as little more than structural voids in the hull. She allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction; the field calibration she and Neva had done was paying off.

The shielded compartments would now evade most scans, hiding any sensitive cargo or contraband they picked up along the way. Satisfied, she climbed down the ladder, tugging her coat close as she made her way toward the bridge to check in. If this mission went smoothly, it might just be the beginning of something very exciting.

[Later, Inside one of Calindra's Dream's Engine Areas]

(https://i.imgur.com/hdsv9MN.jpeg)

Neva slapped the last compartment in her section into place with a satisfied grunt and smirk. She had butterflies the size of elephants dancing in her stomach when she put her clothes back on after finishing the last adjustments to Dream.

Neva had taken off her boots once inside the Engine area, something she relished doing. When she felt the thrum of the engines grow as the ship took off, she smiled in delight and closed her eyes. When she was on the ship her parents were posted on, the Chief Engineer had taken the young Betazoid girl under his wing after she'd been poking around Main Engineering one day. He encouraged her to ask questions, ever indulging her curiosity. One day, he found her looking down from the railing by the upper section of the Warp Core. Instead of making her come down, he joined her and explained how a good Engineer could feel the ship they served on. They knew through their whole body what was wrong or right with Her. From that moment on, she would find any opportunity to "feel" the ship. Her parents would find her in her room sometimes, eyes closed without a stitch of clothing on. When questioned, she explained what she was trying to do. They laughed it off as a childish game, but Neva wasn't deterred. It got to a point where, as a cadet, the feel of a ship's engines was more calming than any formal meditation.

So now that there was a relatively quiet moment, Neva savored the opportunity to indulge herself. Even though they had done what upgrades they could, she could feel the "roughness" that reminded her Calindra's Dream was still barely flyable. Laughing aloud and shrugging her shoulders in an "oh well" gesture, she snapped open her eyes and grabbed her boots in one hand.

Whistling tunelessly as she walked into the cockpit, Neva flopped down in an unused chair and put her boots on again. The butterflies settled into their perches for now, so she took the opportunity to look around. The view ahead was a deep black like her eyes, an occasional star dancing past the windows. Malik and Ardy were up front working the controls, but she didn't pay attention to what they may have said. She saw Ensign Shirtless to her side and smiled and nodded in greeting. She felt she should know the young man, but couldn't quite place how. Taking in his outfit, she couldn't help the broader smile that spread across her lips. It seemed out of place, but then so did hers. She sighed and looked down at herself, her kit transformed into a leather messenger-style bag across her body and settled on her hip. She pulled it into her lap and fished for the earphones, sliding them onto her head and ears once she found them. She'd loaded music and lessons in both Romulan and Orion languages. A quick tap or two on the right ear then she sat back. Murmuring Romulan words and phrases under her breath, Neva closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

Mission log, stardate 79873.5.

We have begun our journey into the smuggling underworld. The team pulled together and upgraded our freighter from a rust-bucket to something promising. We carry two types of contraband. Kemocite ore. A highly controlled mineral with much sought after properties. The other is an assortment of ancient horga'hn fertility statues. Taken and perfectly replicated from my personal collection. Collectors would pay over the odds to get their hands on them.

Our smuggling team consists of myself and six others, handpicked by myself based on their previous mission performances. Each has adopted a new identity for the duration of the mission. For myself, I will use the ancient Risan name of Kal-El.

Our destination is the territory of the Romulan Free State. The most powerful emerging state following the Hobus supernova, they have the backing of the Tal Shiar and have been studying reclemated Borg technology for years. They are more cooperative with the Federation these days, but to them - we are lowlife smugglers.

We are on our own. We must avoid both the Federation and the RFS and make contact with the smuggling network.

Our mission, to destroy the smuggling ring from the inside.

End log.

---

[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

Kal-El surveyed the space outside the cockpit window of the Calindra's Dream. The border was ahead. They course would take them between Earth Outpost 30 and station K12, far outside the safe transit corridor. This had its positives and negatives. They would avoid the mandatory scanning and inspection of the corridor. However, if they were caught crossing the border outside of the corridor it would raise immediate red flags.

"Whats our ETA to the border, anything showing on the scanners?"

"Engineering, what's our scanner profile looking like, is there anything we can do to make us seem smaller and less smuggler-like?"

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 15, 2024, 09:54:43 AM[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Shuttlebay 2]

Neva attempted to listen more closely to Azsayak than the translator, her eyebrows down and face concentrated. She nodded slowly when the Gorn stopped speaking and then tried to talk.

"Ozzz-sssaaayyy-awkkk." She tried showing a tentative grin. "Is that close?"

As Neva waited for her newest member of Engineering to rate her effort, Neva touched various tools beside her without looking until she found it. Grabbing it up, she held it up to Azsayak's outstretched hand.

"Well, at any rate, use this to check the stability and flow rate of the upper nacelle on the other side of the ship first, then do the one here. I should be done with this lower one shortly." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder to indicate where she'd been working. "If you need any tools, let me know and I'll either give you mine or have you replicate them. It would be handy to have a kit with tools you can personally use on the ship or wherever. Considering our work is different almost every day, it just makes sense. I can help you replicate tools that work best for your hands and articulations if you'd like after this mission." Again, Neva smiled, nodded decisively, laid on her back once more, and got back to work without another word.

[/color]
[Later, Inside one of Calindra's Dream's Engine Areas]

(https://i.imgur.com/hdsv9MN.jpeg)

Neva slapped the last compartment in her section into place with a satisfied grunt and smirk. She had butterflies the size of elephants dancing in her stomach when she put her clothes back on after finishing the last adjustments to Dream.

Neva had taken off her boots once inside the Engine area, something she relished doing. When she felt the thrum of the engines grow as the ship took off, she smiled in delight and closed her eyes. When she was on the ship her parents were posted on, the Chief Engineer had taken the young Betazoid girl under his wing after she'd been poking around Main Engineering one day. He encouraged her to ask questions, ever indulging her curiosity. One day, he found her looking down from the railing by the upper section of the Warp Core. Instead of making her come down, he joined her and explained how a good Engineer could feel the ship they served on. They knew through their whole body what was wrong or right with Her. From that moment on, she would find any opportunity to "feel" the ship. Her parents would find her in her room sometimes, eyes closed without a stitch of clothing on. When questioned, she explained what she was trying to do. They laughed it off as a childish game, but Neva wasn't deterred. It got to a point where, as a cadet, the feel of a ship's engines was more calming than any formal meditation.

So now that there was a relatively quiet moment, Neva savored the opportunity to indulge herself. Even though they had done what upgrades they could, she could feel the "roughness" that reminded her Calindra's Dream was still barely flyable. Laughing aloud and shrugging her shoulders in an "oh well" gesture, she snapped open her eyes and grabbed her boots in one hand.

Whistling tunelessly as she walked into the cockpit, Neva flopped down in an unused chair and put her boots on again. The butterflies settled into their perches for now, so she took the opportunity to look around. The view ahead was a deep black like her eyes, an occasional star dancing past the windows. Malik and Ardy were up front working the controls, but she didn't pay attention to what they may have said. She saw Ensign Shirtless to her side and smiled and nodded in greeting. She felt she should know the young man, but couldn't quite place how. Taking in his outfit, she couldn't help the broader smile that spread across her lips. It seemed out of place, but then so did hers. She sighed and looked down at herself, her kit transformed into a leather messenger-style bag across her body and settled on her hip. She pulled it into her lap and fished for the earphones, sliding them onto her head and ears once she found them. She'd loaded music and lessons in both Romulan and Orion languages. A quick tap or two on the right ear then she sat back. Murmuring Romulan words and phrases under her breath, Neva closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

[Earlier Working on Calindra's Dread shuttle bay 2]

Would nod and set to work getting the task that Lt Neva had given to her.  Taking the handheld scanner, she would go get a datapad as well to show the readings and share them to nevas device.  The work didnt take to long for the Gorn to get a handle on. Not that she was some sort of prodigy taking readings, it was a very slight learning curve for the gorn. Azsayak would methodically check the nacelles and then re-check them and finally one last check.


(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/43/bd/43/43bd4318b3a13ec8103af784665eb428.jpg)

(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/44/45/f5/4445f5feeb82750c674f519968e62acf.jpg)


Eventually after verifying the readings, she would send the data to Lt Neva's device. Readings came back as stable if not a little wear and age showing from the nacelles. A loss of .5 percent efficeny for the first one Azsayak had scanned and .3 percent for the next one.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 15, 2024, 03:58:12 PM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

Kal-El surveyed the space outside the cockpit window of the Calindra's Dream. The border was ahead. They course would take them between Earth Outpost 30 and station K12, far outside the safe transit corridor. This had its positives and negatives. They would avoid the mandatory scanning and inspection of the corridor. However, if they were caught crossing the border outside of the corridor it would raise immediate red flags.

"Whats our ETA to the border, anything showing on the scanners?"

"Engineering, what's our scanner profile looking like, is there anything we can do to make us seem smaller and less smuggler-like?"

(https://i.postimg.cc/28KN67Jd/Alex-Wu-Single-2.jpg)

[Calindra's Dream - Bridge]

Between Neva performing her miracle repairs getting the ship literally shipshape, and Calindra and Ardyn taking on the project as their personal vendetta, there had been little for Alex to do besides spend some extra time with Maddy before they both had to leave her behind. Again. It was exactly why he'd left Starfleet in the first place and what had worried him awake at night for the week leading up to their return. Outwardly, Maddison seemed to be taking it well, at least from what her teacher and sitters could see, but it didn't escape Alex's observation how she clung to them for those extra few minutes before having to leave for school, or the refusals to sleep anywhere but with them in their bed.

With his daughter distractingly on his mind, the scowl on Alex's face wasn't entirely an act when he strode onto the bridge just in time to hear Grippen's last sentence. "I'm not sure we can look less smuggler-like while also avoiding the established trade routes. Our transponder going silent won't go unnoticed if anyone's paying attention. We could cut engines and power down all non-essential systems before crossing the border, coast through with inertia alone to hopefully avoid tripping the automated sensors. I downloaded the lastest buoy deployment chart for this region before we left Challenger if you wanted to pull it up, Hejaran."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian stood next to Lieutenant Randell at the Science One station waiting for the results of the latest sensor sweep of Toren Autonomy space. Realizing his presence wouldn't speed up the results, he returned to the command chair and activated the record function.

"Captain's Log, Supplemental. We are a half lightyear trailin' of Autonomy space and one lightyear from Starbase 153. As the four systems they've claimed are a total of only three by two by two lightyears in volume, their entire space is well within Challenger's main sensor array. We have been on station for 24 hours while Lieutenant Randell has spent the much of that time conductin' an extensive sweep of Autonomy territory-"

"Sir, results are in."

Ian paused his recording to hear Randell's report.

"Dozens of ships are operating between the four planets. I got good scans on them. Transponder codes are consistent with Autonomy registration. There are a total of 21 ships with codes that do not match the information that Starfleet Intelligence provided us. Eight are Ferengi, five are Nausicaan, four are Yridians, one is Romulan, and three are running without transponders. Based on previous recorded behaviors of the species detected, we have no limits on possible suspects for the smuggling Sir."

"Thank you Evan, seems we have our hands full. Computer resume recordin'."

The command chair beeped to indicate it was ready and Ian continued his entry.

"The sweep has detected multiple ships within the Autonomy of species and powers well known for smugglin' We have limited options on gainin' information within Autonomy space as they are notoriously xenophobic when it comes ta Starfleet. It might be possible ta slip a shuttle into their territory, but the risks of that are extremely high. Honestly, I don't see how we avoid this option. However, I will start with more conservative approach, we will track the 21 likely culprits and as soon as one of the crosses into Federation space, we will conduct a 'random' inspection. If'n we catch them with contraband, I hope ta leverage the consequences of smugglin' ta interrogate the crew and perhaps gain some useful information. End Log."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[SS Calindra's Dream - Otorin Sector]

The refurbished freighter moved at her best speed of warp 6. For her 'crew', it was like torture crawling along at such a slow speed when they were used to warp 8 or higher. Despite the Challenger shaving two lightyears off the trip, in the 36 hours since they separated from their home base, they had barely covered half of the two and a half lightyears to the Neutral Zone. Fortunately, crossing the old border wasn't a death sentence like it once was. Post-Hobus, the Free State was not the shoot on sight sort that the Star Empire had been. Crossing the Neutral Zone was still hazardous and even though Free State ships didn't usually shoot first and never mind about the questions, mistakes did happen and some of their captains were more zealous than others.

Regardless of the danger, they were still 22 hours from the Zone. At the moment, their bigger threat was that they were making their closest approach to Earth Outpost 30, which was one lightyear away. If they were going to do anything to avoid an inspection by the outpost, now was the time to do so.

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Astrometrics Lab]

Meval was deeply engrossed in her experiments, monitoring the results of her simulations, when the sound of footsteps momentarily pulled her out of her focus. Turning, she saw the figure of Vessaash Sh'vhaorhath, another scientist aboard the Challenger. The officer's expression made it clear she hadn't expected to find Lira there.

"Ensign Meval," Sh'vhaorhath began, holding a PADD filled with freshly collected data. "I didn't expect to see you here, but since you are, you'll need to get to work. You've probably heard we're on an important mission. We need a solution to cloak the Challenger and a shuttle. We don't have much time."

Meval frowned, processing the information quickly. She hadn't anticipated this request but began considering the challenge. "Cloaking a ship the size of the Challenger is... complicated. But it might be possible to adapt something from my research on gravitational field distortions." She moved to a nearby console, starting to input data. "Perhaps we can create some kind of interference to fool the sensors."

"Passive sensors typically track fluctuations in subspace spectrums," she continued, typing rapidly. "If we generate a gravitational interference field with pseudo-random oscillations, we could mask our signature. The shuttle, being smaller, should be easier to cloak since the resonance amplitude will be lower and require less energy."

Sh'vhaorhath nodded, following Meval's calculations. "What about the Challenger?"

"That's the problem," Meval replied, tweaking the parameters of her simulation. "The Challenger's mass is far greater. For a ship this size, the residual warp field oscillations would create micro-fluctuations that passive sensors could still pick up. The field wouldn't be consistent enough to completely mask our signature."

After several minutes of focused work, she completed the initial configuration. "For the shuttle, we can generate a stabilized gravitational interference field using a warp frequency modulator linked to the secondary deflectors. That should be sufficient to fool the sensors. However, for the Challenger, the main deflectors don't have the capacity to generate the necessary field density without causing instabilities in the warp core."

Sh'vhaorhath crossed her arms, analyzing the results. "So the shuttle will be effectively cloaked, but the Challenger will remain partially exposed?"

Meval nodded, her eyes fixed on the console. "Exactly. The only alternative would be to reduce the Challenger's speed to minimize interference, but that would compromise the mission." She glanced at the Andorian. "And of course, this would only work against passive detection. If someone is actively searching for a cloaked ship, this distortion won't be sufficient."

Sh'vhaorhath took a deep breath. "Well... it's the best we've got for now. Let's finalize these calculations." The two continued working until they had a viable solution, after which Sh'vhaorhath contacted Lieutenant Rendall.

=/\= "Lieutenant Rendall, Ensign Lira and I have found a potential solution for the cloaking. I'm sending it to your console now." =/\=

She then turned back to Meval. "Well done! I think we've got a good start... but keep working on this. If there's a better alternative for cloaking the Challenger, let me know."

"Aye, ma'am," Lira replied without hesitation and resumed her work, continuing to explore hypotheses for an improved cloaking mechanism.

[Calindra's Dream]

How to look as non-smugglery as possible, while clearly dressed as smugglers in a ship that was decked to the gills in their cargo hold with definitely-regulated stuff. "That's definitely a tough call.  That could be one way to do it," she said, noting the upcoming border on the screen ahead. "Alternately, we could either go way too fast for them to catch us, or we act like normal merchants, but I don't think they'd buy that little lie." she said, giving her two cents.  "If I had my two cents, I'd snag a Cloaking device, but those are near-impossible to find even used, and expensive if you did find one," she muttered.

[Calindra's Dream - Bridge]

(https://64.media.tumblr.com/c91b379f1f8b293a017e05ac6c5c11ec/1fbcb3f99066d715-a4/s1280x1920/c4d90c2e934782b2d326be97f2291432b1895ade.pnj)

Autumn's research had provided a veritable mountain of information from which to choose her outfit. She went for a long brown trench coat, over black clothes, making sure that the fit of the coat followed a Xepolite tailoring design, as that would be more appropriate for a smuggler in that part of space than something of Federation origin. Additionally, her trench coat had enough pockets that she could conceal a scanning device.

Once she had suited up, the young science officer made her way to the shuttle bay, where she supervised the transport of Kemocite to the freighter, even as works for the refit continued to take place. Autumn made sure to place the ore inside magnetic containers that would shield it from long distance scanners, as requested by her superior officer, and while she was at it, the science officer ran a scan on the Risan artifacts, to make sure they didn't contain any metals or other materials that might be detectable long-range. Everything checked out. They were on the clear.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 15, 2024, 03:58:12 PM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

Kal-El surveyed the space outside the cockpit window of the Calindra's Dream. The border was ahead. They course would take them between Earth Outpost 30 and station K12, far outside the safe transit corridor. This had its positives and negatives. They would avoid the mandatory scanning and inspection of the corridor. However, if they were caught crossing the border outside of the corridor it would raise immediate red flags.

"Whats our ETA to the border, anything showing on the scanners?"

"Engineering, what's our scanner profile looking like, is there anything we can do to make us seem smaller and less smuggler-like?"

When the commander spoke to Engineering, Autumn swiveled her chair from her spot at one of the lateral consoles – the freighter didn't have a proper science station.

"Commander, I may have an alternative. We have access to the schedules of the Federation patrol ships in this sector through the computer database," she held up a tricorder in which she had downloaded a chunk of the Challenger's memory with data about this region of Space, as was routine for science officers in away missions "If we can anticipate their movements, we don't have to appear smaller. We simply have to move when their backs are turned."

She took a PADD with a preliminary sketch of a course in which the freighter would slowly move towards an orbiting junkyard in the vicinity of Earth Outpost 30 during a window in the wide sensor array, pass as another dead ship in the junkyard for 270 degrees of its orbit and take off on the other side, taking advantage of another 10 seconds window in the sensor array. It required some expert navigation, but it was definitely a viable plan. However, the commander had called the engineering team and she awaited for his signal to get out of her place and hand in the PADD.

[Kelly Oren - Cargo Bay - Calindra's Dream]

The rhythmic thwack of padded gloves meeting a heavy bag echoed through the cargo bay, mingling with the hum of the ship's systems. Calindra, clad in a tank top and shorts, focused intently on her kickboxing routine. Sweat glistened on her brow as she delivered a sharp jab-cross combo, followed by a powerful roundhouse kick that sent the bag swinging.

Her breathing was steady but determined, her strikes precise. This wasn't just exercise for Cali — it was a way to channel her energy, clear her mind, and keep herself sharp. The cargo bay might not have been an ideal gym, but the open space was perfect for her training sessions.

With a quick shuffle step, she pivoted, landing another kick that hit the bag with a satisfying thud. She bounced on her toes, light and quick, moving in and out of range like a practiced fighter.

Calindra's fists connected with the heavy bag in a steady rhythm, each impact echoing through the cargo bay. Her breaths came out measured, matching the pace of her strikes. A sharp one-two punch sent the bag swaying, followed by a precise roundhouse kick that hit with a satisfying thwack.

Despite the focus on her form, her mind wasn't entirely on her training. She paused, rolling her shoulders and bouncing lightly on her feet as she reset her stance. Why had she been chosen for this assignment? Sure, she had a knack for logistics and a reputation for thinking on her feet, but smuggling? She wasn't a rogue or an operative skilled in sleight-of-hand; her strengths lay in efficiency, resource management, and getting systems online.

"From an operations standpoint, this makes perfect sense," she muttered under her breath, throwing a sharp jab.

She aimed another kick at the bag, but her footing faltered, and her shin connected awkwardly. Hissing in pain, she stepped back, shaking it off. "Maybe that's exactly why they picked me," she mused aloud, the thought hitting her as sharply as her own strikes.

She wiped the sweat from her brow with the edge of her tank top, pacing the floor. "Because I'm not a typical choice. They wanted someone who could keep things running smooth—keep the crew calm and organized. Someone who doesn't look like they'd know how to smuggle a Tribble, let alone..." She gestured vaguely at the concealed compartments around the cargo bay.

Her gaze fell on one of the crates, its mundane exterior betraying the high-tech shielding hidden inside. "Still, what if I'm not enough for this?" she wondered. She'd seen the kind of ruthlessness smugglers faced—double-crosses, informants, authorities sniffing out anything remotely suspicious.

Calindra squared her shoulders and returned to the heavy bag, unleashing another series of strikes, faster this time, harder. "No room for doubt, Cali," she told herself firmly. "They picked you because you can do this. Time to prove them right."

The bag swung wildly as she landed a final uppercut, its momentum echoing her rising resolve. She stepped back, hands on her hips, and smirked. "And hey," she muttered, "at least kickboxing will come in handy if anyone tries to double-cross us."

---

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 17, 2024, 01:49:23 AM[Calindra's Dream]

How to look as non-smugglery as possible, while clearly dressed as smugglers in a ship that was decked to the gills in their cargo hold with definitely-regulated stuff. "That's definitely a tough call.  That could be one way to do it," she said, noting the upcoming border on the screen ahead. "Alternately, we could either go way too fast for them to catch us, or we act like normal merchants, but I don't think they'd buy that little lie." she said, giving her two cents.  "If I had my two cents, I'd snag a Cloaking device, but those are near-impossible to find even used, and expensive if you did find one," she muttered.

Quote from: Autumn on November 17, 2024, 08:39:52 PM[Calindra's Dream - Bridge]

When the commander spoke to Engineering, Autumn swiveled her chair from her spot at one of the lateral consoles – the freighter didn't have a proper science station.

"Commander, I may have an alternative. We have access to the schedules of the Federation patrol ships in this sector through the computer database," she held up a tricorder in which she had downloaded a chunk of the Challenger's memory with data about this region of Space, as was routine for science officers in away missions "If we can anticipate their movements, we don't have to appear smaller. We simply have to move when their backs are turned."

She took a PADD with a preliminary sketch of a course in which the freighter would slowly move towards an orbiting junkyard in the vicinity of Earth Outpost 30 during a window in the wide sensor array, pass as another dead ship in the junkyard for 270 degrees of its orbit and take off on the other side, taking advantage of another 10 seconds window in the sensor array. It required some expert navigation, but it was definitely a viable plan. However, the commander had called the engineering team and she awaited for his signal to get out of her place and hand in the PADD.

[Kelly Oren - Bridge - Calindra's Dream]

Having exorcised her demons, Calindra finally made it top side as they were hashing options on their approach.

"We can even expand on her idea by picking a random space rock and matching its course and speed," Cali suggested as she found her way to the ship's comm systems. She nodded at Takil, Rynn, Kal-El, and Autumn as she slid into her seat.

[USS Challenger – Outside Toren Autonomy Space]

It had taken three hours before one of the targeted ships exited Toren space. Fortunately, the ship the Latinum Queen had exited Toren space just two lightyears from the Challenger's current position moving at warp 5 and on a course for Okori I. Using her superior speed, Challenger would overtake the freighter in 20 hours. Ian nodded in satisfaction as Lieutenant jg Wilma Schultz at the helm plotted the intercept course. As it was 1800 hours, the Challenger would catch the Latinum Queen at 1400 hours tomorrow.

"We'll see just what your carryin' and how quick you squeal."

Since it was the end of Alpha shift, Ian stood and said.

"Lieutenant Davenport, you have the bridge."

Ian then exited via the turbolift and headed for the officer's mess. When the captain left the bridge, Lieutenant Randall, joined him in the turbolift.

"I have a meeting scheduled with the science department and a representative from Engineering. We're going to see what we can do to mask Challenger and a Type-9. Odds are against us on the ship, but I have hopes we can work something out for the shuttle."

"Keep me informed."

"Aye Sir."

Evan watched the captain leave the turbolift on deck 3, as he continued on to the Primary Science Lab on deck 7. On entering the lab, there were several science officers present including Lieutenant jg Vessaash Sh'vhaorhath, Ensign Lira Meval, Ensign Tora Zalos, and Ensign Alexandria Winsdor. With the crew assembled, Randall got right to the point.

"I'm sure you've heard by now that we have an impossible task before us. Captain has asked for a way to mask the Challenger and a Type-9 shuttle from sensors without a cloaking device. The floor is open, no idea is too crazy, let's see what we can brainstorm."

While the members of his department mulled over the task before them, Randall tapped his combadge.

=/\= "Lieutenant Randall to Lieutenant Sunik, per the Captain's orders, we need your engineer to meet in the Science Lab on deck 7." =/\=

=/\= "Acknowledged, the engineer will be there shortly, Sunik out." =/\=

In Engineering, Sunik looked through his roster and made a decision.

"Ensign Azsayak, report to the main science lab on deck 7."

Quote from: Autumn on November 17, 2024, 08:39:52 PM[Calindra's Dream - Bridge]

Autumn's research had provided a veritable mountain of information from which to choose her outfit. She went for a long brown trench coat, over black clothes, making sure that the fit of the coat followed a Xepolite tailoring design, as that would be more appropriate for a smuggler in that part of space than something of Federation origin. Additionally, her trench coat had enough pockets that she could conceal a scanning device.

Once she had suited up, the young science officer made her way to the shuttle bay, where she supervised the transport of Kemocite to the freighter, even as works for the refit continued to take place. Autumn made sure to place the ore inside magnetic containers that would shield it from long distance scanners, as requested by her superior officer, and while she was at it, the science officer ran a scan on the Risan artifacts, to make sure they didn't contain any metals or other materials that might be detectable long-range. Everything checked out. They were on the clear.

When the commander spoke to Engineering, Autumn swiveled her chair from her spot at one of the lateral consoles – the freighter didn't have a proper science station.

"Commander, I may have an alternative. We have access to the schedules of the Federation patrol ships in this sector through the computer database," she held up a tricorder in which she had downloaded a chunk of the Challenger's memory with data about this region of Space, as was routine for science officers in away missions "If we can anticipate their movements, we don't have to appear smaller. We simply have to move when their backs are turned."

She took a PADD with a preliminary sketch of a course in which the freighter would slowly move towards an orbiting junkyard in the vicinity of Earth Outpost 30 during a window in the wide sensor array, pass as another dead ship in the junkyard for 270 degrees of its orbit and take off on the other side, taking advantage of another 10 seconds window in the sensor array. It required some expert navigation, but it was definitely a viable plan. However, the commander had called the engineering team and she awaited for his signal to get out of her place and hand in the PADD.

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 18, 2024, 12:53:45 PM[Kelly Oren - Cargo Bay - Calindra's Dream]

(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/65/7b/86/657b868a5a62dfebcbc1d2918cbc8565.jpg)

The rhythmic thwack of padded gloves meeting a heavy bag echoed through the cargo bay, mingling with the hum of the ship's systems. Calindra, clad in a tank top and shorts, focused intently on her kickboxing routine. Sweat glistened on her brow as she delivered a sharp jab-cross combo, followed by a powerful roundhouse kick that sent the bag swinging.

Her breathing was steady but determined, her strikes precise. This wasn't just exercise for Cali — it was a way to channel her energy, clear her mind, and keep herself sharp. The cargo bay might not have been an ideal gym, but the open space was perfect for her training sessions.

With a quick shuffle step, she pivoted, landing another kick that hit the bag with a satisfying thud. She bounced on her toes, light and quick, moving in and out of range like a practiced fighter.

Calindra's fists connected with the heavy bag in a steady rhythm, each impact echoing through the cargo bay. Her breaths came out measured, matching the pace of her strikes. A sharp one-two punch sent the bag swaying, followed by a precise roundhouse kick that hit with a satisfying thwack.

Despite the focus on her form, her mind wasn't entirely on her training. She paused, rolling her shoulders and bouncing lightly on her feet as she reset her stance. Why had she been chosen for this assignment? Sure, she had a knack for logistics and a reputation for thinking on her feet, but smuggling? She wasn't a rogue or an operative skilled in sleight-of-hand; her strengths lay in efficiency, resource management, and getting systems online.

"From an operations standpoint, this makes perfect sense," she muttered under her breath, throwing a sharp jab.

She aimed another kick at the bag, but her footing faltered, and her shin connected awkwardly. Hissing in pain, she stepped back, shaking it off. "Maybe that's exactly why they picked me," she mused aloud, the thought hitting her as sharply as her own strikes.

She wiped the sweat from her brow with the edge of her tank top, pacing the floor. "Because I'm not a typical choice. They wanted someone who could keep things running smooth—keep the crew calm and organized. Someone who doesn't look like they'd know how to smuggle a Tribble, let alone..." She gestured vaguely at the concealed compartments around the cargo bay.

Her gaze fell on one of the crates, its mundane exterior betraying the high-tech shielding hidden inside. "Still, what if I'm not enough for this?" she wondered. She'd seen the kind of ruthlessness smugglers faced—double-crosses, informants, authorities sniffing out anything remotely suspicious.

Calindra squared her shoulders and returned to the heavy bag, unleashing another series of strikes, faster this time, harder. "No room for doubt, Cali," she told herself firmly. "They picked you because you can do this. Time to prove them right."

The bag swung wildly as she landed a final uppercut, its momentum echoing her rising resolve. She stepped back, hands on her hips, and smirked. "And hey," she muttered, "at least kickboxing will come in handy if anyone tries to double-cross us."

---

[Kelly Oren - Bridge - Calindra's Dream]

Having exorcised her demons, Calindra finally made it top side as they were hashing options on their approach.

"We can even expand on her idea by picking a random space rock and matching its course and speed," Cali suggested as she found her way to the ship's comm systems. She nodded at Rynn, Kal-El, and Autumn as she slid into her seat.

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cockpit | Calindra's Dream ]

Try to talk to Neva wasn't doing much, she was much too immersed in her music for a conversation. So, Alhanjhu decided to check out the rest of the ship. He saw Cali exercising in the cargo bay, and it did occur to him that it would be a better place for his own practicing later. Not wanting to bother Cali, he kept on going.

The Calindra's Dream was small enough that it didn't take long to see it for himself, and then he headed back to the cockpit. He was surprised and delighted to see Autumn had joined them, having gotten to know her a little more. He listened and looked out the window to see the junkyard by Outpost Thirty, and was surprised to notice Cali come in and propose to use a random rock as part of their clientele work as part of their cover. Then he looked back up at the junkyard.

"I think we could probably attract more customer interest if we traded in salvage," Alhanjhu proposed and pointed. "Look at the junkyard nearby. There can be something we could pick up from it, something valuable-looking to get customer attention.

"I'm no salvager myself, but I recall seeing salvagers myself. A well-known area in Andgarr's forest floor I remember is a junkyard called the Warbird Necropolis. Almost three centuries previously, a Romulan fleet tried to invade Andgarr. The Andgarri, however, defeated them with tractor emitters lodged in some cut trees so trunks and logs crushed them or hurled the ships to the forest floor below. It's passed down as the Wrath of the Andgarr Elements, bringing a myth that the forest can swallow ships whole if provoked.

"Anyway, I've been to that junkyard many times," Alhanjhu finished, "I've seen salvagers come and go. One of my visits back to Andgarr after I graduated the Academy, I heard that crew of the Challenger tried to use a wreck from the junkyard to stop the Planet Killer threatening our world. In any case, we could make use of some junk out here to sell as salvage," he proposed. "At least, nothing that'll be a bother to the outpost nearby," he added.

[Engineering enroute to Science lab Deck 7]

Asayak had been gathering her own tools or having them made. As Chief Engineering Officer Lieutenant Sunik Spoke to her. Turning to gaze at the smaller Vulcan male. Azsayak would rumble out a response of compliance. 

" Ensign Azsayak will comply Lieutenant Sunik"

Lumbering out of engineering with her tools in a side satchel bag on her massive frame. She made her way to the turbolift and would arrive as requested to the meeting.  Entering the room and lowering her head a little out of instinct to avoid hitting her head on the lip of the door frame. Once inside she gazed as the assembled star fleet personnel.

" Ensign Azsayak sent from engineering to assist with this venture "

[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The smugglers were quickly proving themselves to be a resourceful crew, coming up with a bunch of smart ideas to overcome the problem of being detected by Outpost 30. Which was less than a light-year away now. No doubt they were already being picked up by whoever was keeping watch there.

"Blend in with the scrap field, using the patrol routes to our advantage, then coasting using our inertia when required. Let's go with that."

Kal-El took a seat in the worn, (but not as worn out as the others), command chair. Malik made a mental note to refer to their aliases only from now on, it would take a bit of getting used to.

"Power down all non-essential systems. Let's get that course plotted. 'Cheng', is there anything we know about those old outposts that we could use to aid our plan?"

Malik listened to 'Takil's' idea with interest, "Scan the debris field, is there anything worth taking?"

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 18, 2024, 01:09:59 PMEvan watched the captain leave the turbolift on deck 3, as he continued on to the Primary Science Lab on deck 7. On entering the lab, there were several science officers present including Lieutenant jg Vessaash Sh'vhaorhath, Ensign Lira Meval, Ensign Tora Zalos, and Ensign Alexandria Winsdor. With the crew assembled, Randall got right to the point.
"I'm sure you've heard by now that we have an impossible task before us. Captain has asked for a way to mask the Challenger and a Type-9 shuttle from sensors without a cloaking device. The floor is open, no idea is too crazy, let's see what we can brainstorm."
While the members of his department mulled over the task before them, Randall tapped his combadge.
=/\= "Lieutenant Randall to Lieutenant Sunik, per the Captain's orders, we need your engineer to meet in the Science Lab on deck 7." =/\=

[Ensign Meval • USS Challenger • Primary Science Lab, Deck 7]

When Meval entered the main engineering room, she noticed Lieutenant Rendall arriving shortly after. She waited patiently as he addressed the gathered team, opening the floor for a brainstorming session. As the silence stretched, with no one stepping forward to speak, Meval stood up, her voice calm yet purposeful.

"Sir, Lieutenant Sh'vhaorhath and I were discussing this earlier. I believe we could attempt to use a gravitational interference field with pseudo-random oscillations. This could render the ship untraceable to passive search scanners—a form of camouflage, though not a cloaking device."

She outlined the concept briefly, summarizing the ideas she and Sh'vhaorhath had explored earlier that day.

"However, for a ship the size of the Challenger, it wouldn't work perfectly. Some sections might become untraceable, but others would remain exposed—like trying to hide someone behind a picket fence."

Concluding her explanation, Meval gave a subtle nod of thanks and sat back down, eager to hear the contributions of the others in the room.

[Calindra's Dream]

Ardy  — Rynn nodded.  "Right. Preparing to hide on an asteroid and pretend to be a pile of junk. and floating by when nobody expects it. Good an idea as any."  she could have sworn she had seen this move in an old movie, but it seemed like it might work. Moving the ship into position, she nodded. 'Standby to turn off the power.  I'm not sure how well the ship will respond to tuning off and on again. Any thoughts?" she asked Alex —  er, Jackie, Kelly and Neva. She couldn't remember who Neva's alias was.

---

[As Maddy]

[Hallways]



Maddy swung her toy sword around. She missed her Mommy and Daddy a lot, and was really scared that something might happen to them like last time, but they were gonna be helping the Cap'n  by playing pirate, and  to make up for that, she got her own toy sword to pretend she was a pirate.  "Arr! Ahoy!!!" she yelled, running across the halls.  She knew the babysitter was nearby, but at this point, she was very sure she had gotten out of view for the moment.  She wasn't really looking where she was going when all of a sudden, she ran into someone as she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. "Oops. um, sorry..."

---

[As Oyari Sedaya]

[Medbay]

Sedaya came in the room, arms filled with hyposprays. 'Um, Doctor, we have a patient in biobed 4.  I've prepared the typical units of anesthezine if you need." she said, , ready to help out.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 18, 2024, 04:21:04 PM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The smugglers were quickly proving themselves to be a resourceful crew, coming up with a bunch of smart ideas to overcome the problem of being detected by Outpost 30. Which was less than a light-year away now. No doubt they were already being picked up by whoever was keeping watch there.

"Blend in with the scrap field, using the patrol routes to our advantage, then coasting using our inertia when required. Let's go with that."

Kal-El took a seat in the worn, (but not as worn out as the others), command chair. Malik made a mental note to refer to their aliases only from now on, it would take a bit of getting used to.

"Power down all non-essential systems. Let's get that course plotted. 'Cheng', is there anything we know about those old outposts that we could use to aid our plan?"

Malik listened to 'Takil's' idea with interest, "Scan the debris field, is there anything worth taking?"

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 19, 2024, 12:14:43 AM[Calindra's Dream]

Ardy  — Rynn nodded.  "Right. Preparing to hide on an asteroid and pretend to be a pile of junk. and floating by when nobody expects it. Good an idea as any."  she could have sworn she had seen this move in an old movie, but it seemed like it might work. Moving the ship into position, she nodded. 'Standby to turn off the power.  I'm not sure how well the ship will respond to tuning off and on again. Any thoughts?" she asked Alex —  er, Jackie, Kelly and Neva. She couldn't remember who Neva's alias was. 

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 18, 2024, 12:53:45 PM[Kelly Oren - Cargo Bay - Calindra's Dream]

(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/65/7b/86/657b868a5a62dfebcbc1d2918cbc8565.jpg)

The rhythmic thwack of padded gloves meeting a heavy bag echoed through the cargo bay, mingling with the hum of the ship's systems. Calindra, clad in a tank top and shorts, focused intently on her kickboxing routine. Sweat glistened on her brow as she delivered a sharp jab-cross combo, followed by a powerful roundhouse kick that sent the bag swinging.

Her breathing was steady but determined, her strikes precise. This wasn't just exercise for Cali — it was a way to channel her energy, clear her mind, and keep herself sharp. The cargo bay might not have been an ideal gym, but the open space was perfect for her training sessions.

With a quick shuffle step, she pivoted, landing another kick that hit the bag with a satisfying thud. She bounced on her toes, light and quick, moving in and out of range like a practiced fighter.

Calindra's fists connected with the heavy bag in a steady rhythm, each impact echoing through the cargo bay. Her breaths came out measured, matching the pace of her strikes. A sharp one-two punch sent the bag swaying, followed by a precise roundhouse kick that hit with a satisfying thwack.

Despite the focus on her form, her mind wasn't entirely on her training. She paused, rolling her shoulders and bouncing lightly on her feet as she reset her stance. Why had she been chosen for this assignment? Sure, she had a knack for logistics and a reputation for thinking on her feet, but smuggling? She wasn't a rogue or an operative skilled in sleight-of-hand; her strengths lay in efficiency, resource management, and getting systems online.

"From an operations standpoint, this makes perfect sense," she muttered under her breath, throwing a sharp jab.

She aimed another kick at the bag, but her footing faltered, and her shin connected awkwardly. Hissing in pain, she stepped back, shaking it off. "Maybe that's exactly why they picked me," she mused aloud, the thought hitting her as sharply as her own strikes.

She wiped the sweat from her brow with the edge of her tank top, pacing the floor. "Because I'm not a typical choice. They wanted someone who could keep things running smooth—keep the crew calm and organized. Someone who doesn't look like they'd know how to smuggle a Tribble, let alone..." She gestured vaguely at the concealed compartments around the cargo bay.

Her gaze fell on one of the crates, its mundane exterior betraying the high-tech shielding hidden inside. "Still, what if I'm not enough for this?" she wondered. She'd seen the kind of ruthlessness smugglers faced—double-crosses, informants, authorities sniffing out anything remotely suspicious.

Calindra squared her shoulders and returned to the heavy bag, unleashing another series of strikes, faster this time, harder. "No room for doubt, Cali," she told herself firmly. "They picked you because you can do this. Time to prove them right."

The bag swung wildly as she landed a final uppercut, its momentum echoing her rising resolve. She stepped back, hands on her hips, and smirked. "And hey," she muttered, "at least kickboxing will come in handy if anyone tries to double-cross us."

---

[Kelly Oren - Bridge - Calindra's Dream]

Having exorcised her demons, Calindra finally made it top side as they were hashing options on their approach.

"We can even expand on her idea by picking a random space rock and matching its course and speed," Cali suggested as she found her way to the ship's comm systems. She nodded at Takil, Rynn, Kal-El, and Autumn as she slid into her seat.

[Aya Talos|Calindra's Dream|Otoran Sector]

Neva/Aya opened her eyes suddenly, reaching up and tapping off her earphones. She felt the "mood" of the others around her turn from uncertain and nervous to business-like. With a sigh through her nose, she quickly strode closer to the front of the cockpit and took a seat at a console across from Autumn.

She heard the Co-/Kal-El ask if there was anything worth taking in the debris field and did a quick check. With a smirk, she looked over her shoulder at his, Ensign Shirtless, and Rynn's backs.

"Oooh doggie! You betcha Kal!" Aya called out, sweeping into her alias's "personality." "There's plenty a' metal chunks t' use fer hull parts anna like, some scraps a' tech I can eas'ly jury-rig inta our sys'ems. Ya want salvage, it's definny worth it!"

Aya looked back at her screen, taking mental notes of what she could use and how. She listened idly to what Kelly mentioned about hiding and nodded slightly. The butterflies danced inside her gut, making her frown in displeasure.

Cocking her head, she waved her hand. "Hey, Ensign Shirtless! I need yer eyes! C'mere a momen'!"

[Calindra's Dream - Otorin Sector]

As the freighter was running silent, there was an unnatural quiet aboard the ship. Even though everyone knew sound didn't travel in space, it just felt like being quiet was the thing to do to help sneak past Earth Outpost 30.

In a way, it was humorous that the now more that 250 year old outposts, built to monitor the border after the Earth-Romulan war in the 2150s were of concern in the 25th Century. Old though the outposts were, they were literally rock solid being built inside asteroids, but their sensor systems had been updated repeatedly, so despite their age, slipping past one was not as easy as it might sound.

The debris field proved to be that of another freighter, clearly it had suffered a catastrophic failure of some sort, there just wasn't enough left to figure out what. Regardless, there several hull plates, scorched and twisted that were salvageable along with a sensor dish and many electronic fragments, old, also burned, but had potential.

Calindra's Dream drifted along, using the charted debris as a sort of shield to slowly drift past Outpost 30. It took several tense hours, but the old freighter was now at the old Neutral Zone border. The old outpost was no longer the threat anymore, it was Romulan Free State ships and the unknown that were the bigger danger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 18, 2024, 07:41:23 PM[Ensign Meval • USS Challenger • Primary Science Lab, Deck 7]

When Meval entered the main engineering room, she noticed Lieutenant Rendall arriving shortly after. She waited patiently as he addressed the gathered team, opening the floor for a brainstorming session. As the silence stretched, with no one stepping forward to speak, Meval stood up, her voice calm yet purposeful.

"Sir, Lieutenant Sh'vhaorhath and I were discussing this earlier. I believe we could attempt to use a gravitational interference field with pseudo-random oscillations. This could render the ship untraceable to passive search scanners—a form of camouflage, though not a cloaking device."

She outlined the concept briefly, summarizing the ideas she and Sh'vhaorhath had explored earlier that day.

"However, for a ship the size of the Challenger, it wouldn't work perfectly. Some sections might become untraceable, but others would remain exposed—like trying to hide someone behind a picket fence."

Concluding her explanation, Meval gave a subtle nod of thanks and sat back down, eager to hear the contributions of the others in the room.

[Main Science Lab - USS Challenger]

As the scientists mulled over Meval's and Sh'vhaorhath's suggestion, the very quiet Ensign Winsdor spoke up.

"We could use the Challenger's lateral sensor array to match the frequency of the Toren sensors and emit a signal 180 degrees out of phase with them, especially given their older technology, that should keep even a ship this size hidden."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was in the command chair, his attention focused on the viewscreen as the Latinum Queen grew larger and larger. It was 1400 and as estimated, the Challenger had over taken the Ferengi freighter. Ian had ordered the freighter be hailed and ordered to come to a halt for inspection.

Starfleet had many responsibilities and ensuring space lanes were safe was one of them. Usually, inspections were done near planets either as ships approached or departed, but the Starfleet mandate to conduct inspections was Federation wide and Ian was well within his rights as a Captain of a Starfleet vessel to order an inspection on any freighter in Federation space. Whether the Ferengi liked the idea of being inspected really didn't matter and the Latinum Queen dropped out of warp and came to a halt.

Lieutenant Davenport led the inspection team herself, along with Master Chief Blackfeather and a team of four from the security department. As the six of them beamed over, the captain of the freighter was on the bridge's viewscreen howling in protest.

"Captain, this is an outrage! I am a legitimate and licensed cargo hauler! I protest this intrusion to my delivery schedule!"

"I do apologize for any inconvenience captain. However, I am certain you are aware of certain individuals takin' advantage of the disruptions in inspections caused by unfortunate events. I'm just followin' my orders and as the Challenger is assigned ta this sector, it is my responsibility ta conduct random inspections on ships operatin' in the Otorin sector. As long as everything is in order, this will nae take long. Challenger out."

Ian closed the channel and let out the chuckle he'd be fighting to hold in as he spoke to the Ferengi.

"At least I'm nae puttin' your sorry arse in an arena with a bloody Gorn for company."

It was now time to wait while Davenport and the others conducted their 'inspection' to see if the plan would yield fruit.

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 18, 2024, 07:41:23 PM[Ensign Meval • USS Challenger • Primary Science Lab, Deck 7]

When Meval entered the main engineering room, she noticed Lieutenant Rendall arriving shortly after. She waited patiently as he addressed the gathered team, opening the floor for a brainstorming session. As the silence stretched, with no one stepping forward to speak, Meval stood up, her voice calm yet purposeful.

"Sir, Lieutenant Sh'vhaorhath and I were discussing this earlier. I believe we could attempt to use a gravitational interference field with pseudo-random oscillations. This could render the ship untraceable to passive search scanners—a form of camouflage, though not a cloaking device."

She outlined the concept briefly, summarizing the ideas she and Sh'vhaorhath had explored earlier that day.

"However, for a ship the size of the Challenger, it wouldn't work perfectly. Some sections might become untraceable, but others would remain exposed—like trying to hide someone behind a picket fence."

Concluding her explanation, Meval gave a subtle nod of thanks and sat back down, eager to hear the contributions of the others in the room.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 19, 2024, 10:57:46 AM[Calindra's Dream - Otorin Sector]

As the freighter was running silent, there was an unnatural quiet aboard the ship. Even though everyone knew sound didn't travel in space, it just felt like being quiet was the thing to do to help sneak past Earth Outpost 30.

In a way, it was humorous that the now more that 250 year old outposts, built to monitor the border after the Earth-Romulan war in the 2150s were of concern in the 25th Century. Old though the outposts were, they were literally rock solid being built inside asteroids, but their sensor systems had been updated repeatedly, so despite their age, slipping past one was not as easy as it might sound.

The debris field proved to be that of another freighter, clearly it had suffered a catastrophic failure of some sort, there just wasn't enough left to figure out what. Regardless, there several hull plates, scorched and twisted that were salvageable along with a sensor dish and many electronic fragments, old, also burned, but had potential.

Calindra's Dream drifted along, using the charted debris as a sort of shield to slowly drift past Outpost 30. It took several tense hours, but the old freighter was now at the old Neutral Zone border. The old outpost was no longer the threat anymore, it was Romulan Free State ships and the unknown that were the bigger danger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Main Science Lab - USS Challenger]

As the scientists mulled over Meval's and Sh'vhaorhath's suggestion, the very quiet Ensign Winsdor spoke up.

"We could use the Challenger's lateral sensor array to match the frequency of the Toren sensors and emit a signal 180 degrees out of phase with them, especially given their older technology, that should keep even a ship this size hidden."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was in the command chair, his attention focused on the viewscreen as the Latinum Queen grew larger and larger. It was 1400 and as estimated, the Challenger had over taken the Ferengi freighter. Ian had ordered the freighter be hailed and ordered to come to a halt for inspection.

Starfleet had many responsibilities and ensuring space lanes were safe was one of them. Usually, inspections were done near planets either as ships approached or departed, but the Starfleet mandate to conduct inspections was Federation wide and Ian was well within his rights as a Captain of a Starfleet vessel to order an inspection on any freighter in Federation space. Whether the Ferengi liked the idea of being inspected really didn't matter and the Latinum Queen dropped out of warp and came to a halt.

Lieutenant Davenport led the inspection team herself, along with Master Chief Blackfeather and a team of four from the security department. As the six of them beamed over, the captain of the freighter was on the bridge's viewscreen howling in protest.

"Captain, this is an outrage! I am a legitimate and licensed cargo hauler! I protest this intrusion to my delivery schedule!"

"I do apologize for any inconvenience captain. However, I am certain you are aware of certain individuals takin' advantage of the disruptions in inspections caused by unfortunate events. I'm just followin' my orders and as the Challenger is assigned ta this sector, it is my responsibility ta conduct random inspections on ships operatin' in the Otorin sector. As long as everything is in order, this will nae take long. Challenger out."

Ian closed the channel and let out the chuckle he'd be fighting to hold in as he spoke to the Ferengi.

"At least I'm nae puttin' your sorry arse in an arena with a bloody Gorn for company."

It was now time to wait while Davenport and the others conducted their 'inspection' to see if the plan would yield fruit.

Azsayak noted no one moved or looked at her after her arrival. So when Lira spoje and announced herself the large gorn would step aside and nod to the science department ensign.  Listening to her as she spoke and then as the other scientist.  She had wondered if any of those in the science lab actually needed her here. No one had yet acknowledged her presence. So, she remains quite and waits for the scientists to figure out what they wanted to try.




 " Ensign Azsayak will outfit the shuttle once the decision has been made. "  


Azsayak had decided the time for niceties as over and spoke her thoughts plainly after such and icy reception from those in the science lab.  But she made it clear she was here to follow whatever they decided on. She simply did like being ignored. Her Gorn pride at be offended and she had to master not giving into her fiery temper. So she behaved herself as best she could, if not stepping on some of these scientist toes. Perhaps they did think themselves smarter than an ugly brutish gorn.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 18, 2024, 04:21:04 PM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The smugglers were quickly proving themselves to be a resourceful crew, coming up with a bunch of smart ideas to overcome the problem of being detected by Outpost 30. Which was less than a light-year away now. No doubt they were already being picked up by whoever was keeping watch there.

"Blend in with the scrap field, using the patrol routes to our advantage, then coasting using our inertia when required. Let's go with that."

Kal-El took a seat in the worn, (but not as worn out as the others), command chair. Malik made a mental note to refer to their aliases only from now on, it would take a bit of getting used to.

"Power down all non-essential systems. Let's get that course plotted. 'Cheng', is there anything we know about those old outposts that we could use to aid our plan?"

Malik listened to 'Takil's' idea with interest, "Scan the debris field, is there anything worth taking?"

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 19, 2024, 12:14:43 AM[Calindra's Dream]
Ardy  — Rynn nodded.  "Right. Preparing to hide on an asteroid and pretend to be a pile of junk. and floating by when nobody expects it. Good an idea as any."  she could have sworn she had seen this move in an old movie, but it seemed like it might work. Moving the ship into position, she nodded. 'Standby to turn off the power.  I'm not sure how well the ship will respond to tuning off and on again. Any thoughts?" she asked Alex —  er, Jackie, Kelly and Neva. She couldn't remember who Neva's alias was.

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 19, 2024, 09:11:04 AM[Aya Talos|Calindra's Dream|Otoran Sector]
Neva/Aya opened her eyes suddenly, reaching up and tapping off her earphones. She felt the "mood" of the others around her turn from uncertain and nervous to business-like. With a sigh through her nose, she quickly strode closer to the front of the cockpit and took a seat at a console across from Autumn.
She heard the Co-/Kal-El ask if there was anything worth taking in the debris field and did a quick check. With a smirk, she looked over her shoulder at his, Ensign Shirtless, and Rynn's backs.
"Oooh doggie! You betcha Kal!" Aya called out, sweeping into her alias's "personality." "There's plenty a' metal chunks t' use fer hull parts anna like, some scraps a' tech I can eas'ly jury-rig inta our sys'ems. Ya want salvage, it's definny worth it!"
Aya looked back at her screen, taking mental notes of what she could use and how. She listened idly to what Kelly mentioned about hiding and nodded slightly. The butterflies danced inside her gut, making her frown in displeasure.
Cocking her head, she waved her hand. "Hey, Ensign Shirtless! I need yer eyes! C'mere a momen'!"

[Kelly Oren | Bridge | Calindra's Dream | Otoran Sector]

Sitting at the comms station, she tapped idly at the panel, though there wasn't much for her to do while they floated through the debris field. Restless energy didn't suit her, which is why she tended to avoid bridge duty on the Challenger.

When Aya's sharp, exaggerated accent rang out across the bridge, Calindra held back a smirk. Aya's energy seemed to infect the others, nudging the tension toward something almost playful. That was good—playful nerves meant sharp minds. But when Aya waved and called on 'Ensign Shirtless' to help with salvage, Calindra quirked a brow.

Her eyes flicked briefly to the others, most seated with their usual calm composure, and then back again to the ever-distracting Takil wondering how he'd react.

Still, she couldn't quite sit still. Her fingers hovered over the comms console, debating whether to scan the debris field for anything worth flagging. But the idea of staying idle nagged at her more than the distant chance of missing something. Her gaze swept the bridge again. Aya was fully immersed in the salvage hunt that Takil (Ensign Shirtless) had suggested, and Autumn seemed calm as ever. With the adults clearly in control, Calindra felt her restlessness shift direction.

This ship's going to be hauling junk soon enough, she thought. Might as well make myself useful. The quiet buzz of her console offered no objections.

Finally, practicality won out. Pushing back from her station, she slipped out of the bridge and headed toward the cargo bay. If there was a pile of junk incoming, someone was going to have to sort it out, and she figured she might as well get a head start. "I'll go get the cargo area ready to receive whatever treasures await, then," she said as glanced towards Malik before she finally trotted off, albeit slowly so that if Malik changed his mind, she wasn't out of earshot.

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 19, 2024, 09:11:04 AM[Aya Talos|Calindra's Dream|Otoran Sector]

Neva/Aya opened her eyes suddenly, reaching up and tapping off her earphones. She felt the "mood" of the others around her turn from uncertain and nervous to business-like. With a sigh through her nose, she quickly strode closer to the front of the cockpit and took a seat at a console across from Autumn.

She heard the Co-/Kal-El ask if there was anything worth taking in the debris field and did a quick check. With a smirk, she looked over her shoulder at his, Ensign Shirtless, and Rynn's backs.

"Oooh doggie! You betcha Kal!" Aya called out, sweeping into her alias's "personality." "There's plenty a' metal chunks t' use fer hull parts anna like, some scraps a' tech I can eas'ly jury-rig inta our sys'ems. Ya want salvage, it's definny worth it!"

Aya looked back at her screen, taking mental notes of what she could use and how. She listened idly to what Kelly mentioned about hiding and nodded slightly. The butterflies danced inside her gut, making her frown in displeasure.

Cocking her head, she waved her hand. "Hey, Ensign Shirtless! I need yer eyes! C'mere a momen'!"

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 19, 2024, 02:25:29 PM[Kelly Oren | Bridge | Calindra's Dream | Otoran Sector]

Sitting at the comms station, she tapped idly at the panel, though there wasn't much for her to do while they floated through the debris field. Restless energy didn't suit her, which is why she tended to avoid bridge duty on the Challenger.

When Aya's sharp, exaggerated accent rang out across the bridge, Calindra held back a smirk. Aya's energy seemed to infect the others, nudging the tension toward something almost playful. That was good—playful nerves meant sharp minds. But when Aya waved and called on 'Ensign Shirtless' to help with salvage, Calindra quirked a brow.

Her eyes flicked briefly to the others, most seated with their usual calm composure, and then back again to the ever-distracting Takil wondering how he'd react.

Still, she couldn't quite sit still. Her fingers hovered over the comms console, debating whether to scan the debris field for anything worth flagging. But the idea of staying idle nagged at her more than the distant chance of missing something. Her gaze swept the bridge again. Aya was fully immersed in the salvage hunt that Takil (Ensign Shirtless) had suggested, and Autumn seemed calm as ever. With the adults clearly in control, Calindra felt her restlessness shift direction.

This ship's going to be hauling junk soon enough, she thought. Might as well make myself useful. The quiet buzz of her console offered no objections.

Finally, practicality won out. Pushing back from her station, she slipped out of the bridge and headed toward the cargo bay. If there was a pile of junk incoming, someone was going to have to sort it out, and she figured she might as well get a head start. "I'll go get the cargo area ready to receive whatever treasures await, then," she said as glanced towards Malik before she finally trotted off, albeit slowly so that if Malik changed his mind, she wasn't out of earshot.

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cockpit | Calindra's Dream ]

Alhanjhu had to chuckle. He heard the Shirtless nickname before at the Academy. Most people who didn't know him often called him "Cadet Shirtless." Those that did gave reference either to Mowgli or Tarzan, although he often had to remind his friends that his "war cry" was a far cry from Tarzan's stupid yodel.

"Heh, I haven't heard the nickname of 'Shirtless' since the Academy," he said. "At least by all those who know my reputation but don't know me," he added with a shrug. "You can call me Alhanjhu. Or Ensign Jei'Jendak when on full duty. Or, once we get into full pirate play, my cover name of Takil. Anyway..."

He turned briefly and saw Cali before she departed for the cargo bay. He shrugged at her with a smile, a body-language means of saying "I got that a lot before" before she turned and left and he went back to Neva...or Aya.

"What do you need me to keep an eye out for?" he asked. "I'm willing to lend my strength for the heavy lifting."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 18, 2024, 04:21:04 PM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The smugglers were quickly proving themselves to be a resourceful crew, coming up with a bunch of smart ideas to overcome the problem of being detected by Outpost 30. Which was less than a light-year away now. No doubt they were already being picked up by whoever was keeping watch there.

"Blend in with the scrap field, using the patrol routes to our advantage, then coasting using our inertia when required. Let's go with that."

Kal-El took a seat in the worn, (but not as worn out as the others), command chair. Malik made a mental note to refer to their aliases only from now on, it would take a bit of getting used to.

"Power down all non-essential systems. Let's get that course plotted. 'Cheng', is there anything we know about those old outposts that we could use to aid our plan?"

Malik listened to 'Takil's' idea with interest, "Scan the debris field, is there anything worth taking?"

[Calindra's Dream - Bridge]

"It's an older Earth outpost station constructed on an asteroid, initially built in the late 22nd century as part of an early warning system to monitor the Romulan border. More of a listening post than anything else, but their sensors would've been continuously updated, rivaling those of our most modern starships. That being said, those sensors should be calibrated to look for cloaked Romulan ships coming in from the border side, not so much from behind them." Alex took the seat that Calindra just vacated, there not being enough workstations or really even space on the diminutive bridge for everyone to be there at once.

"If we come up with something which could emulate a Romulan energy signature, shoot it off somewhere not near us, it might distract the outpost long enough for us to get by without attracting too much attention. Lesser of two weevils, a Romulan trying to sneak in is a far bigger problem than a freighter trying to sneak out. I wouldn't advise staying too long in that debris field looking for scrap though, we won't be the first to have thought about going through it. Who knows what kind of nasty surprises the previous scavengers might've left behind."

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 19, 2024, 10:57:46 AM[Main Science Lab - USS Challenger]
As the scientists mulled over Meval's and Sh'vhaorhath's suggestion, the very quiet Ensign Winsdor spoke up.
"We could use the Challenger's lateral sensor array to match the frequency of the Toren sensors and emit a signal 180 degrees out of phase with them, especially given their older technology, that should keep even a ship this size hidden.

Quote from: Azsayak on November 19, 2024, 01:17:57 PMAzsayak noted no one moved or looked at her after her arrival. So when Lira spoje and announced herself the large gorn would step aside and nod to the science department ensign.  Listening to her as she spoke and then as the other scientist.  She had wondered if any of those in the science lab actually needed her here. No one had yet acknowledged her presence. So, she remains quite and waits for the scientists to figure out what they wanted to try.




 " Ensign Azsayak will outfit the shuttle once the decision has been made. "


Azsayak had decided the time for niceties as over and spoke her thoughts plainly after such and icy reception from those in the science lab.  But she made it clear she was here to follow whatever they decided on. She simply did like being ignored. Her Gorn pride at be offended and she had to master not giving into her fiery temper. So she behaved herself as best she could, if not stepping on some of these scientist toes. Perhaps they did think themselves smarter than an ugly brutish gorn.

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Primary Science Lab, Deck 7]

As soon as she heard Ensign Winsdor's suggestion, Meval's eyes lit up, as if the pieces of a puzzle were finally falling into place—and they were, at least in theory.

"That's an excellent idea," she said, her voice calm but thoughtful, pausing as if organizing her thoughts. "By synchronizing the pseudo-random oscillations from the gravitational field with the out-of-phase interference signal, from the sensor array, we could deflect almost every form of passive sensor detection that relies on tracking gravitational anomalies tied to large masses."

She finished speaking and shifted her focus to Azsayak. After all, no theory would matter without someone capable of implementing it. "Azsayak, do you think it's physically possible to combine these two ideas to cloak both the Challenger and a shuttlepod from passive sensors?"

Her tone carried genuine concern—if the Gorn engineer deemed it unfeasible, it would mean returning to the drawing board for another solution to this big challenge.

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 21, 2024, 12:23:02 AM[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Primary Science Lab, Deck 7]

As soon as she heard Ensign Winsdor's suggestion, Meval's eyes lit up, as if the pieces of a puzzle were finally falling into place—and they were, at least in theory.

"That's an excellent idea," she said, her voice calm but thoughtful, pausing as if organizing her thoughts. "By synchronizing the pseudo-random oscillations from the gravitational field with the out-of-phase interference signal, from the sensor array, we could deflect almost every form of passive sensor detection that relies on tracking gravitational anomalies tied to large masses."

She finished speaking and shifted her focus to Azsayak. After all, no theory would matter without someone capable of implementing it. "Azsayak, do you think it's physically possible to combine these two ideas to cloak both the Challenger and a shuttlepod from passive sensors?"

Her tone carried genuine concern—if the Gorn engineer deemed it unfeasible, it would mean returning to the drawing board for another solution to this big challenge.

 " I believe What Ensign Lira Meval suggests is within our capacity. The concerns I have of the warp core becoming destabilized would be lessen. If we deploy the Type 9a Cargo shuttle NCC-40117 White, and the type 17 heavy transport shuttle NCC-40117 Cutty Sark. With the clever suggestion of the Ensign Lira to conceal the challenger and the type 9 shuttle. We would have the two shuttles add to the coverage filling in the gaps left in coverage. Creating three overlapping fields. "


Azsayak humms in low rumbling tone as her tail swishes slowly on the floor behind her.  She was eager to get to work and carry out the plan that had been laid forth by Lira. Whom her red eyes had fallen onto after she finished speaking and waited for Neva to answer.

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 21, 2024, 12:23:02 AM[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Primary Science Lab, Deck 7]

As soon as she heard Ensign Winsdor's suggestion, Meval's eyes lit up, as if the pieces of a puzzle were finally falling into place—and they were, at least in theory.

"That's an excellent idea," she said, her voice calm but thoughtful, pausing as if organizing her thoughts. "By synchronizing the pseudo-random oscillations from the gravitational field with the out-of-phase interference signal, from the sensor array, we could deflect almost every form of passive sensor detection that relies on tracking gravitational anomalies tied to large masses."

She finished speaking and shifted her focus to Azsayak. After all, no theory would matter without someone capable of implementing it. "Azsayak, do you think it's physically possible to combine these two ideas to cloak both the Challenger and a shuttlepod from passive sensors?"

Her tone carried genuine concern—if the Gorn engineer deemed it unfeasible, it would mean returning to the drawing board for another solution to this big challenge.

Quote from: Azsayak on November 21, 2024, 02:50:40 AM " I believe What Ensign Lira Meval suggests is within our capacity. The concerns I have of the warp core becoming destabilized would be lessen. If we deploy the Type 9a Cargo shuttle NCC-40117 White, and the type 17 heavy transport shuttle NCC-40117 Cutty Sark. With the clever suggestion of the Ensign Lira to conceal the challenger and the type 9 shuttle. We would have the two shuttles add to the coverage filling in the gaps left in coverage. Creating three overlapping fields. "


Azsayak humms in low rumbling tone as her tail swishes slowly on the floor behind her.  She was eager to get to work and carry out the plan that had been laid forth by Lira. Whom her red eyes had fallen onto after she finished speaking and waited for Neva to answer.

[Main Science Lab - Deck 7 - USS Challenger]

Randall listened as the young officers spoke, he smiled to see and hear their enthusiasm as they worked through the puzzle before them. He also had to acknowledge, they had come up with some methods he would not have thought of. Since it sounded like they now had a viable plan, he spoke up to get control of the discussion.

"Okay everyone, we have something we can bring to the Captain. There was some damn good science here people and some damn good engineering Ensign Azsayak."

He tapped his combadge.

=/\= "Science Lab to Captain Galloway. We have developed a working option to mask the ship and a shuttle Sir." =/\=

=/\= "Execute whatever you need ta get ready. We are currently inspectin' a Ferengi freighter that just left the Autonomy. Once we're finished with shakin' down the little troll, we will make a course for Toren Space." =/\=

=/\= "Aye Captain, we estimate four hours to be ready. Randall out." =/\=

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Davenport's team had been aboard the Latinum Queen for two hours before she called the Challenger to report her findings.

=/\= "I have to give them credit Captain, this 'Daemon' Zell really knows his business. The little snot hid his contraband in the sewage reclamation tank. Now there's a smell I'll never forget. Anyway Sir, we have them 500 kilos of raw kemocite." =/\=

=/\= "Excellent work Lieutenant. Please escort the 'Daemon' ta the Cconference Room on Deck 7 so we can have a little chat." =/\=

=/\= "Aye Sir, on the way." =/\=

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Calindra's Dream - Border of the Romulan Neutral Zone]

Having successfully evaded Earth Outpost 30, the crew was a little surprised and a little giddy that they had managed to pull off their first 'criminal' act. Wu's idea to create a fake cloaked signal had merit and between the ship's fabricator, the ship's previous owner never updated to a replicator, and the scrap they had just pulled in from the debris field, a simple 'cry baby' would be simple to jury rig.

The only real question is what they would find in the Zone and where they wanted to go next. They had two viable options inside Romulan space. Otorin III which was the officially designated crossing point between the Federation and the old Star Empire established during the treaty that created the Neutral Zone 250 years ago. It was a natural place to trade with a robust black market there fed by an equally robust smuggling network, but was watched carefully by the forces of the Romulan Free States now.

The other choice was Bathân, which was a former Romulan penal colony and was a dumping ground for petty thieves and political dissidents until the turn of the 23rd century. Largely neglected by the Empire and now the Free States, the only thing keeping Bathân was extensive veins of magnasite. Since the collapse of the Romulan government, Bathân had suffered serious shortages of basic parts and supplies leading to unrest and the idling of their magnasite industry. Unrest; crime; and violence, both political and social, were a daily part of life on Bathân, making it a prime hub for smuggling in this sector.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 19, 2024, 12:14:43 AM[As Maddy]

[Hallways]

Maddy swung her toy sword around. She missed her Mommy and Daddy a lot, and was really scared that something might happen to them like last time, but they were gonna be helping the Cap'n  by playing pirate, and  to make up for that, she got her own toy sword to pretend she was a pirate.  "Arr! Ahoy!!!" she yelled, running across the halls.  She knew the babysitter was nearby, but at this point, she was very sure she had gotten out of view for the moment.  She wasn't really looking where she was going when all of a sudden, she ran into someone as she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. "Oops. um, sorry..."

[Deck 7 - USS Challenger]

Ian was on his way to the Conference Room to interrogate the Ferengi smuggler when a small missile hit him 'midship' and he oofed from the unexpected impact. He stifled a growl when he saw his assailant. He looked down at her with a mock frown.

"Oh no it's Mad Maddy the Pirate and here's me unarmed. Spare me oh Captain, I'm nae but a pur soul with nothing ta take."

[Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]

Malik had taken the decision to head for the planet of Bathân. It was a prime target to gain some smuggling knowledge, but also very dangerous, akin to old Earth's pirate Tortuga. The supplies they were carrying including the salvage from earlier would fetch a nice price here.

"Bring us in for a landing approach, Rynn. There seems to be a large landing port on the northern continent."

Before the freighter could enter the planet's vicinity however they received a hail.

=/\= "This is the Bathân Trade Authority. Power down your engines and prepare for inspection." =/\=

A venerable Romulan corvette decoaked off their starboard. It seemed to be a relic from the 2350's; having seen better days it still appeared formidable.

Malik turned to the bridge crew.

"What's our threat assessment on that ship. Do we have any intelligence on this 'Bathân Trade Authority'?"

For all they knew, there was no 'trade authority' and they were about to be pirated.

Down in the Dream's cargo hold, the scrap collected from space earlier was still being sorted by Neva and Takil. What they didn't know was the severe risk of radiation and chemical leaks as they poked about. The Dream's internal sensors just weren't as good as those on the Challenger.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 21, 2024, 12:04:53 PM[Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]

Malik had taken the decision to head for the planet of Bathân. It was a prime target to gain some smuggling knowledge, but also very dangerous, akin to old Earth's pirate Tortuga. The supplies they were carrying including the salvage from earlier would fetch a nice price here.

"Bring us in for a landing approach, Rynn. There seems to be a large landing port on the northern continent."

Before the freighter could enter the planet's vicinity however they received a hail.

=/\= "This is the Bathân Trade Authority. Power down your engines and prepare for inspection." =/\=

A venerable Romulan corvette decoaked off their starboard. It seemed to be a relic from the 2350's; having seen better days it still appeared formidable.

Malik turned to the bridge crew.

"What's our threat assessment on that ship. Do we have any intelligence on this 'Bathân Trade Authority'?"

For all they knew, there was no 'trade authority' and they were about to be pirated.

Down in the Dream's cargo hold, the scrap collected from space earlier was still being sorted by Neva and Takil. What they didn't know was the severe risk of radiation and chemical leaks as they poked about. The Dream's internal sensors just weren't as good as those on the Challenger.

[Kelly Oren - Calindra's Dream Cargo Bay - Sorting Salvage]

Calindra's containment field shimmered faintly, holding the unsorted salvage in check while Takil moved cautiously within it. The salvage had been strategically positioned to block any access to the real cargo, but would go a long way in convincing anyone they were a real salvage crew. Takil, sadly, was finally clothed, clad as he was in a specialized suit designed to counteract any potential hazards like radiation or poisonous substances. His movements were deliberate and precise, his every action a poetic dance of caution and efficiency.

Neva, or Aya Talos as her alias went, worked dutifully just outside the containment field (also suited up, just in case). She sorted through pieces Takil handed out, deftly sorting usable components from scrap, while cataloguing them with a mix of expertise and grudging determination. Takil's grunts and mutterings as he worked were accompanied by the occasional hum of Neva's diagnostic tools.

The containment field buzzed as Takil gingerly extracted a warped panel of duranium. He held it up to the light, the radiation scanner on his suit blinking yellow — a warning but not an immediate danger. He set it aside in a clearly marked section of salvage.

Outside the field, Calindra oversaw the operation with a sharp eye. She tapped on her PADD, monitoring the containment protocols. Though her confidence in the system was high, she couldn't help but glance nervously at the readings from the Dream's subpar internal sensors, when the ship's klaxon suddenly blared, and a message echoed over the intercom:

=/\="All hands, this is the bridge. We've been intercepted by a Bathân Trade Authority corvette. Stand by for further instructions."=/\=

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 21, 2024, 12:04:53 PM[Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]

Malik had taken the decision to head for the planet of Bathân. It was a prime target to gain some smuggling knowledge, but also very dangerous, akin to old Earth's pirate Tortuga. The supplies they were carrying including the salvage from earlier would fetch a nice price here.

"Bring us in for a landing approach, Rynn. There seems to be a large landing port on the northern continent."

Before the freighter could enter the planet's vicinity however they received a hail.

=/\= "This is the Bathân Trade Authority. Power down your engines and prepare for inspection." =/\=

A venerable Romulan corvette decoaked off their starboard. It seemed to be a relic from the 2350's; having seen better days it still appeared formidable.

Malik turned to the bridge crew.

"What's our threat assessment on that ship. Do we have any intelligence on this 'Bathân Trade Authority'?"

For all they knew, there was no 'trade authority' and they were about to be pirated.

Down in the Dream's cargo hold, the scrap collected from space earlier was still being sorted by Neva and Takil. What they didn't know was the severe risk of radiation and chemical leaks as they poked about. The Dream's internal sensors just weren't as good as those on the Challenger.

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 21, 2024, 01:35:23 PM[Kelly Oren - Calindra's Dream Cargo Bay - Sorting Salvage]

Calindra's containment field shimmered faintly, holding the unsorted salvage in check while Takil moved cautiously within it. The salvage had been strategically positioned to block any access to the real cargo, but would go a long way in convincing anyone they were a real salvage crew. Takil, sadly, was finally clothed, clad as he was in a specialized suit designed to counteract any potential hazards like radiation or poisonous substances. His movements were deliberate and precise, his every action a poetic dance of caution and efficiency.

Neva, or Aya Talos as her alias went, worked dutifully just outside the containment field (also suited up, just in case). She sorted through pieces Takil handed out, deftly sorting usable components from scrap, while cataloguing them with a mix of expertise and grudging determination. Takil's grunts and mutterings as he worked were accompanied by the occasional hum of Neva's diagnostic tools.

The containment field buzzed as Takil gingerly extracted a warped panel of duranium. He held it up to the light, the radiation scanner on his suit blinking yellow — a warning but not an immediate danger. He set it aside in a clearly marked section of salvage.

Outside the field, Calindra oversaw the operation with a sharp eye. She tapped on her PADD, monitoring the containment protocols. Though her confidence in the system was high, she couldn't help but glance nervously at the readings from the Dream's subpar internal sensors, when the ship's klaxon suddenly blared, and a message echoed over the intercom:

=/\="All hands, this is the bridge. We've been intercepted by a Bathân Trade Authority corvette. Stand by for further instructions."=/\=

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cockpit >- Cargo Bay | Calindra's Dream ]

"Bathân, eh?" Alhanjhu - or Talik - said to Kal-el. "How interesting. I don't think I have heard that place since I was eight. I've come across thieves from Bathân before. And from what I heard of it, I hoped I wouldn't have to see Bathân. But I guess it's only inevitable."

Once they had picked up the salvage, Talik decided to do his best to see what can be done. Mostly, he figured, he'd assist with the grunt work. Of course, he was informed that he had to be in a suit to protect against any potential radiations, so he obliged and got to work sorting in the containment field set up by Cali.

He worked things out as he handed pieces to Neva - or Aya - grunting, exerting his Vulcanlike strength (curtosy of genetics wrought through his mother from the Romulan desert [Vulcanlike] world of Cradolore), giving it over to Neva to see what it can be and whatnot. Every so often, he noticed Cali and nodded at her in reassurance.

At one point, the containment field buzzed as Takil gingerly extracted a warped panel of duranium. He held it up to the light, the radiation scanner on his suit blinking yellow — a warning but not an immediate danger. He set it aside in a clearly marked section of salvage. Then came the klaxon and message from the intercom.

"Bathân Trade Authority? Seems like we're getting an inspection," Takil said to Aya, and as he turned to Cali.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 21, 2024, 12:04:53 PM[Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]

Malik had taken the decision to head for the planet of Bathân. It was a prime target to gain some smuggling knowledge, but also very dangerous, akin to old Earth's pirate Tortuga. The supplies they were carrying including the salvage from earlier would fetch a nice price here.

"Bring us in for a landing approach, Rynn. There seems to be a large landing port on the northern continent."

Before the freighter could enter the planet's vicinity however they received a hail.

=/\= "This is the Bathân Trade Authority. Power down your engines and prepare for inspection." =/\=

A venerable Romulan corvette decoaked off their starboard. It seemed to be a relic from the 2350's; having seen better days it still appeared formidable.

Malik turned to the bridge crew.

"What's our threat assessment on that ship. Do we have any intelligence on this 'Bathân Trade Authority'?"

For all they knew, there was no 'trade authority' and they were about to be pirated.

[Calindra's Dream - Bridge]

It was difficult to scan for shrouded vessels even with Challenger's more modern monitoring suite, often the computer just flagging any unusual anomalies which required increased scrutiny. Working with civilian-grade sensors and optics that would've been obsolete fifty years ago, Alex didn't spot the Romulan scout until it decloaked practically ontop of them. "Tabernac." He muttered to himself, peering through the scope at a shimmering visual. "It's a T'Liss class. Our sensors can't penetrate their shields to get a proper count, but I believe they have a crew capacity of around a hundred. Two disruptor banks and a heavy torpedo launcher, we're by far outclassed."

There wasn't a viewscreen to project the image on, but Alex did send it to a console where Malik could see for himself. "I do see what looks like scratched out Star Empire markings on that bird-of-prey, and Bathân technically belongs to the Romulan Free States, it's possible they have some level of token trade enforcement. Or maybe they've already marked us as newcomers and we're expected to pay a fee to pass."

[Calindra's Dream]

Ardy nodded, really trying to get into character. "We fly casual until they prove otherwise. "  she said,  "I doubt these " Bathan Officials" really are who they say they are, and if they are, whether or not they're bought by someone or can be bought.  Though, It ain't a bad idea to pull a decoy signal, Babe."  she said noting the very blatant pet name she could say now they weren't on official Bridge time., nodding to  Al — "Jackie" Gah, she was having the worst time trying to not call him that in her head.

---

[Corridors]

 [As Maddy]

Maddy grinned as she realized it was the Cap'n she got! "Arrrrr!  I got you!"  she giggled, poking the foam sword at him, proud of her little "mutiny".   I got you and the spaceship too! Now I'm the captain! And you can be my first mate!"  she yelled,  as menacingly as a six-year-old in a pink sparkly dress, fairy wings and sneakers could be.

 "Whatcha doing? Have you guys found the bad pirates?" she asked.

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 18, 2024, 12:53:45 PM[Kelly Oren - Bridge - Calindra's Dream]
Having exorcised her demons, Calindra finally made it top side as they were hashing options on their approach.
"We can even expand on her idea by picking a random space rock and matching its course and speed," Cali suggested as she found her way to the ship's comm systems. She nodded at Takil, Rynn, Kal-El, and Autumn as she slid into her seat.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 18, 2024, 04:21:04 PM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The smugglers were quickly proving themselves to be a resourceful crew, coming up with a bunch of smart ideas to overcome the problem of being detected by Outpost 30. Which was less than a light-year away now. No doubt they were already being picked up by whoever was keeping watch there.

"Blend in with the scrap field, using the patrol routes to our advantage, then coasting using our inertia when required. Let's go with that."

Kal-El took a seat in the worn, (but not as worn out as the others), command chair. Malik made a mental note to refer to their aliases only from now on, it would take a bit of getting used to.

"Power down all non-essential systems. Let's get that course plotted. 'Cheng', is there anything we know about those old outposts that we could use to aid our plan?"

Malik listened to 'Takil's' idea with interest, "Scan the debris field, is there anything worth taking?"

Autumn immediately started relaying her information about Starfleet's sensor network in this sector, along with telemetry from the sensors to the helm. She sent in her plotted course for the first part of that plan, messaging the helm that she was doing calculations for the best point to exit the orbit of the junkyard. It was a blessing that the ship had such a good internal messaging system between bridge stations. Otherwise, the constant chatter between different stations would create such cacophony as they tried to keep the sheep on course that no one would be able to think.

Other than Commander Malik's – No. Kal-el, she corrected herself. Other than Kal-El's orders, the bridge was mostly quiet, and Autumn was settling into her role as a smuggler. She had to say, she was enjoying this chance to be someone else for a while, and she was particularly fond of this trench coat and the way it fit her. In fact she might not want to recycle it after the mission was done. She smiled briefly at Cali, when she joined the bridge, and greeted Alhanju with a nod, thinking of their time at the holodeck after the Ferengi mission... It was a welcome change of pace to actually be familiar with some of the new faces in this ship... Perhaps her former Captain was right. Perhaps the Challenger would come to feel like home to her one day...

Quote from: Alexander Wu on November 20, 2024, 09:32:53 AM[Calindra's Dream - Bridge]

"It's an older Earth outpost station constructed on an asteroid, initially built in the late 22nd century as part of an early warning system to monitor the Romulan border. More of a listening post than anything else, but their sensors would've been continuously updated, rivaling those of our most modern starships. That being said, those sensors should be calibrated to look for cloaked Romulan ships coming in from the border side, not so much from behind them." Alex took the seat that Calindra just vacated, there not being enough workstations or really even space on the diminutive bridge for everyone to be there at once.

"If we come up with something which could emulate a Romulan energy signature, shoot it off somewhere not near us, it might distract the outpost long enough for us to get by without attracting too much attention. Lesser of two weevils, a Romulan trying to sneak in is a far bigger problem than a freighter trying to sneak out. I wouldn't advise staying too long in that debris field looking for scrap though, we won't be the first to have thought about going through it. Who knows what kind of nasty surprises the previous scavengers might've left behind."

"Romulan cloaking devices release a small but detectable tachyon signature. I believe we could target one of these pieces of degree and hit it with a concentrated tachyon beam. It is likely that upon detecting the tachyon residue, the outpost would then proceed to scan the area for a cloaked Romulan vessel," Autumn offerered.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 21, 2024, 12:04:53 PM[Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]
Malik had taken the decision to head for the planet of Bathân. It was a prime target to gain some smuggling knowledge, but also very dangerous, akin to old Earth's pirate Tortuga. The supplies they were carrying including the salvage from earlier would fetch a nice price here.
"Bring us in for a landing approach, Rynn. There seems to be a large landing port on the northern continent."
Before the freighter could enter the planet's vicinity however they received a hail.
=/\= "This is the Bathân Trade Authority. Power down your engines and prepare for inspection." =/\=
A venerable Romulan corvette decoaked off their starboard. It seemed to be a relic from the 2350's; having seen better days it still appeared formidable.
Malik turned to the bridge crew.
"What's our threat assessment on that ship. Do we have any intelligence on this 'Bathân Trade Authority'?"
For all they knew, there was no 'trade authority' and they were about to be pirated.
Down in the Dream's cargo hold, the scrap collected from space earlier was still being sorted by Neva and Takil. What they didn't know was the severe risk of radiation and chemical leaks as they poked about. The Dream's internal sensors just weren't as good as those on the Challenger.

Autumn immediately started to search her database, using a series of queries with multiple Boolean operators.

 "No information of a Bethan Trade Authority, sir. Bethan is a small system under the authority of the Romulan Empire. I suggest we ask for them to transmit proof of their identity before boarding, as would be standard in any legitimate inspection. If they're legit, they'll have the Romulan Imperial Seal on a photolytic data rod. Impossible to forge. Even if they do have it, the delay will give security time to set a trap."

Their sensors were picking up some interesting information about what was stored in the newcomer's cargo bay. Autumn relayed that information to tactical as well. 

[Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]

"There's no outrunning or fighting this one. Guess we'll have to play gracious hosts and get this over with. Everyone, arm yourselves. at the first sign of this going south - don't hesitate to neutralise them."

Malik tapped the communication system to reply.

=/\= "This is the Calindra's Dream. We're enroute to Bathân with a hold full of scrap for trade." =/\=

=/\= "Your ship registry is not recognised. You will submit for inspection and face the mandatory trade registration fee. Prepare to be boarded. Cooperate and this will go smoothly. Try anything stupid and we'll destroy you." =/\=

=/\= "We will comply. If you could kindly transmit your ident code to prove you are who you say you are." =/\=

After a moments pause, the reply came via a transmission to Autumn's terminal. Before they could verify it a trio of Romulan's beamed aboard the bridge of the Dream. Dressed in uniforms with 'trade authority' emblazoned on them. Disruptor pistols were holstered on their hips. They appeared legitimate at first glance.

"Welcome aboard. As you can see, we are simple scrap traders. We did not realise there was a registration fee."

The Romulans looked around the bridge and looked at Wu's and Ardyn's consoles.

"This ship doesn't look space worthy, even for scrappers."

"I'm afraid we are just starting out in this business. Feel free to inspect our hold, you'll find we're only carrying basic scrap."

"We'll see. The registration fee to trade on Bathân is five bars of gold pressed latinum. Payable now."

Malik remained calm, five bars was worth a hundred times the scrap they were carrying. But everyone needed their cut.

"Of course. Cheng, if you'd be so kind as to pay the man."

Meanwhile down in the cargo hold...

Three more Romulan trade agents beamed in next to Calindra. They were carrying a range of handheld inspection scanners. Seeing the containment field, they spoke to Calindra.

"Lower the field, for inspection, now."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 23, 2024, 06:02:21 AM[Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]
"There's no outrunning or fighting this one. Guess we'll have to play gracious hosts and get this over with. Everyone, arm yourselves. at the first sign of this going south - don't hesitate to neutralise them."
Malik tapped the communication system to reply.
=/\= "This is the Calindra's Dream. We're enroute to Bathân with a hold full of scrap for trade." =/\=
=/\= "Your ship registry is not recognised. You will submit for inspection and face the mandatory trade registration fee. Prepare to be boarded. Cooperate and this will go smoothly. Try anything stupid and we'll destroy you." =/\=
=/\= "We will comply. If you could kindly transmit your ident code to prove you are who you say you are." =/\=
After a moments pause, the reply came via a transmission to Autumn's terminal. Before they could verify it a trio of Romulan's beamed aboard the bridge of the Dream. Dressed in uniforms with 'trade authority' emblazoned on them. Disruptor pistols were holstered on their hips. They appeared legitimate at first glance.
"Welcome aboard. As you can see, we are simple scrap traders. We did not realise there was a registration fee."
The Romulans looked around the bridge and looked at Wu's and Ardyn's consoles.
"This ship doesn't look space worthy, even for scrappers."
"I'm afraid we are just starting out in this business. Feel free to inspect our hold, you'll find we're only carrying basic scrap."
"We'll see. The registration fee to trade on Bathân is five bars of gold pressed latinum. Payable now."
Malik remained calm, five bars was worth a hundred times the scrap they were carrying. But everyone needed their cut.
"Of course. Cheng, if you'd be so kind as to pay the man."
Meanwhile down in the cargo hold...
Three more Romulan trade agents beamed in next to Calindra. They were carrying a range of handheld inspection scanners. Seeing the containment field, they spoke to Calindra.
"Lower the field, for inspection, now."

Autumn straightened her back on her seat as soon as the intruders beamed on board the ship. She proceeded to start verifying their credentials with a series of standard decryption algorithms but the verification would take 85 seconds to complete. Prior to the mission, the crew had been provided with modified weapons that had the same settings as Federation phase pistol, but looked more like standard disruptors, so as to go with their cover. Autumn had one such weapon on the inner breast pocket of her trench coat, another on her belt and a knife hidden on the lateral aspect of her boot.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying much attention to the science station, Autumn used her console to put up a second energy field around their contraband. The first energy field was designed to jam sensors... The second was a little different. Instead of jamming sensors this field was designed to project a false signature. As soon as Cali dropped her field, the second one would be triggered and anything behind it would read as the scrap they were supposed to be carrying. But it would only work while the intruders remained on the bridge.

She kept her attention on Commander Malik, on hand discreetly on the weapon in her belt, ready to pull the pistol out at the smallest signal

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 23, 2024, 06:02:21 AM [Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]

[
Meanwhile down in the cargo hold...

Three more Romulan trade agents beamed in next to Calindra. They were carrying a range of handheld inspection scanners. Seeing the containment field, they spoke to Calindra.

"Lower the field, for inspection, now."

While the boarding party had been expected, Cali hadn't expect three agents beaming directly next to her. Calindra turned to face the Romulan agents, her expression carefully neutral but her mind racing. Their sudden appearance, unannounced and so close, set her on edge. Her hand instinctively drifted toward the panel controlling the containment field as she addressed them.

The lead Romulan, taller and more imposing than the others, stepped forward, holding up a data tablet bearing the seal of the Romulan Free State. His sharp gaze met hers.

Calindra's hand hesitated over the control panel. The containment field shimmered faintly, casting eerie reflections on their scanners.

She straightened her shoulders, stepping back from the panel deliberately. "Of course, sir" she replied, forcing a professional smile. "But I'm sure you understand that lowering that containment field, would put everyone on the ship at risk of radiation and coolant poisoning." She motioned towards the people sifting the scraps wearing protective suits. "Feel free to cross and scan beyond the field, but I do not recommend lowering it."

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 21, 2024, 11:11:28 AM[Main Science Lab - Deck 7 - USS Challenger]

Randall listened as the young officers spoke, he smiled to see and hear their enthusiasm as they worked through the puzzle before them. He also had to acknowledge, they had come up with some methods he would not have thought of. Since it sounded like they now had a viable plan, he spoke up to get control of the discussion.

"Okay everyone, we have something we can bring to the Captain. There was some damn good science here people and some damn good engineering Ensign Azsayak."

He tapped his combadge.

=/\= "Science Lab to Captain Galloway. We have developed a working option to mask the ship and a shuttle Sir." =/\=

=/\= "Execute whatever you need ta get ready. We are currently inspectin' a Ferengi freighter that just left the Autonomy. Once we're finished with shakin' down the little troll, we will make a course for Toren Space." =/\=

=/\= "Aye Captain, we estimate four hours to be ready. Randall out." =/\=

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Science Lab, Deck 7]

"Alright, that sounds like a solid plan! Let's get to work!" Meval said, a determined expression on her face. After Randall informed the captain that they'd be ready in four hours, the entire science team began making the necessary preparations.

"Azsayak, I think you'll need to stay here for now and help with the engineering technicalities. Whenever something isn't physically viable, we'll need to adjust course and rework it," she told the engineer, offering a quick smile.

With that, everyone got to work, focused on meeting the four-hour deadline to successfully cloak the ships as required.

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 23, 2024, 02:00:18 AM[Corridors]

[As Maddy]

Maddy grinned as she realized it was the Cap'n she got! "Arrrrr!  I got you!" she giggled, poking the foam sword at him, proud of her little "mutiny".  I got you and the spaceship too! Now I'm the captain! And you can be my first mate!" she yelled,  as menacingly as a six-year-old in a pink sparkly dress, fairy wings and sneakers could be.

 "Whatcha doing? Have you guys found the bad pirates?" she asked.

[Corridors - Deck 7 - USS Challenger]

It took everything Ian had not to laugh as he replied to the sparkly, fairy, 'pirate'. He managed to feign being afraid.

"Spare me Miss Maddy. Aye, I will be your first mate, the ship is yours."

At that point, Ian knelt down to speak to Maddy at her level.

"We have stopped a ship that is up ta no good. I'm goin' ta speak ta their captain ta see if'n I can get any useful information from them."

Ian stood with a big smile for Maddy.

"With your permission Captain Maddy, I'm goin' ta talk ta our guest. How about you keep watch out here for other pirates and maybe I'll tell you what I find out."

Ian then continued on to the conference room and found Davenport and a pair of security personnel, Crewmen Skaggarg and Burke, guarding an older Ferengi, the one that had protested so vigorously to Ian on the Bridge. Ian gave him a hard look and sat across from him.

"Okay Zell, here's how it's ta be. You see 500 kilos of Kemocite is more than enough ta seize your ship and put your sorry arse in a Federation penal colony for at least ten years-"

"This is an outrage!"

"Shut yer gob ye little shyte!"

The outburst surprised Zell and he went quiet.

"Ye are buggered and ye ken that as well as I do. Fortunately for you, I'm nae after small fry. I'm after a bigger prize. Seein' as how you just left the Toren Autonomy, I happen ta be in need of information. You provide that information and you walk out of here a free man. You don't and you'll be walkin' ta the brig. Your ship impounded and you sittin' in a penal colony for ten years."

"What do you want to know?"

"Who's runnin' the smugglin' operation in this sector? Give me a name and I'll let you go."

"I rather take the penal colony, at least I'll be alive."

"Did I mention in a Federation penal colony, you get behavioral modification therapy designed ta get you ta repent your thievin' ways? A large part of that therapy is endless lectures on the evils of latinum and the superior Federation way of a profitless economy. Since you ken the Rules of Acquisition, you are aware of the 18th Rule."

Zell looked appalled at the very concept of a life without profit.

"Okay, okay, Blessed Exchequer but you're an evil sort. I can't give the name of who is calling the shots-"

Zell blanched as he saw Ian's expression cloud as he rose and gestured to the guards.

"WAIT! WAIT! I don't know the boss' name because no one does. He works through cutouts and shills, no has ever seen him. But I do know he's Syndicate and the shill that does most of the talking is a Yridian they call Rage operating our of Felnarik."

Ian smiled and sat down.

"Well, well, see there 'Daemon', I kenned ye were a reasonable sort. Lieutenant Davenport, this man is free ta go."

"Aye Sir."

Zell all but sprang from his chair and it was only because Skaggarg and Burke stopped blocked his way that kept him from fleeing the room.

"Oh Daemon."

"Yes?"

"One last thing, if'n you tell anyone about our little chat, the deal will be off and you will be in the deepest pit in the worst penal colony I can find, understand?"

"All too well Captain, all too well."

"Very good, Crewmen, please escort our guest ta the transporter room."

"Aye Sir."

As Zell left under escort, Davenport waited until the doors closed before she spoke again.

"Do you trust him Captain?"

"Oh hell no, but I believe he was tellin' the truth as he knew it. Now, we've got ta find this Rage bugger. With me Lieutenant."

The two rode the turbolift to the bridge. Ian reclaimed the command chair from Lieutenant Greenway.

"Helm make your course for the nearest point ta Felnarik that's inside Federation territory, maximum warp. Execute."

"Aye Sir."

Ian knew that this was a trip of four and half lightyears, which would take 36 hours to reach, nothing he could do to change that, but it would give science and engineering plenty of time to make the modifications necessary to mask the shuttles and the Challenger.

"Evan, you crack on with those modifications, you have 36 hours ta make it happen."

"Already started Sir. Ensign Azsayak from Engineering has added an additional method to increase our odds of success, but it now means we have to modify the White and the Cutty Sark as well as the ship and the Onizuka."

"Very good Lieutenant, your project has priority of work. So, you have all the resources you need."

"Very good Sir."

Ian nodded to Evan and sighed. It was times like these, that he wished Challenger was a tad newer design so she would have Quantum Slipstream drive. However, he knew that wasn't an option and muttered a quote from an old 2D entertainment vid.

"If wishes were horses, we'd all be eatin' steak."

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 23, 2024, 10:09:54 AM[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Science Lab, Deck 7]

"Alright, that sounds like a solid plan! Let's get to work!" Meval said, a determined expression on her face. After Randall informed the captain that they'd be ready in four hours, the entire science team began making the necessary preparations.

"Azsayak, I think you'll need to stay here for now and help with the engineering technicalities. Whenever something isn't physically viable, we'll need to adjust course and rework it," she told the engineer, offering a quick smile.

With that, everyone got to work, focused on meeting the four-hour deadline to successfully cloak the ships as required.

Looks back and forth and would nod as the plan was finalized. With that Azsayak would get out her tool bag, First taking out several datapads handing one over to Lira and randall. Allowing them give updates to the work needed. And to see what Azsayak was doing without hovering over her.

(https://i.pinimg.com/236x/44/45/f5/4445f5feeb82750c674f519968e62acf.jpg)

As well as handing them a pair of scanners that would be able to see if the plan had worked  This were handheld scanners  that could mimic passive scanners.  So this was the first test of the plan.

(https://i.pinimg.com/236x/a3/4a/dc/a34adc2f8a58e5cd6f002a2872677847.jpg)


" Engineering is here to Help Ensign Lira. Would you care to start on the shuttles first or the challenger? I believe we should try it on one of the shuttlers first. If we get all the shuttles done we can pass the task off augmenting the Challenger off to Engineering department. "  


The gorn engineer would take out her own multi-tool 

(https://i.pinimg.com/236x/05/00/bd/0500bd9db8a290c819a778bc6010164c.jpg)

With lira and randalls guidance the 4 hours were sure to go quickly. Another pair of engineering hands might be needed. But azsayak sought to prove herself capable of the task at hand. Whatever hiccups were encountered would have to be handled by azsayak anyway. Before she reached out department head for help.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 23, 2024, 11:15:49 AMIan knew that this was a trip of four and half lightyears, which would take 36 hours to reach, nothing he could do to change that, but it would give science and engineering plenty of time to make the modifications necessary to mask the shuttles and the Challenger.
"Evan, you crack on with those modifications, you have 36 hours ta make it happen."
"Already started Sir. Ensign Azsayak from Engineering has added an additional method to increase our odds of success, but it now means we have to modify the White and the Cutty Sark as well as the ship and the Onizuka."
"Very good Lieutenant, your project has priority of work. So, you have all the resources you need."
"Very good Sir."
Ian nodded to Evan and sighed. It was times like these, that he wished Challenger was a tad newer design so she would have Quantum Slipstream drive. However, he knew that wasn't an option and muttered a quote from an old 2D entertainment vid.
"If wishes were horses, we'd all be eatin' steak."

Quote from: Azsayak on November 24, 2024, 08:27:09 PMLooks back and forth and would nod as the plan was finalized. With that Azsayak would get out her tool bag, First taking out several datapads handing one over to Lira and randall. Allowing them give updates to the work needed. And to see what Azsayak was doing without hovering over her.

As well as handing them a pair of scanners that would be able to see if the plan had worked  This were handheld scanners  that could mimic passive scanners.  So this was the first test of the plan.

" Engineering is here to Help Ensign Lira. Would you care to start on the shuttles first or the challenger? I believe we should try it on one of the shuttlers first. If we get all the shuttles done we can pass the task off augmenting the Challenger off to Engineering department. "  

The gorn engineer would take out her own multi-tool 

With lira and randalls guidance the 4 hours were sure to go quickly. Another pair of engineering hands might be needed. But azsayak sought to prove herself capable of the task at hand. Whatever hiccups were encountered would have to be handled by azsayak anyway. Before she reached out department head for help.

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Science Lab, Deck 7]

Lira sat at the terminal, her eyes quickly scanning the data as her mind raced with calculations and possible configurations for the camouflage system. The ship was en route to its destination—36 hours of travel—and this new development was a welcome turn of events for both her and the entire science and engineering team. Time, the one thing they desperately needed, had been granted. Now, they had the opportunity to make the plan work flawlessly. They could do this.

"Alright, team, we've got a window here," Lira addressed the gathered crew, her voice full of determination. "These 36 hours are a huge advantage, but they won't mean a thing if we don't use them wisely. We need to work fast, but with precision."

Azsayak, who had been nearby, was already preparing her toolkit. She handed out datapads and scanners, tools to help monitor their progress. The Gorn engineer's calm demeanor spoke volumes—she was ready, and Lira appreciated that confidence.

"We should definitely start with the shuttles, Miss Azsayak," Lira continued, her voice steady but focused. "The smaller ships will be easier to handle, and once we get them camouflaged, we can shift our focus to the larger vessels." It was a methodical approach, but one that would yield results. Finishing the smaller tasks would boost the team's morale, and that was crucial if they were to meet the deadline.

Lira's tone softened as she turned to the team, her leadership instinct kicking in. "I'll begin recalibrating the sensors to sync with the interference signal. I need to make sure that all the fluctuations are aligned with the sensor frequencies." This was another technique Lira had perfected at the academy—ensuring that everyone had clear tasks would prevent duplication of effort and keep them focused.

With the team fully committed and Azsayak leading the engineering efforts, the hours flew by. The initial tests on the shuttles went smoothly, and each ship showed improvement after the modifications. Lira's thoughts, however, remained on the bigger picture—the time crunch and the even more complex task ahead: the Challenger. It wouldn't be easy, but with the team's dedication, Lira was confident they could make it work.

As the hours passed, the pressure began to mount, but it wasn't the kind of pressure born from doubt. It was the kind that came from knowing how high the stakes were and understanding that failure simply wasn't an option. Every success with the shuttles brought them one step closer to the ultimate challenge: camouflaging the Challenger. After more hours of testing, assembly, and brief breaks between long stretches of work, the shuttles were finally ready.

"It looks like we've done it..." Lira said, a sense of relief washing over her. "All the readings are showing 100% effectiveness. Now, let's hope the enemy sensors don't pick them up."

As anticipated, completing the shuttles boosted the entire team's morale. The atmosphere shifted; everyone seemed more focused and energized. Without missing a beat, they moved on to the next challenge—the Challenger. As they began working on the ship's systems, Lira was already mentally preparing for the next steps. This task was personal for her. Even though she didn't yet carry the full weight of the responsibility, she always took on projects like this as if they were her own. She knew this wouldn't be a trial-and-error situation. There wouldn't be a second chance for something so important.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 23, 2024, 06:02:21 AM [Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]

"There's no outrunning or fighting this one. Guess we'll have to play gracious hosts and get this over with. Everyone, arm yourselves. at the first sign of this going south - don't hesitate to neutralise them."

Malik tapped the communication system to reply.

=/\= "This is the Calindra's Dream. We're enroute to Bathân with a hold full of scrap for trade." =/\=

=/\= "Your ship registry is not recognised. You will submit for inspection and face the mandatory trade registration fee. Prepare to be boarded. Cooperate and this will go smoothly. Try anything stupid and we'll destroy you." =/\=

=/\= "We will comply. If you could kindly transmit your ident code to prove you are who you say you are." =/\=

After a moments pause, the reply came via a transmission to Autumn's terminal. Before they could verify it a trio of Romulan's beamed aboard the bridge of the Dream. Dressed in uniforms with 'trade authority' emblazoned on them. Disruptor pistols were holstered on their hips. They appeared legitimate at first glance.

"Welcome aboard. As you can see, we are simple scrap traders. We did not realise there was a registration fee."

The Romulans looked around the bridge and looked at Wu's and Ardyn's consoles.

"This ship doesn't look space worthy, even for scrappers."

"I'm afraid we are just starting out in this business. Feel free to inspect our hold, you'll find we're only carrying basic scrap."

"We'll see. The registration fee to trade on Bathân is five bars of gold pressed latinum. Payable now."

Malik remained calm, five bars was worth a hundred times the scrap they were carrying. But everyone needed their cut.

"Of course. Cheng, if you'd be so kind as to pay the man."

Meanwhile down in the cargo hold...

Three more Romulan trade agents beamed in next to Calindra. They were carrying a range of handheld inspection scanners. Seeing the containment field, they spoke to Calindra.

"Lower the field, for inspection, now."

[Calindra's Dream]

Ardy pulled up her phaser, which was held at the sweet holster on the hip of her "costume" and put  it inconspicuously in her pocket. The cool metal of the weapon made her feel better, a bit more secure at least.

  "They had better not scratch the paint," she muttered to "Jackie" as the Officers — if they were even that —  beamed in and requested a ridiculous toll price. She was sure that Alex could feel her annoyance at the high fee. Definitely a sign of something fishy in her books.  She itched to get out of here, escape them like she did with the authorities  on Talitan IV that one time when she was 18, but she held her tongue.    "They're ripping us off!"   she groused mentally  to Alex.

"So, we clear  in your books?" she asked, leaning on the console's dash and knocking it to turn off the little light that always liked to flicker on when they were standing still for too long.

---

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 23, 2024, 11:15:49 AM[Corridors - Deck 7 - USS Challenger]

It took everything Ian had not to laugh as he replied to the sparkly, fairy, 'pirate'. He managed to feign being afraid.

"Spare me Miss Maddy. Aye, I will be your first mate, the ship is yours."

At that point, Ian knelt down to speak to Maddy at her level.

"We have stopped a ship that is up ta no good. I'm goin' ta speak ta their captain ta see if'n I can get any useful information from them."

Ian stood with a big smile for Maddy.

"With your permission Captain Maddy, I'm goin' ta talk ta our guest. How about you keep watch out here for other pirates and maybe I'll tell you what I find out."

[As Maddy]

Maddy grinned as the Cap'n asked to be spared. One day, she'd be the captain of her own spaceship for real, but it felt good knowing that she did that.

 "Aye Aye!"  she yelled.  "You go do that! I'll protect you and the ship from other pirates! No bad guys will get you while I'm in charge!"  she declared, swinging her sword around.

[Edge of Federation/Toren Autonomy Space]

The Challenger had reached her destination and was at station keeping, just 500,000 kilometers from the border of the Toren Autonomy. Feverish work by the Science, Engineering, and Operations departments had successful applied the necessary modifications to the shuttlecraft White, Cutty Sark, and the Onizuka. The Challenger had posed the greater task, but was also ready. The only remaining issue was to field test the, as of now, still theoretical masking technology developed by the Science department.

As a shuttle was far easier to hide than an in excess of three million metric ton starship, the Onizuka would be the test subject for the modifications and this was the conundrum that one Captain Ian Nathaniel Galloway faced as he sat in the command charge of Challenger's bridge.

"With Ardy on her mission and Lieutenant Schultz at Challenger's helm, that means the mission ta test Onizuka has ta fall ta Lieutenant Ozoim, question is who do I pair with her?"

As he thought, he looked through the Challenger's crew roster. Ian had to choose to start from the top of the roster and the most experienced pilots or from the bottom of the list and the least experienced pilots.

"Bugger, but this is when I hate sittin' in this bloody chair. Do I risk two experienced pilots ta increase odds of success or do I choose ta reduce 'cost' by sendin' a mixture of experiences so that if the mission goes belly up I only lose one seasoned pilot?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose to hold back a headache that suddenly threatened, Ian sighed and made his decision.

=/\= "Lieutenant Ozoim and Crewman Gero Priidik, report ta the main shuttlebay and Lieutenant Randall for special mission." =/\=

Once he had made his call, he closed his eyes for a moment to see the two crew he'd selected in his mind's eye.

"Lieutenant jg Miammaso Ozoim, Betazoid, Female. Surprisingly likes jazz and Italian meatballs. Assigned ta Challenger for four years. Crewman Gero Priidik, Human, Male. New ta the ship, only been aboard for two months. Wish I kenned more about the lad. I will rectify that when they return."

At this point, this was the other aspect of Command that Ian hated, having to wait while people assigned to a task he'd ordered executed that plan when he longed to do the task himself.

"Bugger all, but there are times bein' Captain is nae what I want."

[USS Challenger | Deck 5 | Impulse Engine Controll]

The air was cooking inside the small room that housed the instruments regulating particle flow and energy mixture for the impulse engines. The Engine itself more shaped like a large tube covered in sensors and tubes, tied into the ships main energy grid, it might just as well have been an air fryer.

For the past nearly 3 hours, Gero had worked to check every sensor attached to it, making sure their alignment were within standard specifications. Given the ship needed to perform tight manoeuvres in cases of emergency, the computer relied on feedback sensors from the engines rather than passive measurements to collect data on exhaust status and turn rates, which was much slower, and such a lag in information could hinder effective navigation.

The Heat in the room meant no person could be set to duty for longer than 3 Hours at a time inside. At least while the ship was not powered down and docked. Having nearly completed his shift, images of cool glasses of water were drifting through his head. Sweat pearling on his forehead. He was locking forward to the end of his duty shift.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 25, 2024, 11:11:25 AM[Edge of Federation/Toren Autonomy Space]
[...]

=/\= "Lieutenant Ozoim and Crewman Gero Priidik, report ta the main shuttlebay and Lieutenant Randall for special mission." =/\=

[...]

 =/\= "Acknowledged, on my way"  =/\=

A call from the Bridge personally. He dared not guess why he had been picked but guessing since he came from one of the worst shifts on the ship, there was something he had to done wrong. Doing his best trying to remember if by any chance he had bumped into any high ranking Officer the wrong way the last couple days, he came up empty.

There always was the chance that this was just the best timing imaginable, but how probably was that?

Noting the unfinished state of his sensor calibration and logging the time he had to finish, he put the PADD in the upload slot on the wall, next to the control consoles, and made for the exit. Already dreading having to return later to finish the job after whatever they needed him for.

---

[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Shuttle Bay]

Luckily, the Turbolift connected right next to the Impulse control room, shortening his travel time significantly. Arriving in the Shuttle Bay, he looked around. He never meet a Lieutenant Randall so he was unsure who he was looking for.

Spotting a gathering group though, he guessed this was where he was needed. And went with large steps in their direction. The sweat on his forehead not yet fully evaporated.

"Crewman Gero Pridiik, as ordered. How can I be of service?"

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 23, 2024, 06:02:21 AM [Calindra's Dream, approaching Bathân]

"There's no outrunning or fighting this one. Guess we'll have to play gracious hosts and get this over with. Everyone, arm yourselves. at the first sign of this going south - don't hesitate to neutralise them."

Malik tapped the communication system to reply.

=/\= "This is the Calindra's Dream. We're enroute to Bathân with a hold full of scrap for trade." =/\=

=/\= "Your ship registry is not recognised. You will submit for inspection and face the mandatory trade registration fee. Prepare to be boarded. Cooperate and this will go smoothly. Try anything stupid and we'll destroy you." =/\=

=/\= "We will comply. If you could kindly transmit your ident code to prove you are who you say you are." =/\=

After a moments pause, the reply came via a transmission to Autumn's terminal. Before they could verify it a trio of Romulan's beamed aboard the bridge of the Dream. Dressed in uniforms with 'trade authority' emblazoned on them. Disruptor pistols were holstered on their hips. They appeared legitimate at first glance.

"Welcome aboard. As you can see, we are simple scrap traders. We did not realise there was a registration fee."

The Romulans looked around the bridge and looked at Wu's and Ardyn's consoles.

"This ship doesn't look space worthy, even for scrappers."

"I'm afraid we are just starting out in this business. Feel free to inspect our hold, you'll find we're only carrying basic scrap."

"We'll see. The registration fee to trade on Bathân is five bars of gold pressed latinum. Payable now."

Malik remained calm, five bars was worth a hundred times the scrap they were carrying. But everyone needed their cut.

"Of course. Cheng, if you'd be so kind as to pay the man."

Meanwhile down in the cargo hold...

Three more Romulan trade agents beamed in next to Calindra. They were carrying a range of handheld inspection scanners. Seeing the containment field, they spoke to Calindra.

"Lower the field, for inspection, now."

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 23, 2024, 09:46:05 AMWhile the boarding party had been expected, Cali hadn't expect three agents beaming directly next to her. Calindra turned to face the Romulan agents, her expression carefully neutral but her mind racing. Their sudden appearance, unannounced and so close, set her on edge. Her hand instinctively drifted toward the panel controlling the containment field as she addressed them.

The lead Romulan, taller and more imposing than the others, stepped forward, holding up a data tablet bearing the seal of the Romulan Free State. His sharp gaze met hers.

Calindra's hand hesitated over the control panel. The containment field shimmered faintly, casting eerie reflections on their scanners.

She straightened her shoulders, stepping back from the panel deliberately. "Of course, sir" she replied, forcing a professional smile. "But I'm sure you understand that lowering that containment field, would put everyone on the ship at risk of radiation and coolant poisoning." She motioned towards the people sifting the scraps wearing protective suits. "Feel free to cross and scan beyond the field, but I do not recommend lowering it."

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cockpit >- Cargo Bay | Calindra's Dream]

The inspection team was definitely unexpected. Alhanjhu was ready to defend or protect Cali if need be, but he decided to stand by. When Cali spoke, Alhanjhu responded.

"I concur with the lady," Alhanjhu said with his emphasized accent. "There's some radiation going about in here. Why else do you think I'm wearing this? If you need to, we can provide extra suits for you so you can conduct the inspection."

Quote from: Gero Priidik on November 25, 2024, 12:14:53 PM[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Shuttle Bay]

Luckily, the Turbolift connected right next to the Impulse control room, shortening his travel time significantly. Arriving in the Shuttle Bay, he looked around. He never meet a Lieutenant Randall so he was unsure who he was looking for.

Spotting a gathering group though, he guessed this was where he was needed. And went with large steps in their direction. The sweat on his forehead not yet fully evaporated.

"Crewman Gero Pridiik, as ordered. How can I be of service?"

[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]

There were three shuttles staged for takeoff in the center of the bay when Gero arrived. Staged around the shuttles were some two dozen crew in all the Starfleet colors including a Gorn in the mustard tone of Engineering or Operations. A human of average height and sandy brown hair noted Gero's arrival and broke off from the others. The man was in the teal of the Science department and he seemed friendly enough.

"Crewman Pridiik? I'm Lieutenant Randall, Chief Sciences. Have you met Lieutenant Ozoim? She's from Flight and will be the lead pilot for this mission. What we have are shuttles optimized to be as stealthy as possible short of having an actual cloak. They won't be invisible, but the modifications we've made scatter sensors in such away that makes them extremely difficult to detect.

"The reason we have done this is, to enter the territory of the Toren Autonomy. This is a small independent power that is unfortunately, xenophobic and especially hostile to the Federation. They are believed to be acting as the hub of a large and sophisticated smuggling ring operating in this sector. We need to enter Toren space, attempt to find where this ring is specifically operating from and shut them down.

"You and Lieutenant Ozoim are to test the modifications under field conditions for the first time. As the main goal is to scale up the technology we've devised to mask Challenger herself so that she can penetrate Toren space undetected to support the Onizuka. We are ready on our end, so unless you have any questions, the test will start immediately."

Quote from: Alhanjhu on November 25, 2024, 12:22:20 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cockpit >- Cargo Bay | Calindra's Dream]

The inspection team was definitely unexpected. Alhanjhu was ready to defend or protect Cali if need be, but he decided to stand by. When Cali spoke, Alhanjhu responded.

"I concur with the lady," Alhanjhu said with his emphasized accent. "There's some radiation going about in here. Why else do you think I'm wearing this? If you need to, we can provide extra suits for you so you can conduct the inspection."

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Calindra's Dream|Cargo Hold]

Neva/Aya sifted through the salvage as casually as she could, though every inch of her was on alert. She decided to play it somewhat "mute" and take her cues from Kelly & Takil.

Neva's hand lowered to her kit, thumbing it open enough for her hand to slide in. Her fingers found the small Type 1 phaser she kept there and patted it lightly in relief. As she slid her hand back out, she had one of her favorite tools in hand covering the phaser.

(https://i.imgur.com/yH7MR1H.jpeg)

As casually as she could, she moved slowly through the wreckage so she could face the "Inspectors" without looking like a threat. She could tell without help the Romulans were "itching" for a fight. She also felt their superiority complex sifting through the group. They thought  had the upper hand here.

'Yeah right, chump!' Neva thought wryly, fighting not to smirk.

Looking to Cali/Kelly, she nodded ever so slightly to her. Neva had them covered. She made the same motion to Alhanju/Takil, watching the "Inspectors" while she "worked."

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 25, 2024, 03:51:03 PM[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]

There were three shuttles staged for takeoff in the center of the bay when Gero arrived. Staged around the shuttles were some two dozen crew in all the Starfleet colors including a Gorn in the mustard tone of Engineering or Operations. A human of average height and sandy brown hair noted Gero's arrival and broke off from the others. The man was in the teal of the Science department and he seemed friendly enough.

"Crewman Pridiik? I'm Lieutenant Randall, Chief Sciences. Have you met Lieutenant Ozoim? She's from Flight and will be the lead pilot for this mission. What we have are shuttles optimized to be as stealthy as possible short of having an actual cloak. They won't be invisible, but the modifications we've made scatter sensors in such away that makes them extremely difficult to detect.

"The reason we have done this is, to enter the territory of the Toren Autonomy. This is a small independent power that is unfortunately, xenophobic and especially hostile to the Federation. They are believed to be acting as the hub of a large and sophisticated smuggling ring operating in this sector. We need to enter Toren space, attempt to find where this ring is specifically operating from and shut them down.

"You and Lieutenant Ozoim are to test the modifications under field conditions for the first time. As the main goal is to scale up the technology we've devised to mask Challenger herself so that she can penetrate Toren space undetected to support the Onizuka. We are ready on our end, so unless you have any questions, the test will start immediately."

[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Main Shuttlebay]

Of course, they would. This was just so Star Fleet. Going places where they were not supposed to be allowed in. From his past life as a civilian pilot, he remembered zones in space like this. Controlled by gangs, syndicates or rouge states, they always balanced on the razor edge of collapsing spectacularly. If a Ship as formidable as the Challenger entered the Zone, who knows what actions the local Warlords might deem necessary to ensure their own power. But piloting a lone shuttle. That would prove an interesting challenge.

"Actually I do. Does this cloaking tech have any effects on the propulsion systems. Last thing we would want is having to dodge some patrol vessel and our shroud suddenly being ripped apart."

-

After getting his response he went for a short trip around the shuttle to inspect the modifications they made. He didn't suspect they would be flying into any atmospheres but if their center of mass had shifted, he needed to know.

Satisfied with what he found, no major changes to the shuttles superstructure the systems couldn't compesate for, he turned back to Lieutenant Ozoim.

"Pleasure to be flying with you Sir. I checked the superstructure, we should be flight worthy."

Quote from: Gero Priidik on November 25, 2024, 07:16:18 PM[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Main Shuttlebay]

Of course, they would. This was just so Star Fleet. Going places where they were not supposed to be allowed in. From his past life as a civilian pilot, he remembered zones in space like this. Controlled by gangs, syndicates or rouge states, they always balanced on the razor edge of collapsing spectacularly. If a Ship as formidable as the Challenger entered the Zone, who knows what actions the local Warlords might deem necessary to ensure their own power. But piloting a lone shuttle. That would prove an interesting challenge.

"Actually I do. Does this cloaking tech have any effects on the propulsion systems. Last thing we would want is having to dodge some patrol vessel and our shroud suddenly being ripped apart."

-

After getting his response he went for a short trip around the shuttle to inspect the modifications they made. He didn't suspect they would be flying into any atmospheres but if their center of mass had shifted, he needed to know.

Satisfied with what he found, no major changes to the shuttles superstructure the systems couldn't compesate for, he turned back to Lieutenant Ozoim.

"Pleasure to be flying with you Sir. I checked the superstructure, we should be flight worthy."

[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Main Shuttlebay]


Azsayak utter an annoy hiss as she watched the little man walk around the shuttle. Her red eyes watching him as he inspected the shuttle craft. The little man should trust the work of a gorn. There were far easier ways to get rid of a human then sabotage. The gorn stood at 7'8 feet tall weighing in over 450 lbs built like a brick house of muscle and scale. Azsayaks tail thumped slowly on the shuttle bay floor as she crossed her arms over her chest. She watched Gero priidik finish his flight check of the shuttle. Her rumbling grow a bit louder as She stood next to Lt Randall and Ensign Lira Meval. But the towering Gorn would remain still controlling her annoyance at having her work questioned so in her face.

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

The big moment had finally arrived. After 36 hours of hard work and some brief periods of rest, it was time to test the ships' camouflage system. The entire team that had worked on the project had been called to the hangar to meet the test pilots and provide them with the necessary instructions.

As Lieutenant JG Ozoim and Crewman Priidik entered, and Lieutenant Randell gave a broad overview of how the camouflage worked and the mission they were undertaking, Lira remained silent beside Azsayak while the two pilots conducted their initial checks. Lira noticed Azsayak's slight unease at that moment and turned slightly toward her.
"You know, it's standard procedure to run these checks before boarding a ship. Even if you trust the work, it's always good to see with your own eyes where you're stepping into before flying something like this." She explained calmly, trying to reassure the Gorn next to her.
"I'm sure you also run some checks before using anything new that's handed to you." She added softly, her tone low as Crewman Priidik posed his question.

"Lieutenant Randell, if I may." She requested, and once the lieutenant authorized her, she began explaining the workings of the camouflage system.
"The only thing that might interfere with the camouflage is if the ship enters warp speed. This could weaken the emissions since energy will be diverted to other needs." She explained calmly, avoiding overly technical details, as this wasn't the place for them.
"Other than that, at impulse speed, the camouflage should work perfectly..." She paused briefly, looking at the crewman.
"Well... Theoretically... That's why you're here, so we can confirm this in practice." She added with a slightly friendly tone and then stepped back, returning to stand beside the Gorn.

After that, the two pilots took their places, and Lira silently asked the Prophets to watch over the mission so that everything would go smoothly. And perhaps, to show that she had managed to achieve something remarkable with the camouflage design.

[Calindra's Dream - Bridge]

Alex watched out of the corners of his eyes as some of the others adjusted their assorted weaponry to more easily assessible areas, but he didn't bother with it himself. In all likelihood, if it came down to a shooting match, they might win the fight but would almost certainly lose the war with their green friend outside. So while Malik dealt with the visitors, Alex stayed relaxed and observant, even as the waves of malcontent from Ardyn washed over him.

When Malik told him to pay one of the Romulans their 'fee', Alex had but a few moments to contemplate what to do. On one hand, if they were actual inspectors, the fee might be something that was expected from everyone, at least from anyone who they could catch. On the other hand, the requested amount was disproportionately high, certainly far more than any customs officer could expect based on the cargo that a freighter like theirs would be carrying. Letting Ardy's emotions temper his own mood, Alex casually stood, flicking his coat open both to access an inside pocket and to intentionally display the holster on his thigh. The action itself was inherently innocuous, but all three of Romulans looked warily at one another before the tallest stepped forward to accept payment.

"One." Alex withdrew only the proffered amount from his pocket, holding the slim slab upright but just out of arm's reach. If a Romulan's visage could darken, it certainly did so now, a scowl flashing over the inspector's face.

"The rate is five, or you can turn around and scurry back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

His tone unchanged, Alex didn't flinch, trusting in the others to keep watch while he haggled. "The rate is one, an' another one on delivery."

"Are you trying to make us angry with your paltry offer? We've scanned your scow, the scrap you're hauling would barely fetch four bars at market rate. It'd be a kindness for us to take it off now and save you the landing fees."

Carefully now. Regardless if they were legitimate or not, Alex knew this negotiation would've been expected. Paying the full amount outright would be seen as a sign of weakness, not to mention an obvious tell that they had far too much equity than any raggedy crew had any right to. Offer too little, and the Romulans could just as easily decide they would get more profit selling off Calindra's Dream in pieces. He did glean one piece of important information though; the kemocite ore hadn't been detected, Ensign Kala's meticulous efforts in hiding their most profitable contraband paying off.

"If youse scanned what we's carryin', then ye know our hold be full and thisus the best offer ye can expect." Alex countered, implying that a freighter burdened with cargo conversely meant the crew's pockets were empty. He didnt know where the accent had come from, but it was too late to drop. "One now, two on delivery. Youse got our transponder code, y'all know once we slip atmo. That's our final offer." He switched the bar of latinum to his off-hand, holding it out to the inspector while nonchalantly dropping his now freed hand to rest lightly onto the grip of his disruptor. "Not our only offer, mind ye. But the best for all parties concerned, doncha agree?"

[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The romulan trade inspector took the offered bar from Cheng and pocketed it, nodding with approval.

"Our scans showed you to be carrying hazardous scrap. You'll need to purchase the additional licence for dangerous goods. That'll be 15% of your profit on this sale."

The inspector then seemed to relax and appeared satisfied he'd received the appropriate cut. Whether the latinum would go to the trade authority or this Romulan's account was a matter for debate. The good news was they had passed this test.

The Romulan even offered a smile, "On behalf of the Trade Authority, and the Romulan Free State. Welcome to Bathân. You are now free to trade at our sanctioned land port. I must warn you of the rampant pirate and smuggling activity in this area. Trading outside of trade authority sanctioned ports and markets will result in the revocation of your trade licence and hefty fines and/or incarceration. Have a pleasant day."

The agents beamed off the ship and back to their corvette. Malik breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good work, Cheng. Alright, take us in for approach."

[In the Cargo hold

The Romulans scanned with their devices through the containment field. None appeared willing to go through the effort of donning protective suits, and were satisfied with the results of their scans.

"Fine. Fine. This hazardous cargo will incur an additional fee, just make sure it's safely secured before leaving the ship. Any incidents, injuries or spills will result in hefty fines and/or incarceration."

---

[Bathân]

The Dream touched down on a landing pad of Bathân's largest, legitimate trading port.

The hatch opened and the polluted air of Bathân's extensive magnesite mining operations filled the cabin. Since the fall of the Empire, Bathân had suffered serious shortages of basic parts and supplies leading to unrest and the idling of their magnasite industry. Unrest; crime; and violence, both political and social, were a daily part of life on Bathân, making it a prime hub for smuggling in this sector. The only source of legitmacy was the Trade Authority that the Free State had created in an attempt to bring Bathân's trade under control.

"Alright crew, here's the plan. Cheng, take Rynn and Autumn to the trade market. See who may be interested in some of our Kemocite and fertility statues. See what leads we drum up. Obviously, I don't need to warn you of the risk, so be careful."

"Neva, Takil. Finish preparing the scrap for offloading and transport to the scrapmetal merchants."

"Kelly and I will take a look around, see what we find. Good luck everyone, dismissed."

Quote from: Azsayak on November 25, 2024, 09:45:34 PM[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Main Shuttlebay]


Azsayak utter an annoy hiss as she watched the little man walk around the shuttle. Her red eyes watching him as he inspected the shuttle craft. The little man should trust the work of a gorn. There were far easier ways to get rid of a human then sabotage. The gorn stood at 7'8 feet tall weighing in over 450 lbs built like a brick house of muscle and scale. Azsayaks tail thumped slowly on the shuttle bay floor as she crossed her arms over her chest. She watched Gero priidik finish his flight check of the shuttle. Her rumbling grow a bit louder as She stood next to Lt Randall and Ensign Lira Meval. But the towering Gorn would remain still controlling her annoyance at having her work questioned so in her face.

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 26, 2024, 12:06:32 AM[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

The big moment had finally arrived. After 36 hours of hard work and some brief periods of rest, it was time to test the ships' camouflage system. The entire team that had worked on the project had been called to the hangar to meet the test pilots and provide them with the necessary instructions.

As Lieutenant JG Ozoim and Crewman Priidik entered, and Lieutenant Randell gave a broad overview of how the camouflage worked and the mission they were undertaking, Lira remained silent beside Azsayak while the two pilots conducted their initial checks. Lira noticed Azsayak's slight unease at that moment and turned slightly toward her.
"You know, it's standard procedure to run these checks before boarding a ship. Even if you trust the work, it's always good to see with your own eyes where you're stepping into before flying something like this." She explained calmly, trying to reassure the Gorn next to her.
"I'm sure you also run some checks before using anything new that's handed to you." She added softly, her tone low as Crewman Priidik posed his question.

"Lieutenant Randell, if I may." She requested, and once the lieutenant authorized her, she began explaining the workings of the camouflage system.
"The only thing that might interfere with the camouflage is if the ship enters warp speed. This could weaken the emissions since energy will be diverted to other needs." She explained calmly, avoiding overly technical details, as this wasn't the place for them.
"Other than that, at impulse speed, the camouflage should work perfectly..." She paused briefly, looking at the crewman.
"Well... Theoretically... That's why you're here, so we can confirm this in practice." She added with a slightly friendly tone and then stepped back, returning to stand beside the Gorn.

After that, the two pilots took their places, and Lira silently asked the Prophets to watch over the mission so that everything would go smoothly. And perhaps, to show that she had managed to achieve something remarkable with the camouflage design.

[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]

With the pre-flight completed and the questions answered as well as they could given the modifications were completely experimental, Ozoim and Gero boarded the Onizuka. Perhaps from an abundance of caution, the start up took a bit longer than usual, which gave all the observers time to step back and watch. Ensign Tal Mushar from Engineering who had helped with the modifications asked.

"Why only two? Shouldn't someone familiar with the technology go along to monitor the modifications to make sure they work?"

Randall replied.

"Captain's orders, first flight is to be minimal crew to reduce risk in case it doesn't work."

"That seems rather cutthroat."

"That is does, but those are the orders."

The Onizuka lifted off and nosed her way through the force field holding in the atmosphere in the shuttle bay. At full impulse, it would take just nine minutes to cover the 500,000 kilometers to the Toren border. The wait for those aboard the Challenger seemed to take much longer than that.

The shuttle slowed to one quarter impulse and then crossed the border. Watching the read outs via their PADDs, all systems were nominal with the shuttle's signature almost completely untraceable the shuttle's orders were to hold at one million kilometers and wait. Which meant yet another torturous time for those in the shuttlebay and for those on the bridge.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 26, 2024, 01:27:12 PM[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]

With the pre-flight completed and the questions answered as well as they could given the modifications were completely experimental, Ozoim and Gero boarded the Onizuka. Perhaps from an abundance of caution, the start up took a bit longer than usual, which gave all the observers time to step back and watch. Ensign Tal Mushar from Engineering who had helped with the modifications asked.

"Why only two? Shouldn't someone familiar with the technology go along to monitor the modifications to make sure they work?"

Randall replied.

"Captain's orders, first flight is to be minimal crew to reduce risk in case it doesn't work."

"That seems rather cutthroat."

"That is does, but those are the orders."

The Onizuka lifted off and nosed her way through the force field holding in the atmosphere in the shuttle bay. At full impulse, it would take just nine minutes to cover the 500,000 kilometers to the Toren border. The wait for those aboard the Challenger seemed to take much longer than that.

The shuttle slowed to one quarter impulse and then crossed the border. Watching the read outs via their PADDs, all systems were nominal with the shuttle's signature almost completely untraceable the shuttle's orders were to hold at one million kilometers and wait. Which meant yet another torturous time for those in the shuttlebay and for those on the bridge.

[Ensign Meval • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

Meval stood in the hangar, her eyes fixed on the small screens displaying the situation outside, providing a clearer view of the events unfolding. She wasn't the only one feeling the weight of the moment; everyone seemed equally tense. This test would determine the success of the upcoming mission.

"Everything seems fine so far," she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else, as she monitored the readings from the long-range broadband sensors tracking the shuttles' progress. After some time, her mind began to overthink the situation. What if something went wrong? What if the cloaking system failed, even for a fraction of a second? She felt the stress building but shook her head, trying to push those intrusive thoughts away.

After several long minutes, the shuttles finally reached the one-million-kilometer mark. As they arrived, Lira checked the readings on her own PADD before turning to Lieutenant Randell. "Everything seems to be going well, Lieutenant. I think we did it," she said, her excitement breaking through despite herself. Still, she waited for a formal confirmation from the lieutenant on the success of the test.

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 27, 2024, 12:19:11 AM[Ensign Meval • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

Meval stood in the hangar, her eyes fixed on the small screens displaying the situation outside, providing a clearer view of the events unfolding. She wasn't the only one feeling the weight of the moment; everyone seemed equally tense. This test would determine the success of the upcoming mission.

"Everything seems fine so far," she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else, as she monitored the readings from the long-range broadband sensors tracking the shuttles' progress. After some time, her mind began to overthink the situation. What if something went wrong? What if the cloaking system failed, even for a fraction of a second? She felt the stress building but shook her head, trying to push those intrusive thoughts away.

After several long minutes, the shuttles finally reached the one-million-kilometer mark. As they arrived, Lira checked the readings on her own PADD before turning to Lieutenant Randell. "Everything seems to be going well, Lieutenant. I think we did it," she said, her excitement breaking through despite herself. Still, she waited for a formal confirmation from the lieutenant on the success of the test.

Azsayak had went over to stand by Lira Meval waiting to help, if Lira needed it. Her red eyes would watch the shuttle leave the bay. Then look down at her own data pad. Monitoring the Shuttles power and systems for any irregularities. So far everything was nominal and withing parameters.  The power supply of the Shuttle should be able to handle the Cloaking Plan of Lira.  Azsayak wanted to see the success of Lira Mevas plan. She had liked the Science officer since they both came aboard the ship at the same time. So there was bit of comradery there between the Gorn Engineer and the Human science officer.

Azsayak would look over at LT randall As Lira spoke to him. Azsayak would produce a deep rumbling.


 " The science department should be proud of its Science officer Lira. As a memember of the Engineering department I personal wish to congratulate Ensign Lira meval. As well as the bravery of the test pilots and all those involved and the leadership of Lt randall overseeing the project "

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 26, 2024, 09:49:41 AM[Bathân]

(https://i.postimg.cc/qMLW9rds/IMG-5796.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9QQs2kWv/IMG-5797.jpg)

The Dream touched down on a landing pad of Bathân's largest, legitimate trading port.

The hatch opened and the polluted air of Bathân's extensive magnesite mining operations filled the cabin. Since the fall of the Empire, Bathân had suffered serious shortages of basic parts and supplies leading to unrest and the idling of their magnasite industry. Unrest; crime; and violence, both political and social, were a daily part of life on Bathân, making it a prime hub for smuggling in this sector. The only source of legitmacy was the Trade Authority that the Free State had created in an attempt to bring Bathân's trade under control.

"Alright crew, here's the plan. Cheng, take Rynn and Autumn to the trade market. See who may be interested in some of our Kemocite and fertility statues. See what leads we drum up. Obviously, I don't need to warn you of the risk, so be careful."

"Neva, Takil. Finish preparing the scrap for offloading and transport to the scrapmetal merchants."

"Kelly and I will take a look around, see what we find. Good luck everyone, dismissed."

[Kelly Oren - Landing Pad - Bathân]

Calindra stood at the base of the ramp, her boots crunching lightly on the cracked and dusty surface of the landing pad. The acrid tang of Bathân's air scratched at her throat, a reminder of the polluted atmosphere that seemed to seep into everything here. She adjusted her jacket, pulling it closer against the dry, chemical-laden breeze. The sharp cries of traders and the distant hum of industrial machinery formed a dissonant backdrop as she scanned the chaotic sprawl of the trading port.

Her gaze was alert but relaxed, the practiced air of someone who had spent enough time in dangerous places to blend in without looking too vulnerable—or too confident. She leaned casually against one of the Dream's landing struts, waiting for Malik, her expression a calm mask concealing the alertness beneath.

"Ready when you are, Captain," she called over her shoulder, her tone light but edged with anticipation. There was something about Bathân—a mix of desperation and opportunity—that put her on high alert. Still, she played the role of Kelly Oren, a smuggler who would have to navigate the grittiest corners of the galaxy.

Her fingers brushed against the pouch at her hip, instinctively checking the weight of her credit chips and the concealed blade hidden within the lining.

"You've been here before, I take it?" she asked as Malik approached, her voice carrying just enough curiosity to seem natural.

Her blue eyes, hidden beneath sun glasses, flicked toward the milling crowds at the edges of the pad, taking note of potential threats and the subtle signs of unrest in the way people moved and bustled about hurried, shoulders hunched, eyes darting.

Her gaze met Malik's briefly as he joined her, a fleeting moment of unspoken understanding passing between them. This was a job, yes, but for Calindra—for Kelly Oren—every job came with its own stakes. And she intended to play this one smart.

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 27, 2024, 12:19:11 AM[Ensign Meval • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

Meval stood in the hangar, her eyes fixed on the small screens displaying the situation outside, providing a clearer view of the events unfolding. She wasn't the only one feeling the weight of the moment; everyone seemed equally tense. This test would determine the success of the upcoming mission.

"Everything seems fine so far," she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else, as she monitored the readings from the long-range broadband sensors tracking the shuttles' progress. After some time, her mind began to overthink the situation. What if something went wrong? What if the cloaking system failed, even for a fraction of a second? She felt the stress building but shook her head, trying to push those intrusive thoughts away.

After several long minutes, the shuttles finally reached the one-million-kilometer mark. As they arrived, Lira checked the readings on her own PADD before turning to Lieutenant Randell. "Everything seems to be going well, Lieutenant. I think we did it," she said, her excitement breaking through despite herself. Still, she waited for a formal confirmation from the lieutenant on the success of the test.

Quote from: Azsayak on November 27, 2024, 01:55:59 AMAzsayak had went over to stand by Lira Meval waiting to help, if Lira needed it. Her red eyes would watch the shuttle leave the bay. Then look down at her own data pad. Monitoring the Shuttles power and systems for any irregularities. So far everything was nominal and withing parameters.  The power supply of the Shuttle should be able to handle the Cloaking Plan of Lira.  Azsayak wanted to see the success of Lira Mevas plan. She had liked the Science officer since they both came aboard the ship at the same time. So there was bit of comradery there between the Gorn Engineer and the Human science officer.

Azsayak would look over at LT randall As Lira spoke to him. Azsayak would produce a deep rumbling.


 " The science department should be proud of its Science officer Lira. As a memember of the Engineering department I personal wish to congratulate Ensign Lira meval. As well as the bravery of the test pilots and all those involved and the leadership of Lt randall overseeing the project "

[Edge of Toren Autonomy Space - USS Challenger]

The crew that had worked on the shuttle masking modifications had to wait in excruciating additional 45 minutes as the Onizuka made small movements and passive sensor scans to test how well her new camouflage would work along with the flight time back to the shuttlebay and docked.

When Azsayak spoke, Randall looked at her with a bit of curiosity. He knew most of what he knew about Gorns were stereotypes from initial contact with the species of reptilian warriors that had not gone well. Now, nearly a 150 years later, here was one of them, in Starfleet uniform no less, standing only a couple of meters away and complementing him.

"The Universe is a strange place."

He thought before replying.

"Thank you Ensign, but this project would have never worked without your input and effort. Now for the bigger test. We all figured it would be relatively easy to slip a shuttle sized object past the Autonomy's primitive sensors. The real test is if our modifications will work on something the size of Challenger. Let's get the White and the Cutty Sark ready so we can test to see if our theory will work on a three million ton starship."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Spaceport - Bathân]

When the ramp of Calindra's Dream opened, deep in the shadows of the port, a half dozen pairs of eyes, less one, were observing the freighter.

"Anyone recognize anyone?"

"Nah, looks like we got fresh hlai'hwy here Boss."

"Well, well, guess we have to welcome them right proper don't we?"

The shadowy group laughed grim laughs.

"Yeah Boss, let's give them a proper Bathân greeting."

With that, the group split into three groups of two and fanned out to surround the unsuspecting freighter crew.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 26, 2024, 09:49:41 AM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The romulan trade inspector took the offered bar from Cheng and pocketed it, nodding with approval.

"Our scans showed you to be carrying hazardous scrap. You'll need to purchase the additional licence for dangerous goods. That'll be 15% of your profit on this sale."

The inspector then seemed to relax and appeared satisfied he'd received the appropriate cut. Whether the latinum would go to the trade authority or this Romulan's account was a matter for debate. The good news was they had passed this test.

The Romulan even offered a smile, "On behalf of the Trade Authority, and the Romulan Free State. Welcome to Bathân. You are now free to trade at our sanctioned land port. I must warn you of the rampant pirate and smuggling activity in this area. Trading outside of trade authority sanctioned ports and markets will result in the revocation of your trade licence and hefty fines and/or incarceration. Have a pleasant day."

The agents beamed off the ship and back to their corvette. Malik breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good work, Cheng. Alright, take us in for approach."

[In the Cargo hold

The Romulans scanned with their devices through the containment field. None appeared willing to go through the effort of donning protective suits, and were satisfied with the results of their scans.

"Fine. Fine. This hazardous cargo will incur an additional fee, just make sure it's safely secured before leaving the ship. Any incidents, injuries or spills will result in hefty fines and/or incarceration."

---

[Bathân]

(https://i.postimg.cc/qMLW9rds/IMG-5796.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9QQs2kWv/IMG-5797.jpg)

The Dream touched down on a landing pad of Bathân's largest, legitimate trading port.

The hatch opened and the polluted air of Bathân's extensive magnesite mining operations filled the cabin. Since the fall of the Empire, Bathân had suffered serious shortages of basic parts and supplies leading to unrest and the idling of their magnasite industry. Unrest; crime; and violence, both political and social, were a daily part of life on Bathân, making it a prime hub for smuggling in this sector. The only source of legitmacy was the Trade Authority that the Free State had created in an attempt to bring Bathân's trade under control.

"Alright crew, here's the plan. Cheng, take Rynn and Autumn to the trade market. See who may be interested in some of our Kemocite and fertility statues. See what leads we drum up. Obviously, I don't need to warn you of the risk, so be careful."

"Neva, Takil. Finish preparing the scrap for offloading and transport to the scrapmetal merchants."

"Kelly and I will take a look around, see what we find. Good luck everyone, dismissed."

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 27, 2024, 11:30:45 AM[Kelly Oren - Landing Pad - Bathân]

(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/96/8f/aa/968faa957fa588c5f996297b7fa2ca15.jpg)

Calindra stood at the base of the ramp, her boots crunching lightly on the cracked and dusty surface of the landing pad. The acrid tang of Bathân's air scratched at her throat, a reminder of the polluted atmosphere that seemed to seep into everything here. She adjusted her jacket, pulling it closer against the dry, chemical-laden breeze. The sharp cries of traders and the distant hum of industrial machinery formed a dissonant backdrop as she scanned the chaotic sprawl of the trading port.

Her gaze was alert but relaxed, the practiced air of someone who had spent enough time in dangerous places to blend in without looking too vulnerable—or too confident. She leaned casually against one of the Dream's landing struts, waiting for Malik, her expression a calm mask concealing the alertness beneath.

"Ready when you are, Captain," she called over her shoulder, her tone light but edged with anticipation. There was something about Bathân—a mix of desperation and opportunity—that put her on high alert. Still, she played the role of Kelly Oren, a smuggler who would have to navigate the grittiest corners of the galaxy.

Her fingers brushed against the pouch at her hip, instinctively checking the weight of her credit chips and the concealed blade hidden within the lining.

"You've been here before, I take it?" she asked as Malik approached, her voice carrying just enough curiosity to seem natural.

Her blue eyes, hidden beneath sun glasses, flicked toward the milling crowds at the edges of the pad, taking note of potential threats and the subtle signs of unrest in the way people moved and bustled about hurried, shoulders hunched, eyes darting.

Her gaze met Malik's briefly as he joined her, a fleeting moment of unspoken understanding passing between them. This was a job, yes, but for Calindra—for Kelly Oren—every job came with its own stakes. And she intended to play this one smart.

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cargo Bay >- Cockpit | Calindra's Dream]

Alhanjhu nodded in understanding. He was surprised that these were people under authority of the Free State. He had to scoff to himself. Who did those people really answer to, the Free State or the Orion Syndicate?

Finally, he was finished with sorting the scrap metal. He cleaned himself of radiation and removed the suit off himself. He kept his shirt off, though he was determined to put it back on when business came to.

At KalEl's instructions, he nodded. "Understood," he said. "Come, Aya, let's proceed." He looked back at KalEl and especially to Cali...Kelly, of course. "Jjjolan Tru." And he got to work, glad his shirt off for the sweaty work. He looked back at the two as they left, praying to the Elements and the Great Canopy for their safety.

[Two Hours prior]
[Onboard the Shuttle]

Their flight went without too many problems. As copilot his task was not the main piloting but the control and monitoring of the other instruments, including the new modified shroud technology.

"All levels are normal. Exhaust is steady, passive sensor feedback is nominal, active sensors are deactivated as to not pierce the shroud. Link to Challenger steady but reduced to a mini... wait a second."

As he spoke, the energy levels started to drift into the red zones. Something about the energy intermix.
Quickly adjusting the intermix in the reactor and balancing the power to the engines to compensate for the change in available load, he fixed the problem.

"There was something wrong with the energy flow, but I took care of it, we should be fine to continue the test. No need to abort."

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 27, 2024, 12:42:37 PM[Edge of Toren Autonomy Space - USS Challenger]

The crew that had worked on the shuttle masking modifications had to wait in excruciating additional 45 minutes as the Onizuka made small movements and passive sensor scans to test how well her new camouflage would work along with the flight time back to the shuttlebay and docked.

When Azsayak spoke, Randall looked at her with a bit of curiosity. He knew most of what he knew about Gorns were stereotypes from initial contact with the species of reptilian warriors that had not gone well. Now, nearly a 150 years later, here was one of them, in Starfleet uniform no less, standing only a couple of meters away and complementing him.

"The Universe is a strange place."

He thought before replying.

"Thank you Ensign, but this project would have never worked without your input and effort. Now for the bigger test. We all figured it would be relatively easy to slip a shuttle sized object past the Autonomy's primitive sensors. The real test is if our modifications will work on something the size of Challenger. Let's get the White and the Cutty Sark ready so we can test to see if our theory will work on a three million ton starship."

[In the present]
[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Shuttle Bay]

Disembarking from the Shuttle he made sure to download the results of their test into the Ship main computer. Any hints they had gathered from the test could be instrumental in their adoption of the shroud for the USS Challenger in its entirety.

Heading over to the group in charge of the Experiment he informed them about their experiences.

"Out test mostly worked great. The shroud showed no major impact on the other primary sytems of the craft. But there was a strange energy drop, something related to the intermix reaction in the reactor. I applied some temporary fixes that managed to stabilize the process but we should take a look at this before we activate the system on the ship."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 26, 2024, 09:49:41 AM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The romulan trade inspector took the offered bar from Cheng and pocketed it, nodding with approval.

"Our scans showed you to be carrying hazardous scrap. You'll need to purchase the additional licence for dangerous goods. That'll be 15% of your profit on this sale."

The inspector then seemed to relax and appeared satisfied he'd received the appropriate cut. Whether the latinum would go to the trade authority or this Romulan's account was a matter for debate. The good news was they had passed this test.

The Romulan even offered a smile, "On behalf of the Trade Authority, and the Romulan Free State. Welcome to Bathân. You are now free to trade at our sanctioned land port. I must warn you of the rampant pirate and smuggling activity in this area. Trading outside of trade authority sanctioned ports and markets will result in the revocation of your trade licence and hefty fines and/or incarceration. Have a pleasant day."

The agents beamed off the ship and back to their corvette. Malik breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good work, Cheng. Alright, take us in for approach."

[In the Cargo hold

The Romulans scanned with their devices through the containment field. None appeared willing to go through the effort of donning protective suits, and were satisfied with the results of their scans.

"Fine. Fine. This hazardous cargo will incur an additional fee, just make sure it's safely secured before leaving the ship. Any incidents, injuries or spills will result in hefty fines and/or incarceration."

---

[Bathân]

(https://i.postimg.cc/qMLW9rds/IMG-5796.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9QQs2kWv/IMG-5797.jpg)

The Dream touched down on a landing pad of Bathân's largest, legitimate trading port.

The hatch opened and the polluted air of Bathân's extensive magnesite mining operations filled the cabin. Since the fall of the Empire, Bathân had suffered serious shortages of basic parts and supplies leading to unrest and the idling of their magnasite industry. Unrest; crime; and violence, both political and social, were a daily part of life on Bathân, making it a prime hub for smuggling in this sector. The only source of legitmacy was the Trade Authority that the Free State had created in an attempt to bring Bathân's trade under control.

"Alright crew, here's the plan. Cheng, take Rynn and Autumn to the trade market. See who may be interested in some of our Kemocite and fertility statues. See what leads we drum up. Obviously, I don't need to warn you of the risk, so be careful."

"Neva, Takil. Finish preparing the scrap for offloading and transport to the scrapmetal merchants."

"Kelly and I will take a look around, see what we find. Good luck everyone, dismissed."

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 27, 2024, 12:42:37 PM[Edge of Toren Autonomy Space - USS Challenger]

The crew that had worked on the shuttle masking modifications had to wait in excruciating additional 45 minutes as the Onizuka made small movements and passive sensor scans to test how well her new camouflage would work along with the flight time back to the shuttlebay and docked.

When Azsayak spoke, Randall looked at her with a bit of curiosity. He knew most of what he knew about Gorns were stereotypes from initial contact with the species of reptilian warriors that had not gone well. Now, nearly a 150 years later, here was one of them, in Starfleet uniform no less, standing only a couple of meters away and complementing him.

"The Universe is a strange place."

He thought before replying.

"Thank you Ensign, but this project would have never worked without your input and effort. Now for the bigger test. We all figured it would be relatively easy to slip a shuttle sized object past the Autonomy's primitive sensors. The real test is if our modifications will work on something the size of Challenger. Let's get the White and the Cutty Sark ready so we can test to see if our theory will work on a three million ton starship."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Spaceport - Bathân]

When the ramp of Calindra's Dream opened, deep in the shadows of the port, a half dozen pairs of eyes, less one, were observing the freighter.

"Anyone recognize anyone?"

"Nah, looks like we got fresh hlai'hwy here Boss."

"Well, well, guess we have to welcome them right proper don't we?"

The shadowy group laughed grim laughs.

"Yeah Boss, let's give them a proper Bathân greeting."

With that, the group split into three groups of two and fanned out to surround the unsuspecting freighter crew.

[Bathân]

Rynn nodded. "Might as well get rid of all this stuff."  She said to the others as they moved onto the busy concourses of the city below.  She had seen scum and villainy before, but this was definitely not a hive for the weak. "We're near some kind of market. I bet we could probably ask someone where..." she caught the tickle of a thought focused on them.  Turning to Alex and Autumn, she gave them a side-eye, quietly acting casual. "I think we're being watched. You guys see anything in this crowd?" she asked, gripping her phaser.

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 28, 2024, 12:19:45 AM[Bathân]

Rynn nodded. "Might as well get rid of all this stuff."  She said to the others as they moved onto the busy concourses of the city below.  She had seen scum and villainy before, but this was definitely not a hive for the weak. "We're near some kind of market. I bet we could probably ask someone where..." she caught the tickle of a thought focused on them.  Turning to Alex and Autumn, she gave them a side-eye, quietly acting casual. "I think we're being watched. You guys see anything in this crowd?" she asked, gripping her phaser.

[Spaceport - Bathân]

The six hard cases, moved with well practiced silence, taking full advantage of every shadow and bit of cover to remain unseen. Only the Boss carried a disruptor. Despite Bathân's lawless nature, beam arms were not tolerated in the hands of the masses, so melee weapons were preferred with clubs and bladed weapons being the choice of most. The six thugs closed in slowly with the intent of taking the crew of Calindra's Dream by surprise to reduce the chance of a fight. These would be robbers were looking for money, not a fight, thus stealth was their trademark skill. They could see Ardy, Alex, Calindra, and Autumn on the cargo ramp and were close, just a few more meters and they would strike.

[Bathân, Landing Pad]

Malik replied to 'Kelly'. "This is my first time here, though I've read up on all the information intelligence has on the place. It isn't somewhere I'd choose to spend shore leave."

With the group's tasks assigned Malik and Kelly began to walk off the ramp and into the spaceport. The port's poorly illuminated gangways and narrow corridors were tricky to navigate and easy to be ambushed in.

Thus it was that Malik's face met with a hard fist.

"Gah!" was all the Risan could manage as he stumbled backwards into Kelly.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 28, 2024, 10:31:37 AM[Bathân, Landing Pad]

Malik replied to 'Kelly'. "This is my first time here, though I've read up on all the information intelligence has on the place. It isn't somewhere I'd choose to spend shore leave."

With the group's tasks assigned Malik and Kelly began to walk off the ramp and into the spaceport. The port's poorly illuminated gangways and narrow corridors were tricky to navigate and easy to be ambushed in.

Thus it was that Malik's face met with a hard fist.

"Gah!" was all the Risan could manage as he stumbled backwards into Kelly.

'Kelly' caught Malik as he stumbled, steadying him with one hand, the other already reaching for the concealed blade at her hip. Her voice was sharp and low, slicing through the chaos. "Stay down, Captain," she hissed, stepping forward to put herself between Malik and the attacker.

Bathân wasn't a place for hesitation, and her instincts surged to the forefront, shedding any pretense of casual detachment. Her eyes locked onto the assailant in front of them, scanning for weaknesses while she assessed the situation.

She felt someone behind them, and lashed out with a roundhouse kick, sending the other attacker sprawling into some garbage cans. The sharp clang of the garbage cans echoed through the poorly lit alley as the second attacker crumpled against them with a grunt. The dull hum of activity in the spaceport seemed to momentarily pause as heads turned toward the commotion.

"Big mistake, friend," the leader said coldly, his stance shifting slightly to prepare for what might come next.

Kelly's voice dropped into a dangerous calm as she tilted her head. "I'd think twice about starting something you can't finish, unless you plan on contributing some latinum to our salvage op."

Her fingers tightened around the blade's hilt, hidden for now but ready to strike if the situation escalated. She didn't need to look back to check on Malik; she trusted he'd be recovering quickly.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 28, 2024, 10:31:37 AM[Bathân, Landing Pad]

Malik replied to 'Kelly'. "This is my first time here, though I've read up on all the information intelligence has on the place. It isn't somewhere I'd choose to spend shore leave."

With the group's tasks assigned Malik and Kelly began to walk off the ramp and into the spaceport. The port's poorly illuminated gangways and narrow corridors were tricky to navigate and easy to be ambushed in.

Thus it was that Malik's face met with a hard fist.

"Gah!" was all the Risan could manage as he stumbled backwards into Kelly.

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 28, 2024, 11:23:29 AM'Kelly' caught Malik as he stumbled, steadying him with one hand, the other already reaching for the concealed blade at her hip. Her voice was sharp and low, slicing through the chaos "Stay down, Captain," she hissed, stepping forward to put herself between Malik and the attacker.

Bathân wasn't a place for hesitation, and her instincts surged to the forefront, shedding any pretense of casual detachment. Her eyes locked onto the assailant in front of them, scanning for weaknesses while she assessed the situation.

She felt someone behind them, and lashed out with a roundhouse kick, sending the other attacker sprawling into some garbage cans. The sharp clang of the garbage cans echoed through the poorly lit alley as the second attacker crumpled against them with a grunt. The dull hum of activity in the spaceport seemed to momentarily pause as heads turned toward the commotion.

"Big mistake, friend," the leader said coldly, his stance shifting slightly to prepare for what might come next.

Kelly's voice dropped into a dangerous calm as she tilted her head. "I'd think twice about starting something you can't finish, unless you plan on contributing some latinum to our salvage op."

Her fingers tightened around the blade's hilt, hidden for now but ready to strike if the situation escalated. She didn't need to look back to check on Malik; she trusted he'd be recovering quickly.

[Landing Pad - Bathân]

At this point, the rest of the goons rushed forward as the sixth stumbled to his feet. The one assailant that had remained as 'Kelly' struck his companion smiled.

"Oooh, I do love a challenge, Sweet meat."

As he pulled a d'k tahg from his belt.

"Let's dance."

He snarled as he launched a furious series of slashes at Calindra.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 28, 2024, 11:45:37 AM[Landing Pad - Bathân]

At this point, the rest of the goons rushed forward as the sixth stumbled to his feet. The one assailant that had remained as 'Kelly' struck his companion smiled.

"Oooh, I do love a challenge, Sweet meat."

As he pulled a d'k tahg from his belt.

"Let's dance."

He snarled as he launched a furious series of slashes at Calindra.

Calindra exhaled slowly, her body finding stillness amidst the chaos. The clamor of Bathân faded from her awareness, and time seemed to stretch. Her grip on the blade loosened, becoming almost imperceptible, as she allowed her instincts and training to guide her. She recalled the fluid principles of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu—cutting without cutting, moving without wasting energy.

The goon lunged, his d'k tahg flashing in the poor light. Calindra moved like water, a subtle step to the side, letting his momentum carry him past her. Her blade remained still, her focus on his overreach. The absence of resistance seemed to unnerve him as he stumbled forward.

"Some help would be nice, Cap!" she said, her voice sounding oddly calm to her.

The second attacker hesitated, sensing a shift in her demeanor. Calindra's body remained poised, a coiled spring waiting to release.

Another goon charged from her left. This time, she turned on her heel in a smooth arc, her blade tracing a single deliberate movement. It wasn't a strike—it was a lesson. The razor-thin cut appeared across his sleeve, drawing a shallow line of blood but leaving him otherwise unharmed.

The man froze, clutching his arm and staring at her in disbelief. Calindra's eyes met his, and in that gaze was an unspoken warning: I showed restraint. The next time you come at me, I will gutt you.

The leader snarled, brandishing his blade as if to reassert control. "What're you waiting for? She's one person!"

Calindra adjusted her stance, the tip of her blade dipping slightly, waiting to see who'd come at her first. It was a dance of death, one that she hoped she would walk away from, but the longer this played out, the less favourable that outcome was. Hopefully her friends were just around the corner.

Quote from: Alhanjhu on November 27, 2024, 05:38:39 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cargo Bay >- Cockpit | Calindra's Dream]

Alhanjhu nodded in understanding. He was surprised that these were people under authority of the Free State. He had to scoff to himself. Who did those people really answer to, the Free State or the Orion Syndicate?

Finally, he was finished with sorting the scrap metal. He cleaned himself of radiation and removed the suit off himself. He kept his shirt off, though he was determined to put it back on when business came to.

At KalEl's instructions, he nodded. "Understood," he said. "Come, Aya, let's proceed." He looked back at KalEl and especially to Cali...Kelly, of course. "Jjjolan Tru." And he got to work, glad his shirt off for the sweaty work. He looked back at the two as they left, praying to the Elements and the Great Canopy for their safety.

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon/Aya Talos|Calindra's Dream->Bathân]

After the "lovely" inspection/confrontation, Neva quickly finished her work on the scrap. She headed for detox and then a blessedly wonderful shower.

Once primped enough for her "character," Aya met up with her counterpart. Upon seeing him, however, she bit both of her lips to stop the smirk. Swallowing it down, she walked up and nodded to him in greeting.

"'Allo me fren'!" Aya said in her new accent. "Ya reddy t' git th' show goin'? This scrap aint sellin' isself!"

In a low tone, she added normally. "I'll take care of the negotiations on selling the scrap once we do it, but I'll need your help with language." She gave a embarrassed smile.

[Bathân, Landing Pad]

Kal-El recovered from the punch to his skull to see 'Kung-Fu Kelly' teaching the thugs a lesson in hand to hand combat. He was impressed, but also angry. Being smacked upside the head tended to do that.

He got back to his feet and shouted back to the landing pad. "Cheng!"

Then Kal-El ran and speared one of the assailants facing Kelly, tumbling them to the metal floor where upon the Risan gave him a solid right hook to the jaw knocking the thug out cold.

Then the others rushed them, two on Kal-El and two on Kelly. Despite Starfleet offering the best hand to hand training in the quadrant, fighting multiple assailants was never going to end well. Blows reigned down on Kal-El as he blocked and dealt out some of his own, but without a weapon he was in trouble.

Hopefully the cavalry would arrive soon.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 26, 2024, 09:49:41 AM[Calindra's Dream, Bridge]

The Dream touched down on a landing pad of Bathân's largest, legitimate trading port.

The hatch opened and the polluted air of Bathân's extensive magnesite mining operations filled the cabin. Since the fall of the Empire, Bathân had suffered serious shortages of basic parts and supplies leading to unrest and the idling of their magnasite industry. Unrest; crime; and violence, both political and social, were a daily part of life on Bathân, making it a prime hub for smuggling in this sector. The only source of legitmacy was the Trade Authority that the Free State had created in an attempt to bring Bathân's trade under control.

"Alright crew, here's the plan. Cheng, take Rynn and Autumn to the trade market. See who may be interested in some of our Kemocite and fertility statues. See what leads we drum up. Obviously, I don't need to warn you of the risk, so be careful."

"Neva, Takil. Finish preparing the scrap for offloading and transport to the scrapmetal merchants."

"Kelly and I will take a look around, see what we find. Good luck everyone, dismissed."

[Bathân - Calindra's Dream - Cargo Bay]

"Sounds like a plan." Alex checked over his pockets making sure he had everything he might need offship. A small hyperspanner, handful of credits, several strips of latinum, and an off-brand communicator hidden underneath his coat's lapel. A slim blade strapped to his boot completed the ensemble. "Autumn, grab a pack, we'll bring one of those horga'hns and some samples of the kemocite. If we're going to appear as 'legitimate' businesspeople, we may as well try to sell our stock."

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 28, 2024, 12:19:45 AM[Bathân]

Rynn nodded. "Might as well get rid of all this stuff."  She said to the others as they moved onto the busy concourses of the city below.  She had seen scum and villainy before, but this was definitely not a hive for the weak. "We're near some kind of market. I bet we could probably ask someone where..." she caught the tickle of a thought focused on them.  Turning to Alex and Autumn, she gave them a side-eye, quietly acting casual. "I think we're being watched. You guys see anything in this crowd?" she asked, gripping her phaser.

[Bathân - Landing Pad]

Only having just left the ship, Alex had barely reached a set of stairs leading off the pad when Ardyn's warning gave him pause, instinctively reaching for his holster. "Already?" He asked, reluctant to believe anyone would be targeting them already, but trusting Ardyn's instinct. "I figured they'd scope us out, give us some time to get settled, or-"

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 28, 2024, 04:31:27 PM"Cheng!"

"Merde." The landing structs blocked his view of what was happening, but the tone of urgency in Malik's shout spoke enough of a story. "Guess you were right!" Alex ran back in the direction he'd just come from, rounding the struts just in time to see both Malik and Calindra taking on two assailants each with varying degrees of success. A fifth figure stood several paces back from the fights, waving around some sort of sword and egging the combatants on, so Alex did the only logical thing.

He shot that one first. Drawing his disruptor and firing from the hip in one single motion, Alex belatedly remembered that the weapon he was using didn't have a stun setting, only optional levels of lethality. The bolt of green energy was enough to drop the man, writhing in pain as he clutched at a smoking hole in his side. Raising his arm to aim properly, Alex strode forward, shooting one of Malik's attackers in the leg and shouting to get their attention. "Oi! Stand down, or your boss gets it!"

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 27, 2024, 12:42:37 PM[Edge of Toren Autonomy Space - USS Challenger]
The crew that had worked on the shuttle masking modifications had to wait in excruciating additional 45 minutes as the Onizuka made small movements and passive sensor scans to test how well her new camouflage would work along with the flight time back to the shuttlebay and docked.
When Azsayak spoke, Randall looked at her with a bit of curiosity. He knew most of what he knew about Gorns were stereotypes from initial contact with the species of reptilian warriors that had not gone well. Now, nearly a 150 years later, here was one of them, in Starfleet uniform no less, standing only a couple of meters away and complementing him.
"The Universe is a strange place."
He thought before replying.
"Thank you Ensign, but this project would have never worked without your input and effort. Now for the bigger test. We all figured it would be relatively easy to slip a shuttle sized object past the Autonomy's primitive sensors. The real test is if our modifications will work on something the size of Challenger. Let's get the White and the Cutty Sark ready so we can test to see if our theory will work on a three million ton starship."

Quote from: Gero Priidik on November 27, 2024, 10:15:15 PM[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Shuttle Bay]

Disembarking from the Shuttle he made sure to download the results of their test into the Ship main computer. Any hints they had gathered from the test could be instrumental in their adoption of the shroud for the USS Challenger in its entirety.

Heading over to the group in charge of the Experiment he informed them about their experiences.

"Out test mostly worked great. The shroud showed no major impact on the other primary sytems of the craft. But there was a strange energy drop, something related to the intermix reaction in the reactor. I applied some temporary fixes that managed to stabilize the process but we should take a look at this before we activate the system on the ship."

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

Meval watched attentively as the shuttle returned to the hangar, smiling at Azsayak's comment and nodding in agreement with Lieutenant Randell's response. "I agree... Without your help in engineering, we wouldn't have pulled this off! But let's celebrate this success later with a drink." She added with a friendly invitation, flashing a small smile.

When Priidik mentioned the energy drop, Meval picked up her PADD and began running simulations to identify the potential cause. "If there was an energy drop in the intermix, it's possible the matter-antimatter core's containment field suffered secondary interference due to the phase resonance generated by the shroud matrix. The system might be causing harmonic fluctuations that destabilize the main plasma flow."

After reflecting on the issue, she turned to Azsayak. "Do you think it's simple to fix?" she asked, already considering that if this was happening on the shuttle, it might also occur on the Challenger, which could pose a significant problem if it wasn't easily resolved.

Quote from: Alexander Wu on November 28, 2024, 09:58:13 PM[Bathân - Calindra's Dream - Cargo Bay]

"Sounds like a plan." Alex checked over his pockets making sure he had everything he might need offship. A small hyperspanner, handful of credits, several strips of latinum, and an off-brand communicator hidden underneath his coat's lapel. A slim blade strapped to his boot completed the ensemble. "Autumn, grab a pack, we'll bring one of those horga'hns and some samples of the kemocite. If we're going to appear as 'legitimate' businesspeople, we may as well try to sell our stock."

[Bathân - Landing Pad]

Only having just left the ship, Alex had barely reached a set of stairs leading off the pad when Ardyn's warning gave him pause, instinctively reaching for his holster. "Already?" He asked, reluctant to believe anyone would be targeting them already, but trusting Ardyn's instinct. "I figured they'd scope us out, give us some time to get settled, or-"

"Merde." The landing structs blocked his view of what was happening, but the tone of urgency in Malik's shout spoke enough of a story. "Guess you were right!" Alex ran back in the direction he'd just come from, rounding the struts just in time to see both Malik and Calindra taking on two assailants each with varying degrees of success. A fifth figure stood several paces back from the fights, waving around some sort of sword and egging the combatants on, so Alex did the only logical thing.

He shot that one first. Drawing his disruptor and firing from the hip in one single motion, Alex belatedly remembered that the weapon he was using didn't have a stun setting, only optional levels of lethality. The bolt of green energy was enough to drop the man, writhing in pain as he clutched at a smoking hole in his side. Raising his arm to aim properly, Alex strode forward, shooting one of Malik's attackers in the leg and shouting to get their attention. "Oi! Stand down, or your boss gets it!"

[Bathân]

Sometimes it really sucked to be right.  Clearly, someone had gotten the idea that they had something more valuable. Or else that was just the Bathân way of a "warm welcome."  Either way,  Ardy's disruptor pistol went out the moment she saw the others come under attack.  Two quick, efficient shots later,  one of the guys was keeled over with smoking holes in his chest, and she held the still-warm and slightly steaming pistol up as a threat.  " You heard him," she said.  "Back off!" she barked.   It clearly did something as several people around them beyond their assailants backed off, giving the crew a wide berth.

"Where's the nearest shop?" she asked one of the bystanders, who pointed towards a busy street filled to the gills with merchants. 

Quote from: Alexander Wu on November 28, 2024, 09:58:13 PM[Bathân - Calindra's Dream - Cargo Bay]

"Sounds like a plan." Alex checked over his pockets making sure he had everything he might need offship. A small hyperspanner, handful of credits, several strips of latinum, and an off-brand communicator hidden underneath his coat's lapel. A slim blade strapped to his boot completed the ensemble. "Autumn, grab a pack, we'll bring one of those horga'hns and some samples of the kemocite. If we're going to appear as 'legitimate' businesspeople, we may as well try to sell our stock."

[Bathân - Landing Pad]

Only having just left the ship, Alex had barely reached a set of stairs leading off the pad when Ardyn's warning gave him pause, instinctively reaching for his holster. "Already?" He asked, reluctant to believe anyone would be targeting them already, but trusting Ardyn's instinct. "I figured they'd scope us out, give us some time to get settled, or-"

"Merde." The landing structs blocked his view of what was happening, but the tone of urgency in Malik's shout spoke enough of a story. "Guess you were right!" Alex ran back in the direction he'd just come from, rounding the struts just in time to see both Malik and Calindra taking on two assailants each with varying degrees of success. A fifth figure stood several paces back from the fights, waving around some sort of sword and egging the combatants on, so Alex did the only logical thing.

He shot that one first. Drawing his disruptor and firing from the hip in one single motion, Alex belatedly remembered that the weapon he was using didn't have a stun setting, only optional levels of lethality. The bolt of green energy was enough to drop the man, writhing in pain as he clutched at a smoking hole in his side. Raising his arm to aim properly, Alex strode forward, shooting one of Malik's attackers in the leg and shouting to get their attention. "Oi! Stand down, or your boss gets it!"

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on November 29, 2024, 12:37:55 AM[Bathân]

Sometimes it really sucked to be right.  Clearly, someone had gotten the idea that they had something more valuable. Or else that was just the Bathân way of a "warm welcome."  Either way,  Ardy's disruptor pistol went out the moment she saw the others come under attack.  Two quick, efficient shots later,  one of the guys was keeled over with smoking holes in his chest, and she held the still-warm and slightly steaming pistol up as a threat.  " You heard him," she said.  "Back off!" she barked.  It clearly did something as several people around them beyond their assailants backed off, giving the crew a wide berth.

"Where's the nearest shop?" she asked one of the bystanders, who pointed towards a busy street filled to the gills with merchants. 

[Landing Pad - Bathân Spaceport]

The unexpected disruptor fire caught the goons by surprise and those that were still capable of running did so with reckless abandon, to the point, that they left the dead Romulan and the wounded one to fend for himself. He managed to lurch to his feet and hobble away cursing in multiple languages. As for the spaceport, any bystanders, after taking cover, peeked out when the shooting stopped and returned to their business, completely unphased by the whole event, just a random day on Bathân.

Malik touched his nose and felt the cartilage move and realized it was broken. It was a good thing they had stocked the small infirmary with proper medical equipment, including a bone knitter and a dermal mender. Despite the impromptu facial adjustment, the crew had made a clear statement and it looked as if there wouldn't be any more trouble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote from: Gero Priidik on November 27, 2024, 10:15:15 PM[Two Hours prior]
[Onboard the Shuttle]

Their flight went without too many problems. As copilot his task was not the main piloting but the control and monitoring of the other instruments, including the new modified shroud technology.

"All levels are normal. Exhaust is steady, passive sensor feedback is nominal, active sensors are deactivated as to not pierce the shroud. Link to Challenger steady but reduced to a mini... wait a second."

As he spoke, the energy levels started to drift into the red zones. Something about the energy intermix.
Quickly adjusting the intermix in the reactor and balancing the power to the engines to compensate for the change in available load, he fixed the problem.

"There was something wrong with the energy flow, but I took care of it, we should be fine to continue the test. No need to abort."

[In the present]
[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Shuttle Bay]

Disembarking from the Shuttle he made sure to download the results of their test into the Ship main computer. Any hints they had gathered from the test could be instrumental in their adoption of the shroud for the USS Challenger in its entirety.

Heading over to the group in charge of the Experiment he informed them about their experiences.

"Out test mostly worked great. The shroud showed no major impact on the other primary sytems of the craft. But there was a strange energy drop, something related to the intermix reaction in the reactor. I applied some temporary fixes that managed to stabilize the process but we should take a look at this before we activate the system on the ship."

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 28, 2024, 11:04:09 PM[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

Meval watched attentively as the shuttle returned to the hangar, smiling at Azsayak's comment and nodding in agreement with Lieutenant Randell's response. "I agree... Without your help in engineering, we wouldn't have pulled this off! But let's celebrate this success later with a drink." She added with a friendly invitation, flashing a small smile.

When Priidik mentioned the energy drop, Meval picked up her PADD and began running simulations to identify the potential cause. "If there was an energy drop in the intermix, it's possible the matter-antimatter core's containment field suffered secondary interference due to the phase resonance generated by the shroud matrix. The system might be causing harmonic fluctuations that destabilize the main plasma flow."

After reflecting on the issue, she turned to Azsayak. "Do you think it's simple to fix?" she asked, already considering that if this was happening on the shuttle, it might also occur on the Challenger, which could pose a significant problem if it wasn't easily resolved.

[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]

With the initial report from the test flight logged, the team assigned to the masking project got to work to figure out a workaround for the phase resonance issue. It ended up being a simple fix, the harmonics of the shuttle's warp coils had to be adjusted to stop the feedback loop and that was a trivial task. Now that the test had proved the concept, it was time to adjust the modifications to include Challenger herself. Based on the test flight, whether the original plan would have worked, but with the addition of the White and the Cutty Sark, projections showed a very high possibility of the new plan working. The crew only had to make the adjustments to Challenger and figure out who was going to be flying the two extra shuttles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - USS Challenger]

As the work party made adjustments and wondered idly who would be piloting the shuttles, Ian sat with a PADD on each arm of the command chair trying to answer that same question in earnest.

"Looks like I'm buggered on options with Ardy off the ship. I'll keep Ozoim and Priidik on the Onizuka. I'll add Lieutenant jg Zanut and the Master Chief ta give them some punch should things go pear shaped..."

He paused for a moment work a kink out of his neck and continued.

"I will have Ensign Norann and Petty Officer 2 Rinix pilot White, while Ensign Schlemann and Petty Officer 1 Kelsey take Cutty Sark. Entering Autonomy space will be a true test of these pilots, hopefully, they are flyers, Bloody hell I wish I had time ta take them all through the Flyin' Tigers program, that would truly answer my questions."

The Toren Autonomy consisted of four planets and three moons in three star systems. The one that mattered most was Felnarik based on the lead they'd gotten from the Ferengi smuggler. Challenger was still at station keeping 500,000 kilometers from the Toren border. Ian had yet to finalize the exact approach method to maximize their odds of success. He looked up at the Andorian woman covering for Randall who was still in the main shuttlebay.

"Lieutenant Sh'vhaorhath, based on our current positions, how far are we from Felnarik?"

"We are .92 of a lightyear from the planet at the moment Sir."

"If'n we creep ahead at warp 5, assumin' the boffins are havin' a good day, we should be able ta close until we are .46 of a lightyear from the planet and remain undetected. Let's see, a Type-9 is capable of cruising at Warp 5 and can sprint at Warp 6 for 12 hours. That's..."

Ian did some calculations and continued.

"Eighteen point five ta reach the planet. If'n they get in trouble, at maximum warp of 9.88, we can cover that distance in one point four hours. That's a long time ta hang on if'n they get in trouble before we can arrive ta save the day, but I don't see any other options. The Onizuka is goin' ta have ta go it alone with us as distant cover."

Ian then issued the orders to those chosen for the mission and hoped he wouldn't have any letters to write.

Quote from: Alexander Wu on November 28, 2024, 09:58:13 PM[Bathân - Calindra's Dream - Cargo Bay]

"Sounds like a plan." Alex checked over his pockets making sure he had everything he might need offship. A small hyperspanner, handful of credits, several strips of latinum, and an off-brand communicator hidden underneath his coat's lapel. A slim blade strapped to his boot completed the ensemble. "Autumn, grab a pack, we'll bring one of those horga'hns and some samples of the kemocite. If we're going to appear as 'legitimate' businesspeople, we may as well try to sell our stock."

[Bathân - Landing Pad]

Only having just left the ship, Alex had barely reached a set of stairs leading off the pad when Ardyn's warning gave him pause, instinctively reaching for his holster. "Already?" He asked, reluctant to believe anyone would be targeting them already, but trusting Ardyn's instinct. "I figured they'd scope us out, give us some time to get settled, or-"

"Merde." The landing structs blocked his view of what was happening, but the tone of urgency in Malik's shout spoke enough of a story. "Guess you were right!" Alex ran back in the direction he'd just come from, rounding the struts just in time to see both Malik and Calindra taking on two assailants each with varying degrees of success. A fifth figure stood several paces back from the fights, waving around some sort of sword and egging the combatants on, so Alex did the only logical thing.

He shot that one first. Drawing his disruptor and firing from the hip in one single motion, Alex belatedly remembered that the weapon he was using didn't have a stun setting, only optional levels of lethality. The bolt of green energy was enough to drop the man, writhing in pain as he clutched at a smoking hole in his side. Raising his arm to aim properly, Alex strode forward, shooting one of Malik's attackers in the leg and shouting to get their attention. "Oi! Stand down, or your boss gets it!"

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 29, 2024, 03:02:47 PM[Landing Pad - Bathân Spaceport]
The unexpected disruptor fire caught the goons by surprise and those that were still capable of running did so with reckless abandon, to the point, that they left the dead Romulan and the wounded one to fend for himself. He managed to lurch to his feet and hobble away cursing in multiple languages. As for the spaceport, any bystanders, after taking cover, peeked out when the shooting stopped and returned to their business, completely unphased by the whole event, just a random day on Bathân.
Malik touched his nose and felt the cartilage move and realized it was broken. It was a good thing they had stocked the small infirmary with proper medical equipment, including a bone knitter and a dermal mender. Despite the impromptu facial adjustment, the crew had made a clear statement and it looked as if there wouldn't be any more trouble.

'Kelly' stood still, her eyes scanning the space around her, calculating the aftermath of the altercation. The assailants' retreat was swift, and she couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction at their quick flight. The tension in the air was palpable, but she knew it wouldn't last long. The scuffle had been short and brutal, but it had made one thing clear: they weren't to be trifled with.

She kept her stance steady, her hand still holding her knife in case there was more trouble to come, but the spaceport had already resumed its usual activity. She shot a glance at Malik, who was tending to his nose with a rueful expression, and then at Alex, who had dropped their would-be assailant with cold precision.

"Nice shot, Cheng. They won't be back anytime soon," Cali remarked, her tone dry but appreciative. She looked back at Malik, her sharp gaze calculating.

Malik touched his nose again, wincing as the pain hit him once more. She gave him a tight, almost pained smile while he was clearly trying to mask the discomfort but not quite succeeding. "It's definitely broken," she said in a resigned tone. "Do you want me to reset it for you, cap..?"she asked, a subtle wince pulling at the corners of her mouth at the sight of the bruising and his nose's unnatural angle.

[Bathân, Landing pad > Market]

"If you would be so kind..." Calindra snapped Malik's nose back into position in a swift motion, the pain was extreme but quickly ebbed away.

"Nice timing both of you. Alright, no sign of local law enforcement. Let's continue with the mission."

The three teams began their previously assigned tasks. Malik took a moment to retrieve the medical kit from the Dream to quickly fix himself up, before he and Calindra set off into the city proper.

"Seems to me we need to get ourselves some new weaponry. A fine martial artist like yourself deserves a weapon worthy of her skill?"

(https://i.ibb.co/7kV7wHY/IMG-5828.jpg)

The pair spotted a shop that had various blades and pistols in the window. Perhaps it would be a good place to enquire about smuggling to.

"Let's try in there."

Quote from: Neva Cordon on November 28, 2024, 01:41:39 PM[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon/Aya Talos|Calindra's Dream->Bathân]

After the "lovely" inspection/confrontation, Neva quickly finished her work on the scrap. She headed for detox and then a blessedly wonderful shower.

Once primped enough for her "character," Aya met up with her counterpart. Upon seeing him, however, she bit both of her lips to stop the smirk. Swallowing it down, she walked up and nodded to him in greeting.

"'Allo me fren'!" Aya said in her new accent. "Ya reddy t' git th' show goin'? This scrap aint sellin' isself!"

In a low tone, she added normally. "I'll take care of the negotiations on selling the scrap once we do it, but I'll need your help with language." She gave a embarrassed smile.

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cargo Bay >- Docking Pad | Calindra's Dream >- Bathân]

"Willing and able, good missstress," Alhanjhu said in his emphasized accent, sly, oily and charming. He then took in her lower tone and added, "Good idea. I learned plenty of Rhisannu after I was civilized, so I can get by."

He proceeded to get the salvage out and ready for potential customers..and for Aya to negotiate. He worried about Cali a little, and he made another prayer for her safety.

He managed to get his shirt on, out in public as he is, and all the same, his appearance naturally got attention. A few passing females, from Orions to other Romulans, took notice of Alhanjhu and couldn't help but turn their eyes at him, only to break off when they left past the pad.

[USS Challenger]

Working with the team in Engineering was a novel experience for Gero. The exact details of how the technology worked that was to hide them from enemy sensors and how it didn't violate the Treaty of Algeron was beyond him, but also not for him to worry about. His just would just be to pilot the ship this thing would be installed on.

Guiding the others through the minor modifications he had made to the energy systems and their controls while on the Test flight proved easy enough and he really hoped he at least aided them a little bit in working out the bugs of the prototype by doing so.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 29, 2024, 03:02:47 PM[...]
[Bridge - USS Challenger]

As the work party made adjustments and wondered idly who would be piloting the shuttles, Ian sat with a PADD on each arm of the command chair trying to answer that same question in earnest.

"Looks like I'm buggered on options with Ardy off the ship. I'll keep Ozoim and Priidik on the Onizuka. I'll add Lieutenant jg Zanut and the Master Chief ta give them some punch should things go pear shaped..."

He paused for a moment work a kink out of his neck and continued.

"I will have Ensign Norann and Petty Officer 2 Rinix pilot White, while Ensign Schlemann and Petty Officer 1 Kelsey take Cutty Sark. Entering Autonomy space will be a true test of these pilots, hopefully, they are flyers, Bloody hell I wish I had time ta take them all through the Flyin' Tigers program, that would truly answer my questions."

The Toren Autonomy consisted of four planets and three moons in three star systems. The one that mattered most was Felnarik based on the lead they'd gotten from the Ferengi smuggler. Challenger was still at station keeping 500,000 kilometers from the Toren border. Ian had yet to finalize the exact approach method to maximize their odds of success. He looked up at the Andorian woman covering for Randall who was still in the main shuttlebay.

"Lieutenant Sh'vhaorhath, based on our current positions, how far are we from Felnarik?"

"We are .92 of a lightyear from the planet at the moment Sir."

"If'n we creep ahead at warp 5, assumin' the boffins are havin' a good day, we should be able ta close until we are .46 of a lightyear from the planet and remain undetected. Let's see, a Type-9 is capable of cruising at Warp 5 and can sprint at Warp 6 for 12 hours. That's..."

Ian did some calculations and continued.

"Eighteen point five ta reach the planet. If'n they get in trouble, at maximum warp of 9.88, we can cover that distance in one point four hours. That's a long time ta hang on if'n they get in trouble before we can arrive ta save the day, but I don't see any other options. The Onizuka is goin' ta have ta go it alone with us as distant cover."

Ian then issued the orders to those chosen for the mission and hoped he wouldn't have any letters to write.

[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Shuttlebay]

Getting barely enough of a break to damp a bit of water onto his face to remove the unclean feeling his sweet from the work in Impulse thruster control had left him with, he already received the next set of orders. Another flight.

Given he had been part of the test flight, it seemed logical that the Captain would send him on the next trip too. At least he knew the basics of how it operated in flight.

As he prepared the shuttle and went through the pre-flight check list for dangerous missions, multiple Officers arrived at the shuttle and took their places in the seating area, behind the seats reserved for the pilots. Their golden uniforms, a stark contrast to the grey panels of the surrounding walls.

Finishing the last of the pre-flight checks, they started up the engines and left the shuttlebay through the main door, the passing forcefield leaving a slight tingle at Geros Neck. Then they were out into open space and activated the shroud.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 29, 2024, 05:37:21 PM

(https://i.ibb.co/7kV7wHY/IMG-5828.jpg)

[Bathân, Landing pad > Market]

"If you would be so kind..." Calindra snapped Malik's nose back into position in a swift motion, the pain was extreme but quickly ebbed away.

"Nice timing both of you. Alright, no sign of local law enforcement. Let's continue with the mission."

The three teams began their previously assigned tasks. Malik took a moment to retrieve the medical kit from the Dream to quickly fix himself up, before he and Calindra set off into the city proper.

"Seems to me we need to get ourselves some new weaponry. A fine martial artist like yourself deserves a weapon worthy of her skill?"

The pair spotted a shop that had various blades and pistols in the window. Perhaps it would be a good place to enquire about smuggling to.

"Let's try in there."

[Kelly Oren - Landing Pad - Bathân]

'Oh my god, this is gonna hurt him so much,' she thought with some mild apprehension, but with Malik's approval, Calindra took a steadying breath and reached for his nose. Her fingers hovered briefly, the sight of the bruised and crooked cartilage making her wince inwardly, but she pressed forward. Gripping firmly but carefully, she started counting down from three.

At two, she repositioned his nose in one swift motion, drawing a painful cry from the man, followed by a faint, sickening crack, drawing a sharp intake of breath from them both.

Calindra grimaced but didn't falter, quickly checking the alignment before letting go. "There," she murmured, her voice steady despite the knot of unease in her stomach. "Thank Ice -- their codename for Autumn -- she thought of packing the bone knitter and a dermal mender, you might just avoid most of the swelling and bruising..."

---

[Kelly Oren - Market Curio Shop - Bathân]

Less than thirty minutes later, Calindra and Malik were passing by a curio shop, when Malik suggested getting her a weapon worthy of her skill.

Calindra looked at him puzzled by the the offer, but softened into a genuine smile, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "A fine martial artist, huh? You really know how to make a girl feel special, Cap." Her tone was warm, her usual sharp wit tempered by the unexpected compliment.

Malik stepped into a dimly lit curio shop with Calindra following on his heels, excited and curious at the prospect of finding a good quality blade. The faint chime of a bell announced their arrival.

The air inside was thick and musty, with the scent of dust and incense clinging to every surface. Shelves teetered under the weight of strange artifacts—some glowing faintly, others cloaked in shadow—but the room's oppressive silence made even the hum of a glowing crystal feel out of place.

Behind the counter, a gaunt figure sat in a rickety chair, their sharp, sunken eyes narrowing the moment the pair entered. The shopkeeper's lips pressed into a thin line, and they made no move to stand. Instead, their hands rested conspicuously close to a large ledger—its corner folded back to reveal the unmistakable gleam of a concealed blade beneath.

"We don't take kindly to gawkers," the shopkeeper muttered, voice low and gravelly. Their gaze flicked from Calindra to Malik, lingering on the bruising around Malik's nose with a frown that wasn't exactly sympathy. "If you're not buying, best keep walking."

Calindra raised an eyebrow but kept her tone measured. "We're here to do business." Her eyes focusing on his blade, "do you have more of those?"

"Weapons, huh?" The shopkeeper's laugh was dry, a sound more like rusted gears grinding together. "Let's hope you've got credits to match your big talk. Otherwise, you'll find the door works just fine going out as it does coming in."

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 29, 2024, 08:20:15 PM[Kelly Oren - Landing Pad - Bathân]

'Oh my god, this is gonna hurt him so much,' she thought with some mild apprehension, but with Malik's approval, Calindra took a steadying breath and reached for his nose. Her fingers hovered briefly, the sight of the bruised and crooked cartilage making her wince inwardly, but she pressed forward. Gripping firmly but carefully, she started counting down from three.

At two, she repositioned his nose in one swift motion, drawing a painful cry from the man, followed by a faint, sickening crack, drawing a sharp intake of breath from them both.

Calindra grimaced but didn't falter, quickly checking the alignment before letting go. "There," she murmured, her voice steady despite the knot of unease in her stomach. "Thank Ice -- their codename for Autumn -- she thought of packing the bone knitter and a dermal mender, you might just avoid most of the swelling and bruising..."

---

[Kelly Oren - Market Curio Shop - Bathân]

Less than thirty minutes later, Calindra and Malik were passing by a curio shop, when Malik suggested getting her a weapon worthy of her skill.

Calindra looked at him puzzled by the the offer, but softened into a genuine smile, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "A fine martial artist, huh? You really know how to make a girl feel special, Cap." Her tone was warm, her usual sharp wit tempered by the unexpected compliment.

Malik stepped into a dimly lit curio shop with Calindra following on his heels, excited and curious at the prospect of finding a good quality blade. The faint chime of a bell announced their arrival.

The air inside was thick and musty, with the scent of dust and incense clinging to every surface. Shelves teetered under the weight of strange artifacts—some glowing faintly, others cloaked in shadow—but the room's oppressive silence made even the hum of a glowing crystal feel out of place.

Behind the counter, a gaunt figure sat in a rickety chair, their sharp, sunken eyes narrowing the moment the pair entered. The shopkeeper's lips pressed into a thin line, and they made no move to stand. Instead, their hands rested conspicuously close to a large ledger—its corner folded back to reveal the unmistakable gleam of a concealed blade beneath.

"We don't take kindly to gawkers," the shopkeeper muttered, voice low and gravelly. Their gaze flicked from Calindra to Malik, lingering on the bruising around Malik's nose with a frown that wasn't exactly sympathy. "If you're not buying, best keep walking."

Calindra raised an eyebrow but kept her tone measured. "We're here to do business." Her eyes focusing on his blade, "do you have more of those?"

"Weapons, huh?" The shopkeeper's laugh was dry, a sound more like rusted gears grinding together. "Let's hope you've got credits to match your big talk. Otherwise, you'll find the door works just fine going out as it does coming in."

[Bathân, Curio shop]

Malik reached into his jacket and pulled out a handful of latinum strips. Fortunately command had sent them a bunch of latinum to assist with their mission, funds recovered from anti-smuggling operations along the border.

"Show us the good stuff. Not the crap you have here for the tourists and thugs. I mean the real weapons, for true warriors."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up with greed at the shining latinum in Malik's hand. He stood shakily to his feet, how long he'd been sat there who knew. He pressed a hidden button under the counter and a side door opened. At the same time the entrance sign changed from 'Open' to 'Closed'.

"Follow me."

The trio entered the side door and descended a flight of steps into a basement. It was a small, square room with illuminated display cabinets on every wall containing all sorts of melee and ranged weaponry.

Malik gave a low whistle. "Impressive selection. Is that a Varon-T disruptor? Oh and a thalaron radiation grenade?"

Malik recalled an old Starfleet report from admiral Picard, when a Romulan usurper nearly wiped out the Enterprise-E using a thalaron weapon.

"Maybe. Have a look around, I've got anything you want from across the quadrant. Real rare stuff."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 30, 2024, 06:43:39 AM[Bathân, Curio shop]

Malik reached into his jacket and pulled out a handful of latinum strips. Fortunately command had sent them a bunch of latinum to assist with their mission, funds recovered from anti-smuggling operations along the border.

"Show us the good stuff. Not the crap you have here for the tourists and thugs. I mean the real weapons, for true warriors."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up with greed at the shining latinum in Malik's hand. He stood shakily to his feet, how long he'd been sat there who knew. He pressed a hidden button under the counter and a side door opened. At the same time the entrance sign changed from 'Open' to 'Closed'.

"Follow me."

The trio entered the side door and descended a flight of steps into a basement. It was a small, square room with illuminated display cabinets on every wall containing all sorts of melee and ranged weaponry.

Malik gave a low whistle. "Impressive selection. Is that a Varon-T disruptor? Oh and a thalaron radiation grenade?"

Malik recalled an old Starfleet report from admiral Picard, when a Romulan usurper nearly wiped out the Enterprise-E using a thalaron weapon.

"Maybe. Have a look around, I've got anything you want from across the quadrant. Real rare stuff."

[Kelly Oren - Market Curio Shop - Bathân]

"Lovely collection," she said dryly, her tone masking the undercurrent of disapproval. "I can see why you keep this little treasure trove off the books."

She moved toward one of the cases, her hands clasped loosely behind her back, giving the impression of casual curiosity. A beautifully crafted katana caught her eye, its hilt adorned with intricate designs that hinted at a culture far removed from Bathân's grime. The blade was pristine, its edge whispering promises of lethality even behind the display glass.

"Now this," she said softly, tilting her head to examine the weapon more closely, "isn't just for killing. This is art."

The shopkeeper's attention shifted to her, his greed momentarily tempered by pride. "Ah, you've got an eye, miss. That one's genuine—hand-forged from a high-density duranium alloy. Folded a thousand times, they say, just like the ancient techniques."

Calindra raised an eyebrow, her fingers tapping lightly on the glass. "It's not the metal that makes it lethal," she replied, her voice quiet but firm. "It's the discipline behind it. A blade like this doesn't belong to just anyone. Mind if I test its balance?"

The shopkeeper hesitated, glancing at Malik, who was busy inspecting a disruptor rifle with feigned disinterest.

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on November 30, 2024, 09:15:36 AM[Kelly Oren - Market Curio Shop - Bathân]

"Lovely collection," she said dryly, her tone masking the undercurrent of disapproval. "I can see why you keep this little treasure trove off the books."

She moved toward one of the cases, her hands clasped loosely behind her back, giving the impression of casual curiosity. A beautifully crafted katana caught her eye, its hilt adorned with intricate designs that hinted at a culture far removed from Bathân's grime. The blade was pristine, its edge whispering promises of lethality even behind the display glass.

"Now this," she said softly, tilting her head to examine the weapon more closely, "isn't just for killing. This is art."

The shopkeeper's attention shifted to her, his greed momentarily tempered by pride. "Ah, you've got an eye, miss. That one's genuine—hand-forged from a high-density duranium alloy. Folded a thousand times, they say, just like the ancient techniques."

Calindra raised an eyebrow, her fingers tapping lightly on the glass. "It's not the metal that makes it lethal," she replied, her voice quiet but firm. "It's the discipline behind it. A blade like this doesn't belong to just anyone. Mind if I test its balance?"

The shopkeeper hesitated, glancing at Malik, who was busy inspecting a disruptor rifle with feigned disinterest.

[Bathân, Curio shop]

Malik came over and looked at the blade. He didn't really know anything about swords, but the way Calindra was staring at it meant it must be special.

"Lets take a look then." He shook his pocket jingling the latinum inside, a reminder that they could afford it.

"How does something like that end up here?"

The shopkeeper unlocked the case and reverently handed the sheathed dura-katana to Calindra.

"The people I work for come into possession of all types of valuable items. This blade was the property of a powerful noble family, House Atreides from a planet long forgotten. It's priceless."

"I see. And what of this?" Malik pointed to an old plasma pistol with a worn United Earth logo on its hilt.

"That's a EM-33 plasma pistol. Still in perfectly functional order. It's hundreds of years old from pre-Federation times."

"We'll take it." Malik looked to Calindra to see what she thought of the sword.

Quote from: Lira Meval on November 28, 2024, 11:04:09 PM[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

Meval watched attentively as the shuttle returned to the hangar, smiling at Azsayak's comment and nodding in agreement with Lieutenant Randell's response. "I agree... Without your help in engineering, we wouldn't have pulled this off! But let's celebrate this success later with a drink." She added with a friendly invitation, flashing a small smile.

When Priidik mentioned the energy drop, Meval picked up her PADD and began running simulations to identify the potential cause. "If there was an energy drop in the intermix, it's possible the matter-antimatter core's containment field suffered secondary interference due to the phase resonance generated by the shroud matrix. The system might be causing harmonic fluctuations that destabilize the main plasma flow."

After reflecting on the issue, she turned to Azsayak. "Do you think it's simple to fix?" she asked, already considering that if this was happening on the shuttle, it might also occur on the Challenger, which could pose a significant problem if it wasn't easily resolved.

Azsayak would think a few. " It should be easy enough to install We could use a plasma Motor Protection Circuit Breaker. Easy enough to install and it will self-regulate the flow and counter act any spikes. That and doing a Parallel circuit with plasma MPCB on each parrel flows of plasma giving us the ability to regular and power spikes induced by the resonant frequency of the cloaking device It should not take anyore then hour time to install the needed Plasma MPCBs on the shuttles and the challenger. The challenger will need less attention than the shuttles as the Challenger can handle such things on its own with the Ships computer itself. I think it mainly the shuttles that will need it being overall simpler designs.  "


Aszayak would rumble out and look at lira waiting to see what she thought of the solution. Then looking to the LT randall.

Quote from: Gero Priidik on November 29, 2024, 08:08:44 PM[USS Challenger]

Working with the team in Engineering was a novel experience for Gero. The exact details of how the technology worked that was to hide them from enemy sensors and how it didn't violate the Treaty of Algeron was beyond him, but also not for him to worry about. His just would just be to pilot the ship this thing would be installed on.

Guiding the others through the minor modifications he had made to the energy systems and their controls while on the Test flight proved easy enough and he really hoped he at least aided them a little bit in working out the bugs of the prototype by doing so.

[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Shuttlebay]

Getting barely enough of a break to damp a bit of water onto his face to remove the unclean feeling his sweet from the work in Impulse thruster control had left him with, he already received the next set of orders. Another flight.

Given he had been part of the test flight, it seemed logical that the Captain would send him on the next trip too. At least he knew the basics of how it operated in flight.

As he prepared the shuttle and went through the pre-flight check list for dangerous missions, multiple Officers arrived at the shuttle and took their places in the seating area, behind the seats reserved for the pilots. Their golden uniforms, a stark contrast to the grey panels of the surrounding walls.

Finishing the last of the pre-flight checks, they started up the engines and left the shuttlebay through the main door, the passing forcefield leaving a slight tingle at Geros Neck. Then they were out into open space and activated the shroud.

Quote from: Azsayak on November 30, 2024, 05:21:00 PMAzsayak would think a few. " It should be easy enough to install We could use a plasma Motor Protection Circuit Breaker. Easy enough to install and it will self-regulate the flow and counter act any spikes. That and doing a parrel circuit with plasma MPCB on each parrel flows of plasma giving us the ability to regular and power spikes induced by the resonant frequency of the cloaking device It should not take anyore then hour time to install the needed Plasma MPCBs on the shuttles and the challenger. The challenger will need less attention than the shuttles as the Challenger can handle such things on its own with the Ships computer itself. I think it mainly the shuttles that will need it being overall simpler designs.  "


Aszayak would rumble out and look at lira waiting to see what she thought of the solution. Then looking to the LT randall.

[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]

After the addition of the Motor Protection Circuit Breakers, the final piece of the masking puzzle was in place, the mission to enter Toren Autonomy space was now ready. The assigned crews boarded the Onizuka, the White, and the Cutty Sark, the crews made their final checks and launched in sequence.

Once they reached the border, Ian give the order for Challenger to follow. The group crossed the border at one half impulse and halted 1,000,000 kilometers inside Toren space.

"What have we got Evan?"

"All systems nominal Captain. Mask is working as per our shuttle test."

"Good work Lieutenant. Ops, signal the squadron, Warp three. We'll hold at this speed and if all goes well, we'll take it up ta warp 5."

The three shuttles and the Challenger flickered with pseudo-motion and were enveloped in their individual warp bubbles that took them out of Einsteinian space and into the realm of faster than light travel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - TAS Dominator]

Captain Halak Scornar sat on his throne-like chair and observed his minions. They worked diligently because they knew the consequences of failing to perform their duty at that level.

"Amazing thing the pain stick. It's probably the only worthwhile contribution the Klingon species will ever make to society."

He thought with a feral grin.

"Observer, report!"

"No observed anomalies Great Leader."

"Acceptable Lesser Minion. Steerage, change course to coreward plus ten degrees, we must make a demonstration over Felnarik."

"As you demand, Great Leader."

The Dominator turned onto the designated course, that coincidentally, put her on an intercept course with the Challenger.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 29, 2024, 03:02:47 PM[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]
With the initial report from the test flight logged, the team assigned to the masking project got to work to figure out a workaround for the phase resonance issue. It ended up being a simple fix, the harmonics of the shuttle's warp coils had to be adjusted to stop the feedback loop and that was a trivial task. Now that the test had proved the concept, it was time to adjust the modifications to include Challenger herself. Based on the test flight, whether the original plan would have worked, but with the addition of the White and the Cutty Sark, projections showed a very high possibility of the new plan working. The crew only had to make the adjustments to Challenger and figure out who was going to be flying the two extra shuttles.

Quote from: Gero Priidik on November 29, 2024, 08:08:44 PM[USS Challenger]

Working with the team in Engineering was a novel experience for Gero. The exact details of how the technology worked that was to hide them from enemy sensors and how it didn't violate the Treaty of Algeron was beyond him, but also not for him to worry about. His just would just be to pilot the ship this thing would be installed on.

Guiding the others through the minor modifications he had made to the energy systems and their controls while on the Test flight proved easy enough and he really hoped he at least aided them a little bit in working out the bugs of the prototype by doing so.

[USS Challenger | Deck 20 | Shuttlebay]

Getting barely enough of a break to damp a bit of water onto his face to remove the unclean feeling his sweet from the work in Impulse thruster control had left him with, he already received the next set of orders. Another flight.

Given he had been part of the test flight, it seemed logical that the Captain would send him on the next trip too. At least he knew the basics of how it operated in flight.

As he prepared the shuttle and went through the pre-flight check list for dangerous missions, multiple Officers arrived at the shuttle and took their places in the seating area, behind the seats reserved for the pilots. Their golden uniforms, a stark contrast to the grey panels of the surrounding walls.

Finishing the last of the pre-flight checks, they started up the engines and left the shuttlebay through the main door, the passing forcefield leaving a slight tingle at Geros Neck. Then they were out into open space and activated the shroud.

Quote from: Azsayak on November 30, 2024, 05:21:00 PMAzsayak would think a few. " It should be easy enough to install We could use a plasma Motor Protection Circuit Breaker. Easy enough to install and it will self-regulate the flow and counter act any spikes. That and doing a Parallel circuit with plasma MPCB on each parrel flows of plasma giving us the ability to regular and power spikes induced by the resonant frequency of the cloaking device It should not take anyore then hour time to install the needed Plasma MPCBs on the shuttles and the challenger. The challenger will need less attention than the shuttles as the Challenger can handle such things on its own with the Ships computer itself. I think it mainly the shuttles that will need it being overall simpler designs.  "


Aszayak would rumble out and look at lira waiting to see what she thought of the solution. Then looking to the LT randall.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 30, 2024, 07:02:17 PM[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]
After the addition of the Motor Protection Circuit Breakers, the final piece of the masking puzzle was in place, the mission to enter Toren Autonomy space was now ready. The assigned crews boarded the Onizuka, the White, and the Cutty Sark, the crews made their final checks and launched in sequence.
Once they reached the border, Ian give the order for Challenger to follow. The group crossed the border at one half impulse and halted 1,000,000 kilometers inside Toren space.
"What have we got Evan?"
"All systems nominal Captain. Mask is working as per our shuttle test."
"Good work Lieutenant. Ops, signal the squadron, Warp three. We'll hold at this speed and if all goes well, we'll take it up ta warp 5."
The three shuttles and the Challenger flickered with pseudo-motion and were enveloped in their individual warp bubbles that took them out of Einsteinian space and into the realm of faster than light travel.

[Ensign Lira • USS Challenger • Main Shuttlebay]

The changes were not as significant as expected; a few small adjustments were enough to resolve the issue of the power drop. At least, they weren't major for the shuttles. Working on the Challenger, however, would take a bit more time, as the ship was larger, and the adjustments needed to be more extensive.

Even so, it didn't take long for everything to be ready—or at least theoretically ready. They would only know for sure when everything was put to the test. That moment came quickly. After receiving the captain's order, all the mission's ships were launched. Meval closely monitored the readings, focusing on the Challenger, but occasionally glanced at the readings from his colleagues to ensure everything was going smoothly.

"Everything is fine so far," he said aloud, referring to the Challenger's readings. At that moment, the others confirmed that their own readings also showed no issues.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 30, 2024, 10:31:50 AM[Bathân, Curio shop]

Malik came over and looked at the blade. He didn't really know anything about swords, but the way Calindra was staring at it meant it must be special.

"Lets take a look then." He shook his pocket jingling the latinum inside, a reminder that they could afford it.

"How does something like that end up here?"

The shopkeeper unlocked the case and reverently handed the sheathed dura-katana to Calindra.

"The people I work for come into possession of all types of valuable items. This blade was the property of a powerful noble family, House Atreides from a planet long forgotten. It's priceless."

"I see. And what of this?" Malik pointed to an old plasma pistol with a worn United Earth logo on its hilt.

"That's a EM-33 plasma pistol. Still in perfectly functional order. It's hundreds of years old from pre-Federation times."

"We'll take it." Malik looked to Calindra to see what she thought of the sword.

[Kelly Oren - Market Curio Shop - Bathân]

Calindra took the blade with practiced ease, her grip sure but not rigid. She stepped back to create space and raised the katana, her movements precise and deliberate. The weight of the weapon settled naturally in her hands, and she turned it slightly, watching the dim light catch the edge.

Her grip shifted subtly as she brought the blade into a ready position. With a fluid motion, she cut through the air, the katana singing softly as it moved. The balance was impeccable, the blade responding to her intent as if it were an extension of her will.

"A masterpiece," she murmured, lowering the weapon and turning it carefully to examine the hilt. "The artisan knew their craft."

The shopkeeper looked both relieved and impressed. "That they did. Now, if you're serious about buying—"

She handed the katana back to him with a graceful bow of her head, interrupting his pitch.

"And yet it's gathering dust in a basement on Bathân, how do I know it's not a cheap replica that you're trying to pass off? Rare or not, your clientele is limited to tourists looking for trophies and thugs who don't care about quality."

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed to slits, his thin lips pressing into a hard line. His fingers fidgeted nervously against the display case before he crossed his arms in an attempt to regain some composure.

"You question my reputation?" he hissed, his voice low and venomous. "I've been dealing in weapons longer than you've been alive. That blade is as genuine as they come, and if you don't believe me, maybe you're not the right kind of buyer for it."

Calindra harumphed softly, crossing her arms as she fixed the shopkeeper with a pointed look.

"A clean cut is impressive," she said, her tone dry, "but anyone can sharpen a blade to make it seem authentic. Show me the artisan's mark. If this is as genuine as you claim, you shouldn't have anything to hide."

The shopkeeper's face twitched, his smugness giving way to a flicker of uncertainty. He glanced down at the katana, his fingers tightening on the hilt. Finally, the shopkeeper let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine," he grumbled. Setting the blade down on the counter with care, "I can't confirm it's authenticity, but I know who can. 12 bars, and the blade is yours."

Calindra's eyes narrowed, a faint snort escaping her. "Twelve bars?" she repeated, her tone dripping with disbelief. "I can get one forged to my exact specifications for that much. Without an artisan's mark to back up your claim, you'd be lucky to fetch even one bar—and you know it."

The shopkeeper's lips thinned further, and his gaze darted toward Malik, who had been silently observing his manicured nails with a blank look on his face. Realizing he wouldn't find support there, the shopkeeper threw up his hands in mock defeat.

"Alright, alright," he said grudgingly. "Six bars. And that's cutting my own throat."

Calindra raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Three," she countered flatly. "And I'm being generous, considering you can't even verify its provenance."

The shopkeeper opened his mouth to argue, but the steel in her gaze made him think better of it. He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping in resignation.

"Fine," he muttered, "four bars, and I'll include extra metal spacers and collars so you can adjust it, as well as a cleaning kit. Final offer."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on November 29, 2024, 05:37:21 PM[Bathân, Landing pad > Market]

"If you would be so kind..." Calindra snapped Malik's nose back into position in a swift motion, the pain was extreme but quickly ebbed away.

"Nice timing both of you. Alright, no sign of local law enforcement. Let's continue with the mission."

The three teams began their previously assigned tasks.

[Bathân - Landing pad > Trading Centre]

The confrontation seemed to dissipate as rapidly as it had begun, leaving nothing behind but a dead body and green blood trails. It took Alex far longer to get his heartrate and breathing back down to normal, the adrenaline still pumping through him. "Right. Autumn, help me with this." Together, they carried the body up the ramp and out of view into the Dream's cargo bay. Even though Alex did his best not to get bodily fluids everywhere, drops of blood dripping onto the deck were unavoidable. "Sorry Neva, we'll have to worry about where to deposit him after. Do you have a body bag or container we can keep him in till then?"

Kneeling next to the recently deceased, Alex efficiently went through the clothing, looking for anything which may be of value, moreso intelligence-wise than monetary. Noting a strange tattoo on the Romulan's neck but finding nothing else of interest, he returned a few slips of latinum into the corpse's pocket. "We're too new here not to attract more attention. Stay frosty. Come on, Autumn."

Heading back out onto the landing platform, they quickly caught up to Ardyn who was speaking with some of the locals. Unsurprisingly, most seemed warily unhelpful after the lightshow they'd just witnessed. Eventually, they did manage to get directions towards the nearest trading forum, and Alex led the way down one of the busier concourses. "Finding the big fish in a place like this won't be easy...maybe the best place to start would be to keep working on the 'Dream. Call out any vendors you'd like to check out, Rynn. Autumn, any chance you're able to scan for traces of energy readings without making it too obvious? Radiation that might be connected to banned weaponry or equipment?"

Quote from: Alexander Wu on December 01, 2024, 11:54:10 PM[Bathân - Landing pad > Trading Centre]

The confrontation seemed to dissipate as rapidly as it had begun, leaving nothing behind but a dead body and green blood trails. It took Alex far longer to get his heartrate and breathing back down to normal, the adrenaline still pumping through him. "Right. Autumn, help me with this." Together, they carried the body up the ramp and out of view into the Dream's cargo bay. Even though Alex did his best not to get bodily fluids everywhere, drops of blood dripping onto the deck were unavoidable. "Sorry Neva, we'll have to worry about where to deposit him after. Do you have a body bag or container we can keep him in till then?"

Kneeling next to the recently deceased, Alex efficiently went through the clothing, looking for anything which may be of value, moreso intelligence-wise than monetary. Noting a strange tattoo on the Romulan's neck but finding nothing else of interest, he returned a few slips of latinum into the corpse's pocket. "We're too new here not to attract more attention. Stay frosty. Come on, Autumn."

Heading back out onto the landing platform, they quickly caught up to Ardyn who was speaking with some of the locals. Unsurprisingly, most seemed warily unhelpful after the lightshow they'd just witnessed. Eventually, they did manage to get directions towards the nearest trading forum, and Alex led the way down one of the busier concourses. "Finding the big fish in a place like this won't be easy...maybe the best place to start would be to keep working on the 'Dream. Call out any vendors you'd like to check out, Rynn. Autumn, any chance you're able to scan for traces of energy readings without making it too obvious? Radiation that might be connected to banned weaponry or equipment?"

[Marketplace - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]

With their  reputation for shooting first and  asking questions later now well-established, they were back to getting information.  And in the bustling hive of people and merchants, there was lots.

Surreptitiously squeezing Alex's hand in reassurance, Ardy perused a shop. "I think this one might be worth looking, Eh?" she asked, getting back in her Rynn persona. She figured she  could get away with it since some lovely ops officer made their dossiers connected.



She casually peeked at the scanner she turned on. There was definitely traces of some sorts of radiation here A lot actually . Maybe enough to triangulate where if they got enough readings.

Coming into the stand full of different metals she peered around the stands. This guy seemed to be like he knew something. He had one eye and everything.  One mental read of him seemed to confirm her suspicions that he'd like what they would have, maybe enough to get some info from him. She nodded to "Cheng" and "Ice" I think  he's worth asking around." she whispered.

Quote from: Alhanjhu on November 29, 2024, 07:40:03 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cargo Bay >- Docking Pad | Calindra's Dream >- Bathân]

"Willing and able, good missstress," Alhanjhu said in his emphasized accent, sly, oily and charming. He then took in her lower tone and added, "Good idea. I learned plenty of Rhisannu after I was civilized, so I can get by."

He proceeded to get the salvage out and ready for potential customers..and for Aya to negotiate. He worried about Cali a little, and he made another prayer for her safety.

He managed to get his shirt on, out in public as he is, and all the same, his appearance naturally got attention. A few passing females, from Orions to other Romulans, took notice of Alhanjhu and couldn't help but turn their eyes at him, only to break off when they left past the pad.

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Bathân|Calindra's Dream->Docking Pad]

Neva nodded and started smiling until she saw what Takil the Shirtless was doing. A string of expletives erupted from her as she grabbed his shirt and yanked it down to be eye to eye with her 5'2" stature.

"By all ya hol' deer, boy, wha' got inta yer heed?!?"  Aya yelled in that accent of hers. "An' wend I tell ya t' heng our booty fer all t'see?? Mays well gif'em all we got this rate!" She pushed him away then and stomped over to start yanking the cargo back in.

Shooting him a dark look as she got near him again, she hissed low for only him to hear. "What happened? We've gotta get to a shop to negotiate, remember? Show & Tell like this will get us killed!"

[Bathân, Curio shop]

Four bars of gold pressed latinum for such a weapon was surely a bargain. Calindra had secured herself the deal of a lifetime. Malik would need to put this down to 'intelligence gathering expenses' on his mission report.

Malik stepped forward and placed five bars of latinum on the counter. More than what most folk made here in a year.

"Here's five. We'll take the sword, the EM-33 and everything you know about smuggling activities here on Bathân."

The shopkeeper appeared confused. "Smuggling? I don't know anything about that, I'm but a humble antiques dealer."

Malik placed a further 10 slips down on the counter.

"Now that you mention it. This didn't come from me, but I heard all smuggling activities are run through one gang. The Rihannsu gang. Former imperialists. They're cutthroat and have a tight leash on pretty much every criminal enterprise here."

Malik took the pistol and holstered it. A fine relic from Captain Archer's time. They had their first lead.

"Alright let's go. A pleasure doing business with you."

The pair left the shop and entered the street once again with their new toys.

---

Wu, Ardyn, Autumn
Bathân, Trading Centre

'Actan' was an overweight Bolian sporting a nasty looking facial scar that went through one eye. The eye had been replaced with a bionic replacement that doubled as a scanner. He was boisterous and loud, conversing with the locals and potential customers as to deals to be done.

Actan was the owner of Actan's Gear and Rare Goods shop. A popular destination for traders of all types. Perhaps he would be interested in purchasing some of the Dream's cargo.

---

Neva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

Having convinced AJ to leave the scrap behind before negotiations, Neva led the way to the nearest metal recycling centre. Here the air was particularly thick with industrial pollutants and smog from nearby magnasite refineries.

Approaching the yard they saw a trade booth manned by a Romulan worker. A long line of people were standing at the booth waiting to be seen. The recycling prices of various metals were presented on a large display board. The prices were low, even by scrap standards.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 03, 2024, 10:39:27 AM[Bathân, Curio shop]
Four bars of gold pressed latinum for such a weapon was surely a bargain. Calindra had secured herself the deal of a lifetime. Malik would need to put this down to 'intelligence gathering expenses' on his mission report.
Malik stepped forward and placed five bars of latinum on the counter. More than what most folk made here in a year.
"Here's five. We'll take the sword, the EM-33 and everything you know about smuggling activities here on Bathân."
The shopkeeper appeared confused. "Smuggling? I don't know anything about that, I'm but a humble antiques dealer."
Malik placed a further 10 slips down on the counter.
"Now that you mention it. This didn't come from me, but I heard all smuggling activities are run through one gang. The Rihannsu gang. Former imperialists. They're cutthroat and have a tight leash on pretty much every criminal enterprise here."
Malik took the pistol and holstered it. A fine relic from Captain Archer's time. They had their first lead.
"Alright let's go. A pleasure doing business with you."
The pair left the shop and entered the street once again with their new toys.

[Kelly Oren - Outside the Curio Shop - Bathân]

The door slammed shut behind them with a metallic finality, the rapid clatter of locks snapping into place a clear signal that their welcome had ended. Calindra's fingers tightened briefly on the strap of the katana's carrying case as the "Open" sign flipped to "Closed."

She didn't turn around fully, only glancing over her shoulder with a faint smirk. Not exactly the warmest send-off.

The alley beyond the shop stretched ahead, dim and crowded with shadows that shifted too easily. She let her eyes scan their surroundings, as she placed the blade through a sash on her left hip. The blade sat snugly against her hip, its polished sheath reflecting the faint light filtering through the grimy streets.

She stored the rest of her new gear in its carrying case, which she slung over her shoulder and secured to her right hip. Once in place, her fingers brushed the katana's hilt in an almost unconscious gesture of readiness. Bathân had a way of making you feel like prey if you weren't being careful.

"So, the Rihannsu? Where do you suppose we'll find them? Local watering hole?"

[USS Challenger - Inside Toren Autonomy Space]

The Challenger was moving at warp five in formation with the Cutty Sark and the White, as the Onizuka cruised alone 500,000 kilometers ahead of the others ships.

With the lateral sensors committed exclusively to emitting frequencies 180 degrees out of phase with Toren sensors, Lieutenant Randall was limited to using the primary sensor array. Because active mode would make the ship stand out like a beacon in the night, he could only use passive mode.

Despite these limitations, Starfleet sensors were three generations ahead of anything the Toren Autonomy fielded. That fact did nothing to reduce the tension on the bridge. Thus, when Randall picked up a external sensor sweep, he immediately called out.

"Toren sensors, bearing 142 mark 20!"

"Bollicks! Signal Cutty Sark and the White, all stop! Go dark! Prepare a Class-3 probe, programmed to a course 83 mark 45 and configured to broadcast the signature of a Lissepian freighter.. Tell the Onizuka to drop to warp two, but stay on course!"

As the Challenger slowed to a halt and went to minimum power, the tension ratcheted up several levels as the crew waited to see if their "mask" would hold.

[Bathân - Landing pad > Trading Centre]

Quote from: Alexander Wu on December 01, 2024, 11:54:10 PM[Bathân - Landing pad > Trading Centre]

The confrontation seemed to dissipate as rapidly as it had begun, leaving nothing behind but a dead body and green blood trails. It took Alex far longer to get his heartrate and breathing back down to normal, the adrenaline still pumping through him. "Right. Autumn, help me with this." Together, they carried the body up the ramp and out of view into the Dream's cargo bay. Even though Alex did his best not to get bodily fluids everywhere, drops of blood dripping onto the deck were unavoidable. "Sorry Neva, we'll have to worry about where to deposit him after. Do you have a body bag or container we can keep him in till then?"

Kneeling next to the recently deceased, Alex efficiently went through the clothing, looking for anything which may be of value, moreso intelligence-wise than monetary. Noting a strange tattoo on the Romulan's neck but finding nothing else of interest, he returned a few slips of latinum into the corpse's pocket. "We're too new here not to attract more attention. Stay frosty. Come on, Autumn."

Autumn held the ankles of the body in front of her, helping commander Wu get it out of sight, while two drips of thick green blood rolled down the side of her boots. It wasn't lost on her that she had never had to do anything quite like this before, and that there was already a casualty, after they had only just set down on this place seemed a bad omen for the future of their mission.

"You should probably call me Ice, sir," Autumn reminded the commander gently, using her assigned codename for the mission.

Once they had put the body down, she watched closely as he kneeled down next to the body, noticing as he searched the body that his eyes lingered on the curious tattoo in the Romulan's neck. Autumn often observed her superior officers closely, much more closely, she though than most  other cadets in her class. She knew, from a young age, that there was more to being a Starfleet officer than one could learn at the academy, no matter how many seminars on temporal mechanics or comparative exoanatomy she squeezed into her overcrowded schedule. Beyond all of the scientific disciplines she had under her belt, beyond even the challenging modules of first contact diplomacy and subspace battle strategies, which she didn't expect would be needed until much later in her career, being a Starfleet officer required a non insignificant amount of interpersonal abilities. Starships – even the largest flagships of the Federation - were no different from small towns in that everybody on board knew everybody else, and they spent an alaarmingly large amount of time together. Try as she might to hide away in her quarters or in some of the science labs, running models to enhance the ship's sensors, Autumn had to interact with a lot of people every single day. Getting people to like you made life easier, in innumerable ways, but this was not an area where Autumn shined. It wasn't something that came naturally to her as it did to so many other officers. So she observed. She watched her superiors closely, noticing how they conducted themselves, how they moved, how they spoke, hoping to learn by example, to mimic their antics until they became her own. She was so accustomed to doing so that she used every opportunity, even if was a few seconds, right after carrying a dead body by the ankles, to get it out of the way.

Sadly nothing on her research about the smuggling in this part of space told her anything about the strange tatoo on the Romulan's neck. She thought Commander Wu would have appreciated that information, but perhaps Alhanju would know. She made a mental note to include indument and body art information on her next mission's preparatory research pack.

Quote from: Alexander Wu on December 01, 2024, 11:54:10 PM[Bathân - Landing pad > Trading Centre]

Heading back out onto the landing platform, they quickly caught up to Ardyn who was speaking with some of the locals. Unsurprisingly, most seemed warily unhelpful after the lightshow they'd just witnessed. Eventually, they did manage to get directions towards the nearest trading forum, and Alex led the way down one of the busier concourses. "Finding the big fish in a place like this won't be easy...maybe the best place to start would be to keep working on the 'Dream. Call out any vendors you'd like to check out, Rynn. Autumn, any chance you're able to scan for traces of energy readings without making it too obvious? Radiation that might be connected to banned weaponry or equipment?"

Autumn reached for the scanning device inside one of the pockets of her trench coat. It looked like the kind of standard portable database that Ferengi traders used to consult prices and stock updates during negotiations, but that was simply a shell, with the core of a standard Federation scientific tricorder. Autumn had even been careful to add scruff marks to the edges of the device to make it seem battered and old. 

Acting as if she was consulting an entry in a database, the science officer did a broad range radiation scan with only a few easy key strokes, focusing on a panel of panel of specific electromagnetic frequencies known to be associated with illegal items.

"I'm detecting traces of particle radiation, 800 meters in that direction," she said, putting the device away as soon as she gazed at the results, interpreting them to her superior officer. "The information is nonspecific. Likely sources are Varon-T disruptors, Tallonian empathic enhancers and Remat detonators, all of which are strictly regulated in Federation space under the highest security level."

She swallowed hard. Autumn had seen a Varon-T disruptor in action only once before in her life. It was a frightful weapon, one she wished she never had to use even on her worst enemy.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 03, 2024, 10:39:27 AMWu, Ardyn, Autumn
Bathân, Trading Centre
'Actan' was an overweight Bolian sporting a nasty looking facial scar that went through one eye. The eye had been replaced with a bionic replacement that doubled as a scanner. He was boisterous and loud, conversing with the locals and potential customers as to deals to be done.
Actan was the owner of Actan's Gear and Rare Goods shop. A popular destination for traders of all types. Perhaps he would be interested in purchasing some of the Dream's cargo.

(https://64.media.tumblr.com/d59299a4a8df3707614a60488c170076/9ede720828711ee5-7f/s1280x1920/a6383713d69b111ead61678e00dd2bfa7e0df57e.pnj)

The trading center was unlike anything Autumn had ever seen.

A multitude of stalls spread across narrow corridors extending as far as the eye could see. It started not too far away from the landing pad, and the "streets" – if indeed they could be called that – intersected each other at unexpected places. There was noise everywhere. Aliens of species that Autumn had only ever read about in Leonard McCoy's comparative alien physiology stood behind counters and windows that displayed what she could only estimate were millions of items of many different types and origins.

As she started making her way towards the from which she had detected the radiation emissions, she couldn't help but marvel at the wealthy and diversity of elements all around her. On one stand, dozens of vials with powdered and leaves of many different colours were on display – spices, she realized, from a hundred different worlds. Next door, a Rigelian woman selected large yellow fruits from baskets of assorted vegetables, and two stalls down from her, a webbed-fingered Zaldan explained the many functionalities of his D-type robots to a potential customer. There was conversation, laughter, shouting and movement everywhere. Since some of the stalls sold livestock, animals too were roaming those corridors, and Autumn had to get out of the way fast when some type of spiked boar ran through the trading center's corridors, chased by three Ferengi merchants that seemed entirely out of breath.

When they were getting close to the place indicated by her scanner, Autumn noticed the Bolian with a bionic eye, clutching a jar of reprogrammable borg nanoprobes that he insisted were too valuable to part with for any less than twelve bars of gold press latinum. The neon sign above him said "Gear and Rare Goods" in Romulan, or at least, she thought it did, and behind the man, on the corner of a narrow shelf, she saw the unmistakable crystal at the center of what could only be a tallonian  empathic enhancer. She indicated the stall to Commander Wu with her head.

"Disruptors, and empathic enhancers," she said in a low voice.

She waited for the commander to start negotiations, wondering if the Bolian's bionic enhancement could see through her pack, the samples of Kemocite and the Risian artifact.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on November 30, 2024, 07:02:17 PM[Main Shuttlebay - USS Challenger]

After the addition of the Motor Protection Circuit Breakers, the final piece of the masking puzzle was in place, the mission to enter Toren Autonomy space was now ready. The assigned crews boarded the Onizuka, the White, and the Cutty Sark, the crews made their final checks and launched in sequence.

Once they reached the border, Ian give the order for Challenger to follow. The group crossed the border at one half impulse and halted 1,000,000 kilometers inside Toren space.

"What have we got Evan?"

"All systems nominal Captain. Mask is working as per our shuttle test."

"Good work Lieutenant. Ops, signal the squadron, Warp three. We'll hold at this speed and if all goes well, we'll take it up ta warp 5."

The three shuttles and the Challenger flickered with pseudo-motion and were enveloped in their individual warp bubbles that took them out of Einsteinian space and into the realm of faster than light travel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - TAS Dominator]

Captain Halak Scornar sat on his throne-like chair and observed his minions. They worked diligently because they knew the consequences of failing to perform their duty at that level.

"Amazing thing the pain stick. It's probably the only worthwhile contribution the Klingon species will ever make to society."

He thought with a feral grin.

"Observer, report!"

"No observed anomalies Great Leader."

"Acceptable Lesser Minion. Steerage, change course to coreward plus ten degrees, we must make a demonstration over Felnarik."

"As you demand, Great Leader."

The Dominator turned onto the designated course, that coincidentally, put her on an intercept course with the Challenger.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on December 03, 2024, 10:44:49 PM[USS Challenger - Inside Toren Autonomy Space]

The Challenger was moving at warp five in formation with the Cutty Sark and the White, as the Onizuka cruised alone 500,000 kilometers ahead of the others ships.

With the lateral sensors committed exclusively to emitting frequencies 180 degrees out of phase with Toren sensors, Lieutenant Randall was limited to using the primary sensor array. Because active mode would make the ship stand out like a beacon in the night, he could only use passive mode.

Despite these limitations, Starfleet sensors were three generations ahead of anything the Toren Autonomy fielded. That fact did nothing to reduce the tension on the bridge. Thus, when Randall picked up a external sensor sweep, he immediately called out.

"Toren sensors, bearing 142 mark 20!"

"Bollicks! Signal Cutty Sark and the White, all stop! Go dark! Prepare a Class-3 probe, programmed to a course 83 mark 45 and configured to broadcast the signature of a Lissepian freighter.. Tell the Onizuka to drop to warp two, but stay on course!"

As the Challenger slowed to a halt and went to minimum power, the tension ratcheted up several levels as the crew waited to see if their "mask" would hold.

[USS Onizuka | Cockpit | Co Pilot Seat]

Their cruise so far had been pretty smooth. The fixes for the shroud around the shuttle were holding so far, its power draw not meaningful impacting their capabilities. Not that they could use their full power, given their limited speed and the fact the most major systems like active sensors, weapons and shields were powered down to prevent any leaking energy signatures.

The security officers in his back, cramped into the seating of the shuttle, first made him nervous. Their presence an constant reminder that what they were doing here was dangerous, really dangerous. If they got brought up by a cruiser, they would be toast. Even a decently old weapon system, with enough power behind it, would be able to tear apart their hull.

Focusing on the instruments in front of him helped. Their limited speed and precalculated course made the actual flying easier. Still, the passive sensors were less capable than the active once, and they had to run constant course corrections. Passing minor rocks in space and avoiding disturbing cosmic gas clouds, in which they would have left a trail an attentive observer could recognise as unnatural.

As the steady beeping of the instruments and the sameness of the motion began to induce what past generations of humans might have called Highway Coma, a low frequency communiqué arrived from the Challenger.

"We have been ordered to reduce speed and enter a different slightly different course. There seems to be patrol up ahead. With the receiver array only on minimal power, some parts of the message have been lost."

Lowering the speed of the Shuttle Warp 2, he focused the minimal sensor bandwidth they had on the original flight path. Manifesting first as a shadow, a vessel was becoming manifest. This could have been a close call if they hadn't dodged it. Adjusting their course to 83 mark 48, they resumed their course, alone through the depths of space.

Quote from: Neva Cordon on December 02, 2024, 08:56:06 PM[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon|Bathân|Calindra's Dream->Docking Pad]

Neva nodded and started smiling until she saw what Takil the Shirtless was doing. A string of expletives erupted from her as she grabbed his shirt and yanked it down to be eye to eye with her 5'2" stature.

"By all ya hol' deer, boy, wha' got inta yer heed?!?"  Aya yelled in that accent of hers. "An' wend I tell ya t' heng our booty fer all t'see?? Mays well gif'em all we got this rate!" She pushed him away then and stomped over to start yanking the cargo back in.

Shooting him a dark look as she got near him again, she hissed low for only him to hear. "What happened? We've gotta get to a shop to negotiate, remember? Show & Tell like this will get us killed!"

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cargo Bay >- Docking Pad | Calindra's Dream >- Bathân]

"Apologies, Aya," Alhanjhu responded in his exotic accent, both to his apparent distracted moment and to Aya's real identity. Was it possible he felt some Orion pheromones wafting in the air?

"Right, let's find us a shop. There's salvage to sell indeed," he said. He carried a load of salvage on his back - a load enough that a human, even with huge muscles, would strain in pain under - and made ready to depart. "Where you lead, beautiful star dust, I will follow," he said sappily in his character of Talik.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on December 03, 2024, 10:44:49 PM[USS Challenger - Inside Toren Autonomy Space]

The Challenger was moving at warp five in formation with the Cutty Sark and the White, as the Onizuka cruised alone 500,000 kilometers ahead of the others ships.

With the lateral sensors committed exclusively to emitting frequencies 180 degrees out of phase with Toren sensors, Lieutenant Randall was limited to using the primary sensor array. Because active mode would make the ship stand out like a beacon in the night, he could only use passive mode.

Despite these limitations, Starfleet sensors were three generations ahead of anything the Toren Autonomy fielded. That fact did nothing to reduce the tension on the bridge. Thus, when Randall picked up a external sensor sweep, he immediately called out.

"Toren sensors, bearing 142 mark 20!"

"Bollicks! Signal Cutty Sark and the White, all stop! Go dark! Prepare a Class-3 probe, programmed to a course 83 mark 45 and configured to broadcast the signature of a Lissepian freighter.. Tell the Onizuka to drop to warp two, but stay on course!"

As the Challenger slowed to a halt and went to minimum power, the tension ratcheted up several levels as the crew waited to see if their "mask" would hold.

[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark]

Lira was aboard the Cutty Sark to ensure that nothing would deviate from what had been jointly planned by the science and engineering teams. However, it seemed that this would not be a smooth experience.

She could hear Captain Ian's voice over the comms, ordering everyone to stop and shut down all systems. The additional command requested the preparation of a Class-3 probe to try and deceive someone—at least, that's what she understood.

As soon as she heard the order, she immediately began preparing the transmission signal to be sent. It didn't take long, and once she was done, she turned to whoever was in command of the Cutty Sark at that moment.

"I've just programmed the probe to transmit the signal the captain ordered. Once everything is ready, you can launch it," she said, turning her attention back to the ship's screen, trying to see if she could spot anything from her vantage point.

The waiting was what most strained Meval's mind. He was somewhat impatient, and at times even anxious—especially in stressful situations like this one, where any mistake could lead to a battle in enemy territory and possibly the loss of lives. At that moment, all he could do was silently pray to the Prophets, hoping that everything would work out.

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on December 03, 2024, 11:45:31 AM[Kelly Oren - Outside the Curio Shop - Bathân]

The door slammed shut behind them with a metallic finality, the rapid clatter of locks snapping into place a clear signal that their welcome had ended. Calindra's fingers tightened briefly on the strap of the katana's carrying case as the "Open" sign flipped to "Closed."

She didn't turn around fully, only glancing over her shoulder with a faint smirk. Not exactly the warmest send-off.

The alley beyond the shop stretched ahead, dim and crowded with shadows that shifted too easily. She let her eyes scan their surroundings, as she placed the blade through a sash on her left hip. The blade sat snugly against her hip, its polished sheath reflecting the faint light filtering through the grimy streets.

She stored the rest of her new gear in its carrying case, which she slung over her shoulder and secured to her right hip. Once in place, her fingers brushed the katana's hilt in an almost unconscious gesture of readiness. Bathân had a way of making you feel like prey if you weren't being careful.

"So, the Rihannsu? Where do you suppose we'll find them? Local watering hole?"

[Bathân, outside Curio shop]

Malik surveyed their surroundings, mindful of being ambushed again. They were definitely in the sketchier part of town, with the mess of so many people crammed into a small space all around. A couple of beggars lined the alleyway with their bowls out seeking coin, including a Romulan woman who held a tiny babe close to her breast. Malik felt a pang of guilt having just spent so much latinum on trinkets, when right outside people were struggling to survive.

Solving the economic and social problems of Bathân wasn't their mission however. Their mission was to stop smuggling across the border, but what if that smuggling was providing the basic necessities to these people.

"It's a good a place as any. Let's go."

The pair continued into the darker parts of town. The shops were slowly replaced with seedy bars, brothels and narcotic dealers. The people here were drunker, louder and rougher. Malik felt danger all around. As if anyone could attack them and get away with it. Eyes watched them as they made their way through the crowd, monitoring their encroachment into gang territory.

At the end of this street they came to a bar packed with people of ill reputation. A fight was underway between some pimp and clients. Others gambled. Men, Women and even synths of all species tried to entice people to their rooms. Drink flowed and loud music blasted out of speakers.

Marked on the walls of the place was a Romulan symbol of some sort. Unbeknownst to Malik, it matched the tattoo of their ambusher from earlier.

Malik entered the bar and found two seats. Of the clientele of this place 90% were either drunk or high. 10% were stone cold sober and eyed the pair intently. If ever there was a sign they had entered a gang controlled establishment, this was it.

"Two Risan Mai-Tai's please, on the rocks."
 
The barkeep, an attractive Bajoran woman presented them with their drinks.

"This is, nice."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 05, 2024, 03:06:17 AM[Bathân, outside Curio shop]

...
At the end of this street they came to a bar packed with people of ill reputation. A fight was underway between some pimp and clients. Others gambled. Men, Women and even synths of all species tried to entice people to their rooms. Drink flowed and loud music blasted out of speakers.

Marked on the walls of the place was a Romulan symbol of some sort. Unbeknownst to Malik, it matched the tattoo of their ambusher from earlier.

Malik entered the bar and found two seats. Of the clientele of this place 90% were either drunk or high. 10% were stone cold sober and eyed the pair intently. If ever there was a sign they had entered a gang controlled establishment, this was it.

"Two Risan Mai-Tai's please, on the rocks."
 
The barkeep, an attractive Bajoran woman presented them with their drinks.

"This is, nice."

[Kelly Oren - Seedy Bar - Bathân]


To the young Lieutenant, the bar was way out of her comfort zone. She had been to seedy places, but she had been privileged enough over the years to not having to go to a place that specifically catered to gang members. Call it a fault in her upbringing at having been given the best instructors given her parents connections.

Certainly her father had made sure that his flower would grow up with thorns and he made sure she could defend herself. Hence the martial art lessons, including some sword combat because some places still believed in the old ways of calling out for a duel. Though, she had to admit, Bathân wasn't such a place where they would be using any of the old formal rules of engagement.

Her mother meanwhile, had showed her the price cultures pay for mismanaging their finances. It created a class in dire poverty which meant that the only way to ensure food on the table was to resort to crime. In came the gangs, a quick solution to their problems, but the gangs weren't knowledgeable in creating an economy or providing for the poor, and so the problems worsened, people hardened and problems festered.

She leaned back against the bar, subtly keeping her dominant hand near the hilt of her new katana, the act more instinctive than calculated. The blade's presence was both a comfort and a statement — a silent warning that she wasn't to be trifled with. She gave Malik a thankful glance at the unexpected gift, and she couldn't wait to crack the hilt. The store owner might not have know how to verify its authenticity, but she certainly did.

When Malik ordered the Mai-Tai, she raised an eyebrow and shot him a dry look. "A Mai-Tai? Here?" she teased, her voice trying to be heard over their boombox, but laced with amusement. "Might as well shout out that we're fresh off the boat."

Still, she clinked her glass against his with a faint thank you before taking a sip. The drink was overly sweet, masking the cheapness of the ingredients. Her tongue flicked against her teeth as she set the glass down, scanning the room again. "Nice touch, though, if what you wanted was their attention," she added as she nodded toward one of the stone-cold sober patrons who was staring a bit too intently in their direction. "Subtle as a Klingon opera."

She leaned a fraction closer to Malik without taking her eyes off the room. "Bet you ten strips this place gets lively before we finish these drinks."

Quote from: Lira Meval on December 05, 2024, 12:07:00 AM[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark]

Lira was aboard the Cutty Sark to ensure that nothing would deviate from what had been jointly planned by the science and engineering teams. However, it seemed that this would not be a smooth experience.

She could hear Captain Ian's voice over the comms, ordering everyone to stop and shut down all systems. The additional command requested the preparation of a Class-3 probe to try and deceive someone—at least, that's what she understood.

As soon as she heard the order, she immediately began preparing the transmission signal to be sent. It didn't take long, and once she was done, she turned to whoever was in command of the Cutty Sark at that moment.

"I've just programmed the probe to transmit the signal the captain ordered. Once everything is ready, you can launch it," she said, turning her attention back to the ship's screen, trying to see if she could spot anything from her vantage point.

The waiting was what most strained Meval's mind. He was somewhat impatient, and at times even anxious—especially in stressful situations like this one, where any mistake could lead to a battle in enemy territory and possibly the loss of lives. At that moment, all he could do was silently pray to the Prophets, hoping that everything would work out.

[Shuttle - Cutty Sark]

With the shuttle at all stop, Ensign Schlemann nodded to Lira to acknowledge her as he waited for a response from Challenger. The pause gave Petty Officer Kelsey time to run a quick diagnostic on the modifications to ensure their part of the mask was still functioning within designated parameters.

Schlemann didn't have long to wait as Challenger sent a one word message on a tight beam.

"Launch."

Schlemann fired the probe and the stealthed autonomous device oriented itself and began accelerating. When it was two million kilometers away from the trio of parked ships, it began radiating the signature of a Lissipian freighter running at top speed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - TAS Dominator]

The mood on the bridge was tense, but it was always tense when one knew even the most trivial mistake would result in being punished with a Klingon pain stick. High Command believed it improved efficiency, but all it did was leave the crew in a constant state of fear, which High Command also thought was a positive outcome. Thus when the signature of a freighter suddenly appeared on the sensor operator's screen she immediately squeaked.

"Great Leader, a target has appeared coreward plus 25 degrees, it is a Lissipian freighter."

"Appeared you say? Define appeared or face discipline!"

Terrified the woman managed to reply in a more even tone as she knew appearing afraid would only lengthen the punishment.

"The ship suddenly accelerated. Speculation is they were laying dormant to avoid detection and on spotting our approach, they decided to run for the Infidel's border."

Scornar stood and pulled his pain stick from its holster and approached the woman who managed a stoic expression despite her fear. He stopped next to her and smiled an awful, feral smile.

"An acceptable hypothesis Least Minion."

He turned away from her and called out.

"Steerage. Change to intercept course and accelerate to maximize speed. We will pay these Lissipians a visit and show them one does not run from the Toren Autonomy. Follow orders!"

The crew quickly executed their required tasks as Scornar returned to his Command Throne and began thinking about the lessons he would teach the freighter's crew.

[Prior to departure from Starbase 153]

After her long leave of absence she finally was back in space. Her parents were back to health and that was the only thing that mattered to her at that moment. Oh how she loved her parents her real love was space and being a space medical officer. So after going back to Starfleet she was more ready than ever to come back. Her assignment was the USS Challenger. Curious yet a little anxious she reporter back to duty. The space adventure continues.

[Medical bay - USS Challenger]

There she was. Walking back into the medical bay looking around. It felt like home.. this shop is home. Heading for the reception she looked around. At the desk she looked at the receptionist and smiled, a big smile that was. :Hello, CJ Dawson reporting for duty here. Can I speak to the Chief Medical Officer please?" she asked.

Quote from: CJ Dawson on December 06, 2024, 04:31:55 PM[Prior to departure from Starbase 153]

After her long leave of absence she finally was back in space. Her parents were back to health and that was the only thing that mattered to her at that moment. Oh how she loved her parents her real love was space and being a space medical officer. So after going back to Starfleet she was more ready than ever to come back. Her assignment was the USS Challenger. Curious yet a little anxious she reporter back to duty. The space adventure continues.

[Medical bay - USS Challenger]

There she was. Walking back into the medical bay looking around. It felt like home.. this shop is home. Heading for the reception she looked around. At the desk she looked at the receptionist and smiled, a big smile that was. :Hello, CJ Dawson reporting for duty here. Can I speak to the Chief Medical Officer please?" she asked.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

"Somebody remind me why I agreed to do this again?"

Jess grumbled as she worked her way through the datawork associated with being the Chief Medical Officer on a ship with a crew of over 500. She sat in her office, but her door was open and she heard a new voice.

"Anything to get away from this console screen."

She rose, exited her office, and greeted the new Lieutenant.

"Welcome to Challenger Lieutenant. I'm Lieutenant Commander Fellows. So happy to meet you and have you join the team. Currently, we have two away teams off the ship, but both are operating undercover, so if they get into trouble, we won't be able to help them. Before I show you around, you have any questions?"

Quote from: Ian Galloway on December 06, 2024, 08:21:31 AM[Shuttle - Cutty Sark]

With the shuttle at all stop, Ensign Schlemann nodded to Lira to acknowledge her as he waited for a response from Challenger. The pause gave Petty Officer Kelsey time to run a quick diagnostic on the modifications to ensure their part of the mask was still functioning within designated parameters.

Schlemann didn't have long to wait as Challenger sent a one word message on a tight beam.

"Launch."

Schlemann fired the probe and the stealthed autonomous device oriented itself and began accelerating. When it was two million kilometers away from the trio of parked ships, it began radiating the signature of a Lissipian freighter running at top speed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - TAS Dominator]

The mood on the bridge was tense, but it was always tense when one knew even the most trivial mistake would result in being punished with a Klingon pain stick. High Command believed it improved efficiency, but all it did was leave the crew in a constant state of fear, which High Command also thought was a positive outcome. Thus when the signature of a freighter suddenly appeared on the sensor operator's screen she immediately squeaked.

"Great Leader, a target has appeared coreward plus 25 degrees, it is a Lissipian freighter."

"Appeared you say? Define appeared or face discipline!"

Terrified the woman managed to reply in a more even tone as she knew appearing afraid would only lengthen the punishment.

"The ship suddenly accelerated. Speculation is they were laying dormant to avoid detection and on spotting our approach, they decided to run for the Infidel's border."

Scornar stood and pulled his pain stick from its holster and approached the woman who managed a stoic expression despite her fear. He stopped next to her and smiled an awful, feral smile.

"An acceptable hypothesis Least Minion."

He turned away from her and called out.

"Steerage. Change to intercept course and accelerate to maximize speed. We will pay these Lissipians a visit and show them one does not run from the Toren Autonomy. Follow orders!"

The crew quickly executed their required tasks as Scornar returned to his Command Throne and began thinking about the lessons he would teach the freighter's crew.

Had gone with science officer Lira meval to asure that if any problems arose on the shuttle there would be someone from engineering there to handle it.  It had been a Busy day for the Gorn and she had to guess Lira was also having a bit of stressful day. The two were both assigned to the Challenger on the same day. And now They were working on smuggling the shuttles and the U.S.S challenger into enemy spaace.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The gorn had to stoop a little in the cuty shark. Bending her back and hunching over. But even so her head was still close to the roof of the shuttle.  She would look to Lira as she said the probe was ready to launch. So far, the Young Human female had been a very impressive and intellectual capable specimen of her species. The gornwould rumble approvingly and look to the Ensign Schlemann as he Respond.  She was impressed so far, the humans were being very Gorn. Once a course was decided on the gorn would follow through. The Gorn's will was ony of the few thingts know about about the Gorn as an alliance of several reptilian race. That and being fierce warriors and so far the Challenger and he crew was impressin g the Gorn Azsayuk.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  She briefly closed her eyelids over her red eyes. Offering a silently pray to the Mistress of Fertility, S'Yahazah.  It waas the S'yahazah who had saved the Gorn egges from The Great father. Another powerful deity in gorn mythology.    She knew Both S'yahazah and the great father would both play their roles in this upcoming missiong. Perhaps with S'yahazah blessing the mission would go well. If it did not. Azsayak hoped she would make the Great father Proud. Azsayak would fight whatever came next not to shame the Great father.  She would look to Lira and ensign Schelmenn before looking at the nearest console to see how the probe was doing. 

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 03, 2024, 10:39:27 AM[Bathân, Curio shop]

---

Wu, Ardyn, Autumn
Bathân, Trading Centre

'Actan' was an overweight Bolian sporting a nasty-looking facial scar that went through one eye. The eye had been replaced with a bionic replacement that doubled as a scanner. He was boisterous and loud, conversing with the locals and potential customers as to deals to be done.

Actan was the owner of Actan's Gear and Rare Goods shop. A popular destination for traders of all types. Perhaps he would be interested in purchasing some of the Dream's cargo.

Quote from: Autumn on December 04, 2024, 08:15:45 PM[Bathân - Landing pad > Trading Centre]



Autumn held the ankles of the body in front of her, helping commander Wu get it out of sight, while two drips of thick green blood rolled down the side of her boots. It wasn't lost on her that she had never had to do anything quite like this before, and that there was already a casualty, after they had only just set down on this place seemed a bad omen for the future of their mission.

"You should probably call me Ice, sir," Autumn reminded the commander gently, using her assigned codename for the mission.

Once they had put the body down, she watched closely as he kneeled down next to the body, noticing as he searched the body that his eyes lingered on the curious tattoo in the Romulan's neck. Autumn often observed her superior officers closely, much more closely, she though than most  other cadets in her class. She knew, from a young age, that there was more to being a Starfleet officer than one could learn at the academy, no matter how many seminars on temporal mechanics or comparative exoanatomy she squeezed into her overcrowded schedule. Beyond all of the scientific disciplines she had under her belt, beyond even the challenging modules of first contact diplomacy and subspace battle strategies, which she didn't expect would be needed until much later in her career, being a Starfleet officer required a non insignificant amount of interpersonal abilities. Starships – even the largest flagships of the Federation - were no different from small towns in that everybody on board knew everybody else, and they spent an alaarmingly large amount of time together. Try as she might to hide away in her quarters or in some of the science labs, running models to enhance the ship's sensors, Autumn had to interact with a lot of people every single day. Getting people to like you made life easier, in innumerable ways, but this was not an area where Autumn shined. It wasn't something that came naturally to her as it did to so many other officers. So she observed. She watched her superiors closely, noticing how they conducted themselves, how they moved, how they spoke, hoping to learn by example, to mimic their antics until they became her own. She was so accustomed to doing so that she used every opportunity, even if was a few seconds, right after carrying a dead body by the ankles, to get it out of the way.

Sadly nothing on her research about the smuggling in this part of space told her anything about the strange tatoo on the Romulan's neck. She thought Commander Wu would have appreciated that information, but perhaps Alhanju would know. She made a mental note to include indument and body art information on her next mission's preparatory research pack.




Autumn reached for the scanning device inside one of the pockets of her trench coat. It looked like the kind of standard portable database that Ferengi traders used to consult prices and stock updates during negotiations, but that was simply a shell, with the core of a standard Federation scientific tricorder. Autumn had even been careful to add scruff marks to the edges of the device to make it seem battered and old. 

Acting as if she was consulting an entry in a database, the science officer did a broad range radiation scan with only a few easy key strokes, focusing on a panel of panel of specific electromagnetic frequencies known to be associated with illegal items.

"I'm detecting traces of particle radiation, 800 meters in that direction," she said, putting the device away as soon as she gazed at the results, interpreting them to her superior officer. "The information is nonspecific. Likely sources are Varon-T disruptors, Tallonian empathic enhancers and Remat detonators, all of which are strictly regulated in Federation space under the highest security level."

She swallowed hard. Autumn had seen a Varon-T disruptor in action only once before in her life. It was a frightful weapon, one she wished she never had to use even on her worst enemy.

(https://64.media.tumblr.com/d59299a4a8df3707614a60488c170076/9ede720828711ee5-7f/s1280x1920/a6383713d69b111ead61678e00dd2bfa7e0df57e.pnj)

The trading center was unlike anything Autumn had ever seen.

A multitude of stalls spread across narrow corridors extending as far as the eye could see. It started not too far away from the landing pad, and the "streets" – if indeed they could be called that – intersected each other at unexpected places. There was noise everywhere. Aliens of species that Autumn had only ever read about in Leonard McCoy's comparative alien physiology stood behind counters and windows that displayed what she could only estimate were millions of items of many different types and origins.

As she started making her way towards the from which she had detected the radiation emissions, she couldn't help but marvel at the wealthy and diversity of elements all around her. On one stand, dozens of vials with powdered and leaves of many different colours were on display – spices, she realized, from a hundred different worlds. Next door, a Rigelian woman selected large yellow fruits from baskets of assorted vegetables, and two stalls down from her, a webbed-fingered Zaldan explained the many functionalities of his D-type robots to a potential customer. There was conversation, laughter, shouting and movement everywhere. Since some of the stalls sold livestock, animals too were roaming those corridors, and Autumn had to get out of the way fast when some type of spiked boar ran through the trading center's corridors, chased by three Ferengi merchants that seemed entirely out of breath.

When they were getting close to the place indicated by her scanner, Autumn noticed the Bolian with a bionic eye, clutching a jar of reprogrammable borg nanoprobes that he insisted were too valuable to part with for any less than twelve bars of gold press latinum. The neon sign above him said "Gear and Rare Goods" in Romulan, or at least, she thought it did, and behind the man, on the corner of a narrow shelf, she saw the unmistakable crystal at the center of what could only be a tallonian  empathic enhancer. She indicated the stall to Commander Wu with her head.

"Disruptors, and empathic enhancers," she said in a low voice.

She waited for the commander to start negotiations, wondering if the Bolian's bionic enhancement could see through her pack, the samples of Kemocite and the Risian artifact.

[Marketplace - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]

Ardyn nodded when Autumn confirmed their suspicions.  Disruptors, Empathetic enhancers, and all sorts of goods towering high in the back rooms of this shop.

Guns? Enhancers? I think we might have found the jackpot. Ardy smirked, sending that thought to Alex, all the while looking at who she assumed was Actan himself. 

That one eye of his seemed to bore into her as he scrutinized the three. Could his implant see through them? She wasn't sure, and she didn't really want to find out.

   "Whaddaya want I don't have all day." He said, glaring dismissively.

"Got some Stuff to sell or trade. Whole cargoload full and everything so there's a whole lot more where that came from," she said,  placing down a Hor'ghan and a small fragment of the Kemocite.  The Bolian's one good eye seemed to go wide at the sight of the Kemocite. 

 "You don't see that every day, that's for sure.   he said, eying the rare material.

"You said that right.  Mind if my Partner and Associate here take a look at your wares first before we make a deal? See if we can find something.... equivalent? " she asked, opening up Alex and Autumn to snoop through this guy's stash.

Quote from: Azsayak on December 07, 2024, 12:48:34 AMHad gone with science officer Lira meval to asure that if any problems arose on the shuttle there would be someone from engineering there to handle it.  It had been a Busy day for the Gorn and she had to guess Lira was also having a bit of stressful day. The two were both assigned to the Challenger on the same day. And now They were working on smuggling the shuttles and the U.S.S challenger into enemy spaace.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The gorn had to stoop a little in the cuty shark. Bending her back and hunching over. But even so her head was still close to the roof of the shuttle.  She would look to Lira as she said the probe was ready to launch. So far, the Young Human female had been a very impressive and intellectual capable specimen of her species. The gornwould rumble approvingly and look to the Ensign Schlemann as he Respond.  She was impressed so far, the humans were being very Gorn. Once a course was decided on the gorn would follow through. The Gorn's will was ony of the few thingts know about about the Gorn as an alliance of several reptilian race. That and being fierce warriors and so far the Challenger and he crew was impressin g the Gorn Azsayuk.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  She briefly closed her eyelids over her red eyes. Offering a silently pray to the Mistress of Fertility, S'Yahazah.  It waas the S'yahazah who had saved the Gorn egges from The Great father. Another powerful deity in gorn mythology.    She knew Both S'yahazah and the great father would both play their roles in this upcoming missiong. Perhaps with S'yahazah blessing the mission would go well. If it did not. Azsayak hoped she would make the Great father Proud. Azsayak would fight whatever came next not to shame the Great father.  She would look to Lira and ensign Schelmenn before looking at the nearest console to see how the probe was doing. 

[Cutty Sark - Inside Toren Autonomy Space]

The tension on board the shuttle was palpable as the Toren Cruiser detected the "Lissipian freighter" and changed course to intercept their decoy. There was a noticeable reduction in the tension as it looked like their feint would work. The three ships waited a half hour before receiving a tight beam message from Challenger.

"Continue on course for Felnarik, warp two."

Schlemann smoothly took the Cutty Sark to warp and it felt comforting to be back on mission. The Onizuka had gained a small lead on the rest of the squadron during the time they had to play possum, which had always been the plan to let the smaller Type-9 pull away and reach Felnarik on its own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - USS Challenger]

The tension on the bridge was no less palpable as the Toren cruiser changed course. When it was clear they had taken the bait, it was as if everyone on the bridge could breathe again.

"My respect for those old naval submariners has gone up a wee bit. Good work everyone, if'n I were a bettin' man, I wouldn't have even given a slip of latinum that that trick would have worked. I'm going ta recommend a commendation for the entire team for their work on our mask. Helm, steady as she goes for Fenarik, keep us at warp two. No need ta call attention back ta ourselves after that close call."

Ian was still skeptical that they could pull off this caper, but he was beginning to have some faith that their mask would give them a better chance to be successful that he would have thought possible, which was, all things considered, progress.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on December 07, 2024, 02:18:18 AM[Marketplace - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]

Ardyn nodded when Autumn confirmed their suspicions.  Disruptors, Empathetic enhancers, and all sorts of goods towering high in the back rooms of this shop.

Guns? Enhancers? I think we might have found the jackpot. Ardy smirked, sending that thought to Alex, all the while looking at who she assumed was Actan himself. 

That one eye of his seemed to bore into her as he scrutinized the three. Could his implant see through them? She wasn't sure, and she didn't really want to find out.

   "Whaddaya want I don't have all day." He said, glaring dismissively.

"Got some Stuff to sell or trade. Whole cargoload full and everything so there's a whole lot more where that came from," she said,  placing down a Hor'ghan and a small fragment of the Kemocite.  The Bolian's one good eye seemed to go wide at the sight of the Kemocite. 

 "You don't see that every day, that's for sure.   he said, eying the rare material.

"You said that right.  Mind if my Partner and Associate here take a look at your wares first before we make a deal? See if we can find something.... equivalent? " she asked, opening up Alex and Autumn to snoop through this guy's stash.

[Actan's Gear and Rare Goods - Bathân]

Actan ignored the Hor'ghan, being fixatied on the kemocite. He gave Ardy a long, penetrating look with his natural eye before he said.

"I don't know how much of this you have, but if you've got more than 100 kilos, I don't have the cash to cover that much, but I know a guy. He's rough around the edges, especially with those he doesn't know, but he has the network to handle as much kemocite as you have.

"I'm willin' to trade product for information... let's say 10 kilos for how to contact my guy. Deal?"

Quote from: Calindra Hejaran on December 05, 2024, 10:00:15 AM[Kelly Oren - Seedy Bar - Bathân]


To the young Lieutenant, the bar was way out of her comfort zone. She had been to seedy places, but she had been privileged enough over the years to not having to go to a place that specifically catered to gang members. Call it a fault in her upbringing at having been given the best instructors given her parents connections.

Certainly her father had made sure that his flower would grow up with thorns and he made sure she could defend herself. Hence the martial art lessons, including some sword combat because some places still believed in the old ways of calling out for a duel. Though, she had to admit, Bathân wasn't such a place where they would be using any of the old formal rules of engagement.

Her mother meanwhile, had showed her the price cultures pay for mismanaging their finances. It created a class in dire poverty which meant that the only way to ensure food on the table was to resort to crime. In came the gangs, a quick solution to their problems, but the gangs weren't knowledgeable in creating an economy or providing for the poor, and so the problems worsened, people hardened and problems festered.

She leaned back against the bar, subtly keeping her dominant hand near the hilt of her new katana, the act more instinctive than calculated. The blade's presence was both a comfort and a statement — a silent warning that she wasn't to be trifled with. She gave Malik a thankful glance at the unexpected gift, and she couldn't wait to crack the hilt. The store owner might not have know how to verify its authenticity, but she certainly did.

When Malik ordered the Mai-Tai, she raised an eyebrow and shot him a dry look. "A Mai-Tai? Here?" she teased, her voice trying to be heard over their boombox, but laced with amusement. "Might as well shout out that we're fresh off the boat."

Still, she clinked her glass against his with a faint thank you before taking a sip. The drink was overly sweet, masking the cheapness of the ingredients. Her tongue flicked against her teeth as she set the glass down, scanning the room again. "Nice touch, though, if what you wanted was their attention," she added as she nodded toward one of the stone-cold sober patrons who was staring a bit too intently in their direction. "Subtle as a Klingon opera."

She leaned a fraction closer to Malik without taking her eyes off the room. "Bet you ten strips this place gets lively before we finish these drinks."

[Bathân, Seedy Bar]

Malik sipped his mai-tai. It wasn't completed terrible, which was better than what he expected. The pair, a couple of strangers in the roughest bar on Bathân stuck out like a sore thumb. But that was the plan.

Before they had finished their first drink the welcoming committee came over. Four of the staring Romulans came over to their table surrounding the pair.

"We haven't seen you two round here before. Where are you from and what are you doing here?"

"Evening friends. My associate and I are visiting Bathân for the first time. A nice world, though your mai-tai's aren't to my taste. You see, if you want a genuine Risan mai-tai you gotta use the traditional ingredients..."

The Romulans didn't appear amused. One pulling out a knife and placing it on the table.

"Word around town is, newcomers have been asking a lot of questions and flashing a lot of latinum. This raises questions and we would like some answers... now tell us who you are and why you are here."

Malik subtly nodded to Calindra as he discreetly withdrew his pistol under the table.

"Friends. How about you take us to your leader and I'll explain everything."

One of the Romulans placed a hand on Malik's shoulder. "How about I gut you now and take that latinum you're carrying..."

"On Risa, that would be considered rude..."

Malik kicked the table over into one of the Romulans giving Calindra the opening she needed to draw. In the same moment he fired blasting a hole in another...

[Kelly Oren - Seedy Bar - Bathân]

As Malik's kick sent the table into one of the Romulans, Cali was already in motion. Her katana cleared its sheath in a single, smooth draw, the blade flashing in the dim light like liquid silver.

Her first strike wasn't aimed to kill. A shallow but precise slash across the knife-wielding Romulan's forearm sent his weapon clattering to the floor. The blade's edge was so sharp that he didn't register the pain until a half-second later, clutching his arm with a cry.

Meanwhile, Malik's phaser fired again, dropping another Romulan as more gang members joined the fray. The room was devolving into a brawl, while the more timid if the clientele ran for the exits. One of the sober patrons — a Klingon with a disruptor pistol — leveled his weapon at Malik.

"Behind you!" Calindra shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.

Malik spun and fired, his shot knocking the disruptor from the Klingon's hand, but not before the blast scorched the wall behind him. The Klingon roared and charged Malik, fists raised.

Calindra had no time to see how Malik handled the new threat.

Another Romulan lunged toward her with a growl, but Calindra shifted her stance subtly. Her blade flowed downward in a clean arc, catching his improvised club and driving it aside before landing a quick, controlled strike to his leg. He stumbled backward, crashing into the bar.

A third came at her from the side, attempting to flank her. Without looking, Calindra pivoted into him, her blade angled low. The motion was elegant, deceptively simple—using the Romulan's momentum against him, she redirected his charge into a stumble past her, where she delivered a precise tap of the sword's blunt edge to the back of his head. He crumpled to the ground unconscious.

The bar's dim lighting flickered, casting eerie shadows as more patrons, clearly gang members, began to rise from their seats. A grizzled Andorian with a cybernetic eye grinned maliciously and stepped forward, a pair of electro-knives sparking to life in his hands.

"I haven't seen a blade like that since the border skirmishes," the Andorian sneered, his antennae twitching as he sized up Calindra. "Let's see if your fancy moves can match mine."

With a sigh, Calindra's grip tightened on her katana. Apparently, this wasn't going to be a simple skirmish. She shifted her stance into a defensive position, her blade angled slightly forward, ready to respond and spring into motion at a moment's notice.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on December 06, 2024, 08:21:31 AM[Shuttle - Cutty Sark]
With the shuttle at all stop, Ensign Schlemann nodded to Lira to acknowledge her as he waited for a response from Challenger. The pause gave Petty Officer Kelsey time to run a quick diagnostic on the modifications to ensure their part of the mask was still functioning within designated parameters.
Schlemann didn't have long to wait as Challenger sent a one word message on a tight beam.
"Launch."
Schlemann fired the probe and the stealthed autonomous device oriented itself and began accelerating. When it was two million kilometers away from the trio of parked ships, it began radiating the signature of a Lissipian freighter running at top speed.

Quote from: Azsayak on December 07, 2024, 12:48:34 AMHad gone with science officer Lira meval to asure that if any problems arose on the shuttle there would be someone from engineering there to handle it.  It had been a Busy day for the Gorn and she had to guess Lira was also having a bit of stressful day. The two were both assigned to the Challenger on the same day. And now They were working on smuggling the shuttles and the U.S.S challenger into enemy spaace.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The gorn had to stoop a little in the cuty shark. Bending her back and hunching over. But even so her head was still close to the roof of the shuttle.  She would look to Lira as she said the probe was ready to launch. So far, the Young Human female had been a very impressive and intellectual capable specimen of her species. The gornwould rumble approvingly and look to the Ensign Schlemann as he Respond.  She was impressed so far, the humans were being very Gorn. Once a course was decided on the gorn would follow through. The Gorn's will was ony of the few thingts know about about the Gorn as an alliance of several reptilian race. That and being fierce warriors and so far the Challenger and he crew was impressin g the Gorn Azsayuk.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  She briefly closed her eyelids over her red eyes. Offering a silently pray to the Mistress of Fertility, S'Yahazah.  It waas the S'yahazah who had saved the Gorn egges from The Great father. Another powerful deity in gorn mythology.    She knew Both S'yahazah and the great father would both play their roles in this upcoming missiong. Perhaps with S'yahazah blessing the mission would go well. If it did not. Azsayak hoped she would make the Great father Proud. Azsayak would fight whatever came next not to shame the Great father.  She would look to Lira and ensign Schelmenn before looking at the nearest console to see how the probe was doing. 

Quote from: Ian Galloway on December 07, 2024, 04:44:05 PM[Cutty Sark - Inside Toren Autonomy Space]
The tension on board the shuttle was palpable as the Toren Cruiser detected the "Lissipian freighter" and changed course to intercept their decoy. There was a noticeable reduction in the tension as it looked like their feint would work. The three ships waited a half hour before receiving a tight beam message from Challenger.
"Continue on course for Felnarik, warp two."
Schlemann smoothly took the Cutty Sark to warp and it felt comforting to be back on mission. The Onizuka had gained a small lead on the rest of the squadron during the time they had to play possum, which had always been the plan to let the smaller Type-9 pull away and reach Felnarik on its own.

[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark]

The tension was almost palpable as Lira kept her eyes fixed on the console, monitoring the probe's readings and the masking system used on the shuttle. The initial adjustments seemed to be working as planned, but she knew even a minor failure could expose the Cutty Sark and the other ships. "The parameters are stable," she commented aloud, more to herself than to the others, as she double-checked the data one last time. She glanced at Azsayak, who observed everything with her usual quiet and watchful demeanor. Meval looked at her and offered a small, confident smile. "We're on the right track," she added, turning back to her work.

After the successful launch of the probe, Lira took another look at her readings, paying close attention to everything displayed on her screen. As soon as the enemy ship altered its course to intercept the probe, she kept her eyes glued to the monitor and said, "The signature is transmitting correctly. They took the bait," her tone a mix of relief and surprise.

After some time, which felt like an eternity, the Challenger's message arrived, authorizing the mission to continue. As Schlemann took the Cutty Sark to warp, Lira exhaled deeply, finally allowing a small wave of relief to wash over her. "It was a good start, but we need to stay sharp," she said, almost as a reminder to herself and the others. She knew that while this obstacle had been overcome, enemy space still held many challenges ahead.

Quote from: Alhanjhu on December 04, 2024, 11:54:15 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik | Cargo Bay >- Docking Pad | Calendar's Dream >- Bathân]
"Apologies, Aya," Alhanjhu responded in his exotic accent, both to his apparent distracted moment and to Aya's real identity. Was it possible he felt some Orion pheromones wafting in the air?
"Right, let's find us a shop. There's salvage to sell indeed," he said. He carried a load of salvage on his back – a load enough that a human, even with huge muscles, would strain in pain under – and made ready to depart. "Where you lead, beautiful star dust, I will follow," he said sappily in his character of Talik.

[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon/Aya]
Neva rolled her eyes at his sappiness, but tried to give him a stern look.
"Ah'eet, see that y'do." She said simply, put some of the "better" hover tablesmall hover-table, and headed for the Recycling Center.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 03, 2024, 10:39:27 AM

---

Neva, AJ Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre
Having convinced AJ to leave the scrap behind before negotiations, Neva led the way to the nearest metal Recycling centre. Here the air was particularly thick with industrial pollutants and smog from nearby magnasite refineries.
Approaching the yard they saw a trade booth manned by a Romulan worker. A long line of people were standing at the booth waiting to be seen. The recycling prices of various metals were presented on a large display board. The prices were low, even by scrap standards.

[Neva/Aya|In Line]
Neva sighed as she pulled the table closer, trying to keep the fear at bay. She frowned when she read the prices then leaned in to speak in low tones to Alhanjhu, though she tried to keep in character.

"This ain't ah'eet,Takil, me frien'. I ken feel it." Leaning back, Neva continued in a more conversational tone between them.
"If'n I'd had the way of it, there'd be bes' then this!" She gestured up at the place before them with a small snort and frowned.

Neva scanned the area, looking for a speck of evidence of better. Her frowned deepened when she couldn't find anything. It was then she heard a hard, clear cough directly behind her. As she turned to offer whoever it was a general blessing of better health, a tight grip on her wrist stopped her cold. Jaw clenching in frustration at being so handled, Aya's dark eyes followed the fingers up to hold a set of ancient ice-blue ones.

"Wha'ar yeh th-" Her words were cut off with a hissed "shhh" and a tightening of the grip on her wrist.

"Listen and well t'me girlie now," Came the sing-song reply near her ear. "I be warnin ya once-like. The walls do have ears, they do. Aye, our line does lead to inferior pay, so it seems. Ya knowin' what hagglin' is, girlie?" He didn't wait for a reply, just rushed on. "Aye, I can see ya do, so I does. Do it well, do it high, do it quick. These Rommies don' like slow in any form, ya see."

Neva nodded slowly in acknowledgement, expression and body frozen in place. Through a clenching jaw, she pulled back on her imprisoned arm a little harder as she replied in an equal tone.

"Aye, I be gettin' yer point, man! I thek ya fer th' advice. We'll be takin' it easy 'nuff, surely."  *Tug tug*  "Now If'n ya don' mine, gimme mah arm for I take bek me theks!"

The old man nodded mutely and released her. With a bob of the head once more in thanks, she turned back to her comrade. Rubbing her wrist, Neva repeated what she'd been told to Alhanjhu in a rushed whisper.

Neva then tilted her head to the side and asked simply, "Wha'cha be thinkin' a this then?"

Quote from: Ian Galloway on December 06, 2024, 06:23:00 PM[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

"Somebody remind me why I agreed to do this again?"

Jess grumbled as she worked her way through the datawork associated with being the Chief Medical Officer on a ship with a crew of over 500. She sat in her office, but her door was open and she heard a new voice.

"Anything to get away from this console screen."

She rose, exited her office, and greeted the new Lieutenant.

"Welcome to Challenger Lieutenant. I'm Lieutenant Commander Fellows. So happy to meet you and have you join the team. Currently, we have two away teams off the ship, but both are operating undercover, so if they get into trouble, we won't be able to help them. Before I show you around, you have any questions?"

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

She only had to wait a moment before her new chief arrived. A woman walked towards the desk and introduced herself as Lieutenant Commander Fellows. A big smile grew on CJ her face and she greeted the woman. "It's my honor to meet you, sir. I'm happy to be back on a ship. Can't wait to start." She said and nodded at the last thing the Lieutenant Commander said. "Must be a dangerous mission if they needed to go undercover. Not being able to help whatsoever. No questions at this point. Lead the way, sir." CJ smiled and water for the Lieutenant Commander to begin te tour.

Quote from: Ardyn Jaeger - Wu on December 07, 2024, 02:18:18 AM[Marketplace - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]
Ardyn nodded when Autumn confirmed their suspicions.  Disruptors, Empathetic enhancers, and all sorts of goods towering high in the back rooms of this shop.
Guns? Enhancers? I think we might have found the jackpot. Ardy smirked, sending that thought to Alex, all the while looking at who she assumed was Actan himself.
That one eye of his seemed to bore into her as he scrutinized the three. Could his implant see through them? She wasn't sure, and she didn't really want to find out.
"Whaddaya want I don't have all day." He said, glaring dismissively.
"Got some Stuff to sell or trade. Whole cargoload full and everything so there's a whole lot more where that came from," she said,  placing down a Hor'ghan and a small fragment of the Kemocite.  The Bolian's one good eye seemed to go wide at the sight of the Kemocite.
"You don't see that every day, that's for sure.   he said, eying the rare material.
"You said that right.  Mind if my Partner and Associate here take a look at your wares first before we make a deal? See if we can find something.... equivalent? " she asked, opening up Alex and Autumn to snoop through this guy's stash.

"What are you looking for?" The Bolian asked, piercing Autumn with his eyes.

He caught Autumn by surprise, and she would have expected him to direct his questions to Commander Wu instead, but it only took her a second to recover from that moment.

"I will know it when I see it," she said, in that learned Vulcan way that always has a hint of I-challenge-you-to-doubt-my-logic.

The Bolian eyed the science officer from head to toe with his ocular augmentation. Then he grunted, dismissively, nodding and indicating the back of his store with a quick movement of his head. Before long his attention was back on the items that Lieutenant Jaeger had placed before him. Autumn had time to see Actan pulling out a scanning device from under his bench before making her way to the back of the store.

The place was smaller than she would have expected, and it seemed smaller still by the amount of items stacked in piles that stretched all the way to the ceiling creating corridors so narrow she could only walk in sideways. There was a small table near the entrance, though, and that's the place she chose to place the cylindrical transverse bag that contained another Hor'ghan and a second sample of kemocite. Her job was to tamper with the contraband, to make sure they'd be able to track the kemocite to wherever the Bolian moved it. The best way to do that would be to insert traceable amounts of platinum, a common element on Earth that tended to be absent in most alien planets for some reason, but Autumn had to make sure that the Bolian wasn't smuggling anything else with platinum in it, or that might confure their sensors.

Autumn pulled out her scanner from the pocket of her trench coat, abandoning all pretence and scanning the wares for signs of platinum, as well as her second and third choice of traceable metals. The plan was to do a detailed scan, then pierce the bottom of the Hor'ghan in her bag with a platinum needle, and run a simulation to see if her scanner, and more importantly, the ship's sensors, would be able to track the material without mistaken it by anything else. For now it was only a model, as she didn't have access to either Challenger or Calindra's Dream, but it would have to do.

While she was immerse in her first scanner though, Autumn noticed something unusual. Her disguised tricorder was picking up clear indications of polarium. She followed the signal, and sure enough, there they were, polarium cases on a shelf at the back, so heavy they caused the shelf to become curved in the middle. But that couldn't be... Polarium was only used in one very specific circumstance, and it wasn't possible that... Autumn pulled one of the cases from the lowest shelf and placed it in the floor, kneeling in front of it. She opened it.

This was a problem. The Vulcan/Andorian science officer was staring at what looked like eight cannisters of biomimetic gel, one of the most regulated substances in the Federation, if for no other reason because of it's potential to be used in metagenic weapons.

For a moment, the whole reason why she had started that scan had fled her mind. The Bolian had at least thirty cases like this one. Biomimetic Gel was too dangerous a substance to have in store like this, which meant he had to have a buyer and the cannisters would be moved soon. They had to do something.

She turned her head to see if Commander Wu had followed her into the back of the shop, but before she could look back Autumn's gaze stopped at a young Benzite who seemed to have only just emerged from a decaying door just a few steps away from her. From the way he was dressed, it was safe to assume he worked for Actal, probably a poorly compensated servant, or an apprentice of some kind. When Autumn met his eyes, he was pulling up the zipper of his trousers, and before she could close the polarium case in front of her, the benzite spoke:

"Who the hell are you?"

Quote from: Ian Galloway on December 07, 2024, 04:44:05 PM[Actan's Gear and Rare Goods - Bathân]

Actan ignored the Hor'ghan, being fixatied on the kemocite. He gave Ardy a long, penetrating look with his natural eye before he said.

"I don't know how much of this you have, but if you've got more than 100 kilos, I don't have the cash to cover that much, but I know a guy. He's rough around the edges, especially with those he doesn't know, but he has the network to handle as much kemocite as you have.

"I'm willin' to trade product for information... let's say 10 kilos for how to contact my guy. Deal?"

[Bathân - Exchange - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]

Alex let the two women do most of the initial talking, the proprietor clearly more interested in eyeballing them, literally, than himself. He instead took the opportunity to glance around the store, at least at the displays infront. Clearly Actan didn't worry too much about the local authorities if he kept a tallonian  empathic enhancer in plain sight. The other items visible were more run of the mill, but Alex couldn't imagine what might be hidden in the back.

As suspected, Ardyn revealing the ore sample turned them from idle tourists into valued customers, and Alex watched approvingly as Autumn immediately took her cue without hesitation, disappearing into the store. This was but step one of the plan they'd discussed while enroute to Bathân. They didn't just want to take down one or two vendors, this was about infiltrating the entire supply chain so it could be brought down in one vast sweep. To do that, they needed to let the ore distribute through multiple hands, contaminated just enough so they would be able to track it afterwards but not so obvious that it would be discovered. The Hor'ghans would make nice gifts, hopefully the benefactors would keep them close at hand, not knowing they too would traceabled. Suppliers, distributors, and buyers, the whole package deal. That was the plan at least.

Step one was getting the fish to bite, and though Actan seemed interested, Alex wasn't satisfied with what was being offered. If anything, he suspected the proprietor was testing them. "I see far more than 10 kilos worth just in these here display cases." He mentioned, knowing full well the going Orion market rate of 4 bricks per ton. "If ye can't afford a bar's worth, what are we even doin' here?"

For the first time, Actan's bionic eye turned towards Alex. "I see someone's done their homework." He grumbled, though with a slightly more amiable tone. "Fine, we can talk. But first...Kodor! Refreshments!" Actan shouted over his shoulder at some unseen assistant before turning back to the pair. "What do you want?"

"What we's want is ta offload our cargo. What we's need is someone who knows the lay o' the land ta help us do it." Alex pointedly gazed back at the Bolian. "Someone we's can trust ta get the job dun. Someone worth, say 5% of what he can move. We'll even throw in a couple Hor'ghans for ye and your 'guy'."

"10." Actan saw the opportunity and immediately counteroffered, adding, "And I'll introduce you personally. You'll get a fair deal, and more importantly, you'll walk out with all your appendages." Even without Ardyn's empathic powers, Alex knew that last part wasn't entirely embellished for the sake of haggling. Turning to his partner, he raised an eyebrow. "Rynn, whatcha think?"

[Bathân, Seedy Bar]

All hell broke loose as gang members, patrons and innocent tourists descended into an epic brawl. Apparently this was a common event as the bar staff retreated to a safe room.

The charging Klingon barrelled into Malik sending him flying across the fallen table. The Risan was quick however and brought up his ancient pistol to disable the Klingon.
 
Malik then moved to one of the injured Romulans that Calindra had taken care of. Malik pressed the pistol into his foe's back, "Your leader, take us to him."

The romulan responded by biting down on Malik's hand enabling him to pull away and run upstairs to the building's second level. Malik got up and gave chase...

As chaos unfolded all around Calindra and the Andorian were in a pocket of calm. He flourished his blades with the skill of a seasoned warrior.

"I was Ferengi arena champion 2395. I won my freedom fighting gladiators far more skilled than you!"

The Andorian launched a surprisingly quick attack forcing Calindra onto the defensive.

---

Neva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"Next!"

The metal recycling centre customer service assistant called to Neva and AJ. The Romulan appeared sick of his existence and had never achieved his life goals.

"Metal and quantity?" he asked in a uninterested tone.

Quote from: Lira Meval on December 08, 2024, 09:56:57 PM[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark]
The tension was almost palpable as Lira kept her eyes fixed on the console, monitoring the probe's readings and the masking system used on the shuttle. The initial adjustments seemed to be working as planned, but she knew even a minor failure could expose the Cutty Sark and the other ships. "The parameters are stable," she commented aloud, more to herself than to the others, as she double-checked the data one last time. She glanced at Azsayak, who observed everything with her usual quiet and watchful demeanor. Meval looked at her and offered a small, confident smile. "We're on the right track," she added, turning back to her work.

After the successful launch of the probe, Lira took another look at her readings, paying close attention to everything displayed on her screen. As soon as the enemy ship altered its course to intercept the probe, she kept her eyes glued to the monitor and said, "The signature is transmitting correctly. They took the bait," her tone a mix of relief and surprise.

After some time, which felt like an eternity, the Challenger's message arrived, authorizing the mission to continue. As Schlemann took the Cutty Sark to warp, Lira exhaled deeply, finally allowing a small wave of relief to wash over her. "It was a good start, but we need to stay sharp," she said, almost as a reminder to herself and the others. She knew that while this obstacle had been overcome, enemy space still held many challenges ahead.

[Inside Toren Autonomy Space]

The small squadron consisting of the Cutty Sark and White, leading 100,000 kilometers ahead of and dwarfed by the trailing Challenger had slowly accelerated back to warp five. Because of the near encounter with the Toren cruiser, the squadron had lost six hours on the Onizuka.

It was six hours into Alpha shift and Ian was on the bridge. The squadron had traveled on for a full day and night and now were into the second day of travel when according to his calculations, the Onizuka was ready to make planetfall on Felnarik.

"Helm. All stop."

"All stop aye."

Ian mused aloud as he ran through the mission in his head.

"Once the shuttle is down, this whole mission will depend on Lieutenant Zanut and Master Chief Blackfeather. If'n things go south, we are..." Ian did more calculations, something as a pilot he had learned to do in his head. "Bollicks, 32 bloody minutes away. That is a long time ta wait for the cavalry."

Ian rose from the command chair and paced the bridge for several moments before he continued his revelry.

"Zanut, is an El Aurian and while only a JG, he's got centuries of life experience and you can't find a better man in all of Starfleet than Blackfeather. They'll get it done. I'll nae be writin' two more letters this day."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Onizuka - Felnarik]

Lieutenant Ozoim slowed to thrusters only as the shuttle approached the planet. There was some traffic near the planet, but most of that was in the equatorial region, so to reduce chance of being detected to the absolute minimum, Ozoim chose to do an insertion from the planet's southern pole.

Once they were in atmosphere, she dropped the Onizuka to just 20 meters and kept her speed well below that of the sound barrier. Taking advantage of the planet's extensive foliage, she flew in what was once called 'Nap of Earth' using the forests and mountains to get as close to the capital city of Tonmak. The rest of the settlements on the planet could, at best, only be called villages. If there was a smuggling operation on this planet, it would have to be in Tonmak.

Ozoim settled the shuttle into a canyon and shut power down to minimum, leaving the mask running. Once down, she turned to the others.

"I'm sorry everyone, but 26 klicks is as close as I could get. Terrain starts off rough, but after five klicks, it levels out and should be easy going. I obviously have to stay with the shuttle. Zanut and Master Chief, this is your show. Priidik, you are welcome to stay or go, up to Lieutenant Zanut."

Both Zanut and Blackfeather looked at Priidik with skepticism.

"You think you are up for this?"

Blackfeather growled and waited for a reply.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 10, 2024, 10:45:50 AM

---

Neva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"Next!"

The metal recycling centre customer service assistant called to Neva and AJ. The Romulan appeared sick of his existence and had never achieved his life goals.

"Metal and quantity?" he asked in a uninterested tone.

[Neva/Aya]

Neva tried to put her best "I'm serious and deadly as a heart attack" demeanor in place to address the clerk. She nodded to Alhanjhu to help translate, then smirked.

"Aye. We gots sum Duranium an'Tritanium heah a' th' mo' wi' us'n." Neva waved at Alhanjhu to show their wares. "We be askin' 20 bars a latinum fer jus' this. There be more, ifn yeh wan' t'negosh'at."

The Romulan lifted an eyebrow and laughed. "In what galaxy do you think youd get TWENTY bars of latinum for this? Any child would tell you duranium is worth 1 bar at best!" He grabbed a small handful from the bag and threw it at her as he spoke.

Neva stepped aside enough to let the projectile hit her arm before falling to the ground. Fixing him with a gaze of barely contained outrage and annoyance, she grabbed her PADD from her messenger bag. After tapping a couple things, she turned it to face the man.

"Ya thinkin' so, are ya? Well, ifn ya seen heah me scans o' our hawl, ya kin see we's got qual'y stuff. It be worth that 20 bars I'ma tellin' ya."

The man snagged it out of her hand and looked it over, frowning deep. He all but threw it at her as he sneered. "Is that all you have, Human? I've seen better on a garbage scow!" Once more, he laughed at her.

Neva rolled her eyes and put the PADD away without looking at it as she fixed him with an angry glare.

"Ya be thinkin' i be born yesserday me frehn'? Yer dodgin' th' matter a'hand."

Neva leaned over the desk to look him dead in the eyes and spoke low for only him and Alhanjhu to hear. Meanwhile, her pointer finger stabbed at the desk to emphasize each word.

"I be wantin' 20 bars fer me hawl an' ill be gettin' 20 bars from ya now, Sen'or. I gots prime stuff an' ya know it! Me scans don' lie!" She stood back up and crossed her arms over her chest, a haughty look on her face.

The Romulan sat back in his chair, steepling his pointer fingers over his lips. He looked at the bag then her and back. "Ten."

Neva shook her head. "19."

This exchange went back and forth till they settled on 13 bars for what they brought now, and he'd send people to inspect their cargo. Only then would he discuss payment. "Computers can lie. Eyes cannot." He then looked behind her and yelled "Next!"

Neva shook her head slowly. Ah noh me boyo. Ya don' dizmiz me like tha." She turned her hand up to make the "gimme" sign, a smirk on her face. "Ya be payin' me now fer wha' we broht t' ya." Neva inclined her head towards Alhanjhu and back. "I be shoor me mate got a'same id."

[USS Onizuka | Cockpit | Co Pilot Seat]

The probe emitting the false signals pinged on their screens. A new freighter appearing from mid space on a course perpendicular to their own flightpath. Steadying their engine output he checked again their automatic beacon and com systems were offline. If the computer tried to ping the probe, not only might it disrupt their shroud, by the delay in response their exact position could be triangulated.

Checking the systems double was extra work but he felt awfully vulnerable in the shuttlecraft, not wanting to test their powered down defensive systems, the effort was well worth it.

---

As they approached the planetary airspace and the surrounding satellite systems they shut down even the last powered systems. With even the lights turned off and life support diminished to minimal power, the temperature began to rise in the cabin as each of their heart frequencies accelerated.

Some minor satellites hanging in orbit bathed the space around them in scanning rays. Some of them were so unstable that they probably served more neferious goals. None of them should pierce through their shroud tough. Making an efffort to highlight them on the orbital maps in the computer, Gero noted them so in their ascend they could avoid their scans.

Quote from: Ian Galloway on December 10, 2024, 11:54:12 AM[Onizuka - Felnarik]

Lieutenant Ozoim slowed to thrusters only as the shuttle approached the planet. There was some traffic near the planet, but most of that was in the equatorial region, so to reduce chance of being detected to the absolute minimum, Ozoim chose to do an insertion from the planet's southern pole.

Once they were in atmosphere, she dropped the Onizuka to just 20 meters and kept her speed well below that of the sound barrier. Taking advantage of the planet's extensive foliage, she flew in what was once called 'Nap of Earth' using the forests and mountains to get as close to the capital city of Tonmak. The rest of the settlements on the planet could, at best, only be called villages. If there was a smuggling operation on this planet, it would have to be in Tonmak.

Ozoim settled the shuttle into a canyon and shut power down to minimum, leaving the mask running. Once down, she turned to the others.


"I'm sorry everyone, but 26 klicks is as close as I could get. Terrain starts off rough, but after five klicks, it levels out and should be easy going. I obviously have to stay with the shuttle. Zanut and Master Chief, this is your show. Priidik, you are welcome to stay or go, up to Lieutenant Zanut."

Both Zanut and Blackfeather looked at Priidik with skepticism.

"You think you are up for this?"

Blackfeather growled and waited for a reply.

A clod was forming in his throught. Combat was not his strenght but he didn't want to appeare weak before his crewmates.

"Sure, give me a phaser and I will follow you."

He would not leave this shuttle without a weapon he promised his mind there. Some means of defending himself and his comrades, if it came to that.

A short couple of minutes later they left the shuttle behind them. Neatly parked in between two large rocks at the canyons ground. Each of them carrying only basic gear under quickly donned garbs. Gero himself wearing some of his old civilian cloths and a large poncho hiding his meagre kit and protecting him against the winds rushing through the scar in the continental crust.

A long way was before them.

Quote from: Neva Cordon on December 09, 2024, 01:57:34 PM[ACEO Lt. Neva Cordon/Aya]
Neva rolled her eyes at his sappiness, but tried to give him a stern look.
"Ah'eet, see that y'do." She said simply, put some of the "better" hover tablesmall hover-table, and headed for the Recycling Center.


[Neva/Aya|In Line]
Neva sighed as she pulled the table closer, trying to keep the fear at bay. She frowned when she read the prices then leaned in to speak in low tones to Alhanjhu, though she tried to keep in character.

"This ain't ah'eet,Takil, me frien'. I ken feel it." Leaning back, Neva continued in a more conversational tone between them.
"If'n I'd had the way of it, there'd be bes' then this!" She gestured up at the place before them with a small snort and frowned.

Neva scanned the area, looking for a speck of evidence of better. Her frowned deepened when she couldn't find anything. It was then she heard a hard, clear cough directly behind her. As she turned to offer whoever it was a general blessing of better health, a tight grip on her wrist stopped her cold. Jaw clenching in frustration at being so handled, Aya's dark eyes followed the fingers up to hold a set of ancient ice-blue ones.

"Wha'ar yeh th-" Her words were cut off with a hissed "shhh" and a tightening of the grip on her wrist.

"Listen and well t'me girlie now," Came the sing-song reply near her ear. "I be warnin ya once-like. The walls do have ears, they do. Aye, our line does lead to inferior pay, so it seems. Ya knowin' what hagglin' is, girlie?" He didn't wait for a reply, just rushed on. "Aye, I can see ya do, so I does. Do it well, do it high, do it quick. These Rommies don' like slow in any form, ya see."

Neva nodded slowly in acknowledgement, expression and body frozen in place. Through a clenching jaw, she pulled back on her imprisoned arm a little harder as she replied in an equal tone.

"Aye, I be gettin' yer point, man! I thek ya fer th' advice. We'll be takin' it easy 'nuff, surely."  *Tug tug*  "Now If'n ya don' mine, gimme mah arm for I take bek me theks!"

The old man nodded mutely and released her. With a bob of the head once more in thanks, she turned back to her comrade. Rubbing her wrist, Neva repeated what she'd been told to Alhanjhu in a rushed whisper.

Neva then tilted her head to the side and asked simply, "Wha'cha be thinkin' a this then?"

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 10, 2024, 10:45:50 AMNeva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"Next!"

The metal recycling centre customer service assistant called to Neva and AJ. The Romulan appeared sick of his existence and had never achieved his life goals.

"Metal and quantity?" he asked in a uninterested tone.

Quote from: Neva Cordon on December 10, 2024, 12:02:11 PM[Neva/Aya]

Neva tried to put her best "I'm serious and deadly as a heart attack" demeanor in place to address the clerk. She nodded to Alhanjhu to help translate, then smirked.

"Aye. We gots sum Duranium an'Tritanium heah a' th' mo' wi' us'n." Neva waved at Alhanjhu to show their wares. "We be askin' 20 bars a latinum fer jus' this. There be more, ifn yeh wan' t'negosh'at."

The Romulan lifted an eyebrow and laughed. "In what galaxy do you think youd get TWENTY bars of latinum for this? Any child would tell you duranium is worth 1 bar at best!" He grabbed a small handful from the bag and threw it at her as he spoke.

Neva stepped aside enough to let the projectile hit her arm before falling to the ground. Fixing him with a gaze of barely contained outrage and annoyance, she grabbed her PADD from her messenger bag. After tapping a couple things, she turned it to face the man.

"Ya thinkin' so, are ya? Well, ifn ya seen heah me scans o' our hawl, ya kin see we's got qual'y stuff. It be worth that 20 bars I'ma tellin' ya."

The man snagged it out of her hand and looked it over, frowning deep. He all but threw it at her as he sneered. "Is that all you have, Human? I've seen better on a garbage scow!" Once more, he laughed at her.

Neva rolled her eyes and put the PADD away without looking at it as she fixed him with an angry glare.

"Ya be thinkin' i be born yesserday me frehn'? Yer dodgin' th' matter a'hand."

Neva leaned over the desk to look him dead in the eyes and spoke low for only him and Alhanjhu to hear. Meanwhile, her pointer finger stabbed at the desk to emphasize each word.

"I be wantin' 20 bars fer me hawl an' ill be gettin' 20 bars from ya now, Sen'or. I gots prime stuff an' ya know it! Me scans don' lie!" She stood back up and crossed her arms over her chest, a haughty look on her face.

The Romulan sat back in his chair, steepling his pointer fingers over his lips. He looked at the bag then her and back. "Ten."

Neva shook her head. "19."

This exchange went back and forth till they settled on 13 bars for what they brought now, and he'd send people to inspect their cargo. Only then would he discuss payment. "Computers can lie. Eyes cannot." He then looked behind her and yelled "Next!"

Neva shook her head slowly. Ah noh me boyo. Ya don' dizmiz me like tha." She turned her hand up to make the "gimme" sign, a smirk on her face. "Ya be payin' me now fer wha' we broht t' ya." Neva inclined her head towards Alhanjhu and back. "I be shoor me mate got a'same id."

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik |  Docking Pad >- Recycling Center | Bathân]

Alhanjhu - as Takil - transported some metal along and Neva began haggling. He could see things weren't going their way, and he decided he could give it a try.

"Jolan tru, friend," he said exotically. "I should bear this in mind with you, this good woman and I have traveled a long way to do business, and it'll do good to split the profits between us. Besides, it's not easy teaching a human ways of the Elements, and profits induce the bestest satisfaction," he added, placing a hand on Neva's shoulder to imply that they were close partners, in business and intimacy. "Mayhapssss...sixteen bars, an even split between the two of us. A woman is in need of a new dress and jewelry to her deepest satisfactions."

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 10, 2024, 10:45:50 AM[Bathân, Seedy Bar]

All hell broke loose as gang members, patrons and innocent tourists descended into an epic brawl. Apparently this was a common event as the bar staff retreated to a safe room.

The charging Klingon barrelled into Malik sending him flying across the fallen table. The Risan was quick however and brought up his ancient pistol to disable the Klingon.
 
Malik then moved to one of the injured Romulans that Calindra had taken care of. Malik pressed the pistol into his foe's back, "Your leader, take us to him."

The romulan responded by biting down on Malik's hand enabling him to pull away and run upstairs to the building's second level. Malik got up and gave chase...

As chaos unfolded all around Calindra and the Andorian were in a pocket of calm. He flourished his blades with the skill of a seasoned warrior.

"I was Ferengi arena champion 2395. I won my freedom fighting gladiators far more skilled than you!"

The Andorian launched a surprisingly quick attack forcing Calindra onto the defensive.

[Kelly Oren - Seedy Bar - Bathân]

The Andorian lunged with unexpected speed, his electro-knives flashing in twin arcs. Calindra deflected the first strike with her katana, sparks flying as the electro-knife met the folded duranium blade. The second knife came dangerously close to her ribs, forcing her to twist sharply and step back to create some distance between her and her foe.

The Andorian, however, pressed his advantage, his strikes wild but brutally fast, driving Calindra into a tighter space near the bar. She remained calm, despite the cold sheen of sweat beading down her neck as she waited for an opening. When his next attack overextended his stance, she slid forward with a swift thrust, aiming for his torso. He parried with one knife and countered with the other, grazing her arm with a painful but shallow cut.

Her enemy was relentless, his cybernetic eye glowing faintly as it tracked her movements with unnerving precision. He feinted high and then swept low, aiming for her legs. She leapt back, narrowly avoiding the strike, then surged forward with a diagonal slash.

He parried again, but this time she followed through, pivoting smoothly to deliver a sharp kick to his midsection. He staggered, giving her just enough time to slash upward in a controlled arc, her katana's edge grazing his shoulder and disabling one of his arms. One of his knives clattered to the floor as the nerves in his arm suddenly gave way.

Still, he grinned through the pain. "You're better than I thought," he growled, his remaining electro-knife sparking ominously. "But let's see how you handle this."

With his free hand, he pulled a small device from his belt and activated it. The lights in the bar dimmed further, and a high-pitched whine filled the air.

The Andorian's concussion grenade sent a shockwave through the bar, toppling tables and scattering patrons. Calindra hit the floor behind the bar just as glass and debris rained down around her, the sharp smell of spilled alcohol mixing with the acrid tang of burnt circuitry. Her rars were ringing from the blast, but her grip on the katana remained firm.

She crouched, pressing her back against the back of the bar as her training took over. Her eyes darted across her immediate surroundings, taking stock.

Broken bottles glistened like jagged diamonds in the dim light. A metal serving tray leaned precariously against an overturned stool. And behind her, the Bajoran bartender cowered, clutching a makeshift club fashioned from a broken chair leg.

Calindra turned her head slightly to check on Malik, but he was already gone.

"Come out, little sword-dancer!" the Andorian's voice echoed through the wreckage, dripping with mockery. "Or are you just another fragile flower?"

Quote from: Autumn on December 09, 2024, 06:36:12 PM"What are you looking for?" The Bolian asked, piercing Autumn with his eyes.

He caught Autumn by surprise, and she would have expected him to direct his questions to Commander Wu instead, but it only took her a second to recover from that moment.

"I will know it when I see it," she said, in that learned Vulcan way that always has a hint of I-challenge-you-to-doubt-my-logic.

The Bolian eyed the science officer from head to toe with his ocular augmentation. Then he grunted, dismissively, nodding and indicating the back of his store with a quick movement of his head. Before long his attention was back on the items that Lieutenant Jaeger had placed before him. Autumn had time to see Actan pulling out a scanning device from under his bench before making her way to the back of the store.

The place was smaller than she would have expected, and it seemed smaller still by the amount of items stacked in piles that stretched all the way to the ceiling creating corridors so narrow she could only walk in sideways. There was a small table near the entrance, though, and that's the place she chose to place the cylindrical transverse bag that contained another Hor'ghan and a second sample of kemocite. Her job was to tamper with the contraband, to make sure they'd be able to track the kemocite to wherever the Bolian moved it. The best way to do that would be to insert traceable amounts of platinum, a common element on Earth that tended to be absent in most alien planets for some reason, but Autumn had to make sure that the Bolian wasn't smuggling anything else with platinum in it, or that might confure their sensors.

Autumn pulled out her scanner from the pocket of her trench coat, abandoning all pretence and scanning the wares for signs of platinum, as well as her second and third choice of traceable metals. The plan was to do a detailed scan, then pierce the bottom of the Hor'ghan in her bag with a platinum needle, and run a simulation to see if her scanner, and more importantly, the ship's sensors, would be able to track the material without mistaken it by anything else. For now it was only a model, as she didn't have access to either Challenger or Calindra's Dream, but it would have to do.

While she was immerse in her first scanner though, Autumn noticed something unusual. Her disguised tricorder was picking up clear indications of polarium. She followed the signal, and sure enough, there they were, polarium cases on a shelf at the back, so heavy they caused the shelf to become curved in the middle. But that couldn't be... Polarium was only used in one very specific circumstance, and it wasn't possible that... Autumn pulled one of the cases from the lowest shelf and placed it in the floor, kneeling in front of it. She opened it.

This was a problem. The Vulcan/Andorian science officer was staring at what looked like eight cannisters of biomimetic gel, one of the most regulated substances in the Federation, if for no other reason because of it's potential to be used in metagenic weapons.

For a moment, the whole reason why she had started that scan had fled her mind. The Bolian had at least thirty cases like this one. Biomimetic Gel was too dangerous a substance to have in store like this, which meant he had to have a buyer and the cannisters would be moved soon. They had to do something.

She turned her head to see if Commander Wu had followed her into the back of the shop, but before she could look back Autumn's gaze stopped at a young Benzite who seemed to have only just emerged from a decaying door just a few steps away from her. From the way he was dressed, it was safe to assume he worked for Actal, probably a poorly compensated servant, or an apprentice of some kind. When Autumn met his eyes, he was pulling up the zipper of his trousers, and before she could close the polarium case in front of her, the benzite spoke:

"Who the hell are you?"

Quote from: Alexander Wu on December 10, 2024, 01:45:11 AM[Bathân - Exchange - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]

Alex let the two women do most of the initial talking, the proprietor clearly more interested in eyeballing them, literally, than himself. He instead took the opportunity to glance around the store, at least at the displays infront. Clearly Actan didn't worry too much about the local authorities if he kept a tallonian  empathic enhancer in plain sight. The other items visible were more run of the mill, but Alex couldn't imagine what might be hidden in the back.

As suspected, Ardyn revealing the ore sample turned them from idle tourists into valued customers, and Alex watched approvingly as Autumn immediately took her cue without hesitation, disappearing into the store. This was but step one of the plan they'd discussed while enroute to Bathân. They didn't just want to take down one or two vendors, this was about infiltrating the entire supply chain so it could be brought down in one vast sweep. To do that, they needed to let the ore distribute through multiple hands, contaminated just enough so they would be able to track it afterwards but not so obvious that it would be discovered. The Hor'ghans would make nice gifts, hopefully the benefactors would keep them close at hand, not knowing they too would traceabled. Suppliers, distributors, and buyers, the whole package deal. That was the plan at least.

Step one was getting the fish to bite, and though Actan seemed interested, Alex wasn't satisfied with what was being offered. If anything, he suspected the proprietor was testing them. "I see far more than 10 kilos worth just in these here display cases." He mentioned, knowing full well the going Orion market rate of 4 bricks per ton. "If ye can't afford a bar's worth, what are we even doin' here?"

For the first time, Actan's bionic eye turned towards Alex. "I see someone's done their homework." He grumbled, though with a slightly more amiable tone. "Fine, we can talk. But first...Kodor! Refreshments!" Actan shouted over his shoulder at some unseen assistant before turning back to the pair. "What do you want?"

"What we's want is ta offload our cargo. What we's need is someone who knows the lay o' the land ta help us do it." Alex pointedly gazed back at the Bolian. "Someone we's can trust ta get the job dun. Someone worth, say 5% of what he can move. We'll even throw in a couple Hor'ghans for ye and your 'guy'."

"10." Actan saw the opportunity and immediately counteroffered, adding, "And I'll introduce you personally. You'll get a fair deal, and more importantly, you'll walk out with all your appendages." Even without Ardyn's empathic powers, Alex knew that last part wasn't entirely embellished for the sake of haggling. Turning to his partner, he raised an eyebrow. "Rynn, whatcha think?"

[Marketplace - Actan's Gear and Rare Goods]



It was a good deal. Maybe even too good. Deals like that always came with strings, but here they were, spinning themselves in spider's wire and dancing on the threads. But this was probably the best way they were going to take down the whole ring, and all of the people still standing.

"I think that's a great deal." she smirked,  nodding to  "Cheng" as Kodor, the Benzite standing at the side counter,  grumbled as he left the back rooms and  got them some drinks from a back cabinet. She couldn't tell where Autumn was between the heads of taxidermied exotic animals glaring at her and the stacks of crates filled with contraband and otherwise, but given the frustrated feeling she was feeling off the Benzite, she might be back there, and in the nick of time too, it felt like. It left her to do whatever she needed to do.

The Bolian's red, cybernetic eye  glared at her as she took that drink. A rich blue Romulan ale with a really nice vintage, so it seemed. Despite his rough appearance, it seemed like he did have a taste of the finer things.  He shoved away a box of psi-wave devices and cleared a spot for them.

"Well then.  I think we can make a pretty good deal. You ever heard of Jorge the Rock?"

Neva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"13 bars. Go to the payment booth. Next!"

The customer service advisor called out again, ignoring the pair and their protests of more payment. Behind them an impatient Romulan barged forward to the front of the queue. "I'm next! Get out of my way!"

A few other workers then collected the metal they had brought and began to load it onto a anti-grav sled.

Round the corner of the building was the payment booth. There another Romulan customer service advisor waited. They received their 13 bars of gold pressed latinum.

They then returned to the Calindra's Dream with the recycling centre workers to assess the remainder of the cargo. On arrival they discovered a large gang of what appeared to be 'street-children' disassembling the Dream's external components.

---

[Bathân, Seedy Bar]

Malik followed the injured Romulan deeper into the building, through tight corridors past startled patrons and workers. Through the back door out into the alleyways of the most dangerous part of Bathân.

The Risan pursued the gang member into a large warehouse. Inside was rows upon rows of crates containing the proceeds of smuggling activities. The door slammed shut behind him and several people levelled weapons at him. A trap.

Malik dropped his pistol and raised his hands in the air. Realising the foolishness of following a gang member in gang territory.

"Well shi...."

---

Getting impatient the Andorian began to throw liquor bottles behind the counter at Calindra. The noise was a distraction for a cunning move...

"Come on out little bird!"

More bottles crashed around her and amongst them another concussion grenade rolled to a gentle stop at Calindra's feet.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 12, 2024, 06:23:07 AMGetting impatient the Andorian began to throw liquor bottles behind the counter at Calindra. The noise was a distraction for a cunning move...
"Come on out little bird!"
More bottles crashed around her and amongst them another concussion grenade rolled to a gentle stop at Calindra's feet.

[Kelly Oren - Seedy Bar - Bathân]

Calindra stared at the grenade at her feet, her brain scrambling as the Andorian's mocking laughter echoed through the bar.

"Well... shit," she muttered under her breath, her usual composure cracking under the pressure. She kicked at the grenade, hoping to send it far enough away to avoid the worst of the blast, but her boot caught it at an awkward angle, sending it skittering across the floor — but not toward the Andorian. Instead, it bounced off the side of a broken table and rolled under another booth, landing much closer than she'd intended.

"Oh, come on!" she hissed, diving behind the bar just as the grenade detonated. The explosion rocked the room, sending more shards of glass and splinters flying.

Ears ringing, Calindra groaned and tried to get her bearings. The Andorian's laugh turned into a coughing fit as the explosion filled the bar with smoke and dust.

When the dust settled, the Andorian stumbled out of the wreckage, battered but still standing. His cybernetic eye sparking wildly, and a deep cut above his brow oozed blue blood. He snatched a jagged piece of broken glass and charged towards her like a berserker.

Sidestepping just in time, she parried his wild swing, spinning behind him and slamming the hilt of her katana into the back of his knee. The Andorian buckled, dropping to the floor with a grunt.

Before he could recover, Calindra brought her blade down in a precise arc, stopping just short of his throat. "Stay down," she commanded, her voice calm but unyielding.

The Andorian froze, his chest heaving as he glared up at her. His free hand twitched toward his belt, but a sharp increase in pressure from Calindra's katana made him think twice. "I didn't come here to dance, my friend and I wanted to do business." Calindra's arm throbbed, blood seeping from a jagged cut left by the Andorian's blades. Her sleeve was soaked, clinging uncomfortably to her skin, and every movement sent a fresh wave of pain up her shoulder. Bruises were already blooming along her side and legs where debris had struck her during the blast.

"Call it a draw, and we can fight side by side the next time?" she suggested as the Andorian hissed through clenched teeth, clutching his shoulder where Calindra's katana had torn through his flesh. Blue blood trickled down his arm in rivulets, staining the broken shards scattered across the floor.

Quote from: Gero Priidik on December 10, 2024, 03:19:04 PM[USS Onizuka | Cockpit | Co Pilot Seat]

The probe emitting the false signals pinged on their screens. A new freighter appearing from mid space on a course perpendicular to their own flightpath. Steadying their engine output he checked again their automatic beacon and com systems were offline. If the computer tried to ping the probe, not only might it disrupt their shroud, by the delay in response their exact position could be triangulated.

Checking the systems double was extra work but he felt awfully vulnerable in the shuttlecraft, not wanting to test their powered down defensive systems, the effort was well worth it.

---

As they approached the planetary airspace and the surrounding satellite systems they shut down even the last powered systems. With even the lights turned off and life support diminished to minimal power, the temperature began to rise in the cabin as each of their heart frequencies accelerated.

Some minor satellites hanging in orbit bathed the space around them in scanning rays. Some of them were so unstable that they probably served more neferious goals. None of them should pierce through their shroud tough. Making an efffort to highlight them on the orbital maps in the computer, Gero noted them so in their ascend they could avoid their scans.

A clod was forming in his throught. Combat was not his strenght but he didn't want to appeare weak before his crewmates.

"Sure, give me a phaser and I will follow you."

He would not leave this shuttle without a weapon he promised his mind there. Some means of defending himself and his comrades, if it came to that.

A short couple of minutes later they left the shuttle behind them. Neatly parked in between two large rocks at the canyons ground. Each of them carrying only basic gear under quickly donned garbs. Gero himself wearing some of his old civilian cloths and a large poncho hiding his meagre kit and protecting him against the winds rushing through the scar in the continental crust.

A long way was before them.

[Onizuka - Felnarik]

Blackfeather gave Gero a hard, penetrating stare and then nodded. Zanut seemed to accept the Master Chief's assessment and said.

"Very well then, based on local time, we've got five hours before nightfall. That's just about fits how long it will take to get to the city, which suits me as darkness will be our friend."

Turning to the pilot he added.

"Keep a lock on us Miammaso, if this goes bad, we'll need a quick beam out to get off the planet double quick."

"You got it Malus. Good luck you three."

"Thanks."

The group gathered up their gear, which was minimal and headed out and into the unknown.

Quote from: Lira Meval on December 08, 2024, 09:56:57 PM[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark]
The tension was almost palpable as Lira kept her eyes fixed on the console, monitoring the probe's readings and the masking system used on the shuttle. The initial adjustments seemed to be working as planned, but she knew even a minor failure could expose the Cutty Sark and the other ships. "The parameters are stable," she commented aloud, more to herself than to the others, as she double-checked the data one last time. She glanced at Azsayak, who observed everything with her usual quiet and watchful demeanor. Meval looked at her and offered a small, confident smile. "We're on the right track," she added, turning back to her work.

After the successful launch of the probe, Lira took another look at her readings, paying close attention to everything displayed on her screen. As soon as the enemy ship altered its course to intercept the probe, she kept her eyes glued to the monitor and said, "The signature is transmitting correctly. They took the bait," her tone a mix of relief and surprise.

After some time, which felt like an eternity, the Challenger's message arrived, authorizing the mission to continue. As Schlemann took the Cutty Sark to warp, Lira exhaled deeply, finally allowing a small wave of relief to wash over her. "It was a good start, but we need to stay sharp," she said, almost as a reminder to herself and the others. She knew that while this obstacle had been overcome, enemy space still held many challenges ahead.

Azsayak would stare at the console as well.  Nodding  her agreement to Lira.  " Caution is always a good thing. It is a Very Gorn like trait"


Nothing the console readings one more time. The gorn would look around the cabin of the shuttle. It was relatively cramped and not at all to her liking. 

 " It seems the majority of work is done at least for the time being. So if you do hold any spiritual beliefs. I heard the earth saying it may be time to make a prayer to them that all goes well."  


Aszayak would take her seat finally trying not sit on her tail. Azayak's eyes would flick around the cabin of the shuttle repeatedly as if searching for some sort of a threat. Or perhaps it was a bit of fear and panic at being in such a small, confined space. 

Quote from: Lira Meval on December 05, 2024, 12:07:00 AM[Ensign Lira • Cutty Sark]

Lira was aboard the Cutty Sark to ensure that nothing would deviate from what had been jointly planned by the science and engineering teams. However, it seemed that this would not be a smooth experience.

She could hear Captain Ian's voice over the comms, ordering everyone to stop and shut down all systems. The additional command requested the preparation of a Class-3 probe to try and deceive someone—at least, that's what she understood.

As soon as she heard the order, she immediately began preparing the transmission signal to be sent. It didn't take long, and once she was done, she turned to whoever was in command of the Cutty Sark at that moment.

"I've just programmed the probe to transmit the signal the captain ordered. Once everything is ready, you can launch it," she said, turning her attention back to the ship's screen, trying to see if she could spot anything from her vantage point.

The waiting was what most strained Meval's mind. He was somewhat impatient, and at times even anxious—especially in stressful situations like this one, where any mistake could lead to a battle in enemy territory and possibly the loss of lives. At that moment, all he could do was silently pray to the Prophets, hoping that everything would work out.

Quote from: Azsayak on December 12, 2024, 10:53:13 PMAzsayak would stare at the console as well.  Nodding  her agreement to Lira. " Caution is always a good thing. It is a Very Gorn like trait"

Nothing the console readings one more time. The gorn would look around the cabin of the shuttle. It was relatively cramped and not at all to her liking. 

 " It seems the majority of work is done at least for the time being. So if you do hold any spiritual beliefs. I heard the earth saying it may be time to make a prayer to them that all goes well."  

Aszayak would take her seat finally trying not sit on her tail. Azayak's eyes would flick around the cabin of the shuttle repeatedly as if searching for some sort of a threat. Or perhaps it was a bit of fear and panic at being in such a small, confined space. 

[Point two light year from Felnarik - Cutty Sark]

As shuttle crew waited, tension continued to grow until the silence was broken by Ensign Schlemann spoke.

"Hey, I'm getting a power drain!

Before anyone could respond, everyone jumped as one of the secondary consoles burst with a shower of sparks, followed by an explosion of flames that swept across all four Members!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - USS Challenger]

The tension on the ship was no less extensive then it was on the shuttles, when Lieutenant Randall called out in alarm from the Science One station.

"Captain, the mask has gone offline, I'm reading a fire on the Cutty Sark!"

"Oh bugger! Ops go silent, shut down everything! Tactical, prepare another probe, configured like the last one. Send a tightbeam signal ta Cutty Sark 'do you need assistance?'

Azsayak moved once the first sparks flew using her tail to knock lira down to the floor by her shoulder with a swipe of that tail.  Azsayak would wrench the crew remembers chair in front of her still with the crew still in backwards onto her own chair seat with a loud crunch. Her scalie body crawling over the chair she had just ripped free.  She grabs Ensign  Schlemann a second before the flames would've of washed over him. The flames meeting only Azsayak back and her scales. As she bears hugs the ensign to her chest and uses her back to shield the other three in the shuttles cockpit. 

As soon as it starts it all over the smell of burned uniform and singed scales of azsayak. The giant hunched over gorn females back still smoking from the burned uniform.  Her red eyes narrowed to slits from the pain and anger.  She lets the ensign go letting his feet touch the ground. Ensign Check on the others now. And then send a hail to the challenger. I will see what went wrong.  


Azsayak felt personal responsible for the fire and damage after all it was her and engineers work that had installed the masking device. She would check the console first for damage About 30 percent of the console was unusable and damaged.

She reaches into her satchel and pulls our the data pad and a laser cutter. (https://i.pinimg.com/236x/44/45/f5/4445f5feeb82750c674f519968e62acf.jpg)


(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6d/c5/bc/6dc5bcb362bdc28fa4e73728ca647858.jpg)


Azsayak back was singed but not badly her scales had protected her. But one could notice a grimace of pain in those slitted eyes of azsayak.

Quote from: Gero Priidik on December 10, 2024, 03:19:04 PM[USS Onizuka | Cockpit | Co Pilot Seat]

The probe emitting the false signals pinged on their screens. A new freighter appearing from mid space on a course perpendicular to their own flightpath. Steadying their engine output he checked again their automatic beacon and com systems were offline. If the computer tried to ping the probe, not only might it disrupt their shroud, by the delay in response their exact position could be triangulated.

Checking the systems double was extra work but he felt awfully vulnerable in the shuttlecraft, not wanting to test their powered down defensive systems, the effort was well worth it.

---

As they approached the planetary airspace and the surrounding satellite systems they shut down even the last powered systems. With even the lights turned off and life support diminished to minimal power, the temperature began to rise in the cabin as each of their heart frequencies accelerated.

Some minor satellites hanging in orbit bathed the space around them in scanning rays. Some of them were so unstable that they probably served more neferious goals. None of them should pierce through their shroud tough. Making an efffort to highlight them on the orbital maps in the computer, Gero noted them so in their ascend they could avoid their scans.

A clod was forming in his throught. Combat was not his strenght but he didn't want to appeare weak before his crewmates.

"Sure, give me a phaser and I will follow you."

He would not leave this shuttle without a weapon he promised his mind there. Some means of defending himself and his comrades, if it came to that.

A short couple of minutes later they left the shuttle behind them. Neatly parked in between two large rocks at the canyons ground. Each of them carrying only basic gear under quickly donned garbs. Gero himself wearing some of his old civilian cloths and a large poncho hiding his meagre kit and protecting him against the winds rushing through the scar in the continental crust.

A long way was before them.

[Tonmak - Feknarik Capital City]

The three Starfleet officers arrived as the sun was setting. Ensign Zanut had the group take a break inside the edge of the forest they'd been traversing for hours. Grabbing a quick meal from their hated emergency rations they waited an hour until it was full dark before slipping into the city.

In comparison to the cities of the core cities of the Federation, even the best parts of Tonmak could only be called provincial. Poverty was clearly endemic here and it was easy to see how smugglers would thrive among so many desperate people.

Working their way to the poorest side of town, Zanut stopped to figure out where to start among the run down bars that were everywhere, when the taciturn Blackfeather spoke up.

"That casino. Look at it. It's the only place we've seen in the last five blocks that doesn't look like a dump. That tells me money is there and since this planet doesn't have any, it's got to be from off planet."

"Sounds good to me, you ready to meet the locals flyboy?"

Zanut quipped as he moved beside the Master Chief who was striding confidently to the flashy casino.

"Keep up son."

Blackfeather growled over his shoulder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote from: Azsayak on December 14, 2024, 10:54:46 AMAzsayak moved once the first sparks flew using her tail to knock lira down to the floor by her shoulder with a swipe of that tail.  Azsayak would wrench the crew remembers chair in front of her still with the crew still in backwards onto her own chair seat with a loud crunch. Her scalie body crawling over the chair she had just ripped free.  She grabs Ensign  Schlemann a second before the flames would've of washed over him. The flames meeting only Azsayak back and her scales. As she bears hugs the ensign to her chest and uses her back to shield the other three in the shuttles cockpit. 

As soon as it starts it all over the smell of burned uniform and singed scales of azsayak. The giant hunched over gorn females back still smoking from the burned uniform.  Her red eyes narrowed to slits from the pain and anger.  She lets the ensign go letting his feet touch the ground. Ensign Check on the others now. And then send a hail to the challenger. I will see what went wrong.  

Azsayak felt personal responsible for the fire and damage after all it was her and engineers work that had installed the masking device. She would check the console first for damage About 30 percent of the console was unusable and damaged.

She reaches into her satchel and pulls our the data pad and a laser cutter. (https://i.pinimg.com/236x/44/45/f5/4445f5feeb82750c674f519968e62acf.jpg)


(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6d/c5/bc/6dc5bcb362bdc28fa4e73728ca647858.jpg)

Azsayak back was singed but not badly her scales had protected her. But one could notice a grimace of pain in those slitted eyes of azsayak.

[Shuttle - Cutty Sark]

Azsayak had moved faster than anyone would think such a large body could move, but she couldn't be in three places at once. Her actions saved Lira and Schlemann from all but minor burns. Unfortunately, for Petty Officer First Class Kelsey Azsayak, while fast, just wasn't fast enough. Kelsey was bathed in flame and screamed in agony as she burned. The only good thing that happened was the fire suppression system did work and, mercifully, this ended Kelsey's screaming.

As Azsayak made he assessment, the Cutty Sark was drifting and unfortunately, among the portion of the portion of the console that wasn't working was the communication system.

Quote from: Alhanjhu on December 10, 2024, 04:44:52 PM[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak\Talik |  Docking Pad >- Recycling Center | Bathân]

Alhanjhu - as Takil - transported some metal along and Neva began haggling. He could see things weren't going their way, and he decided he could give it a try.

"Jolan tru, friend," he said exotically. "I should bear this in mind with you, this good woman and I have traveled a long way to do business, and it'll do good to split the profits between us. Besides, it's not easy teaching a human ways of the Elements, and profits induce the bestest satisfaction," he added, placing a hand on Neva's shoulder to imply that they were close partners, in business and intimacy. "Mayhapssss...sixteen bars, an even split between the two of us. A woman is in need of a new dress and jewelry to her deepest satisfactions."

[ACEO Lt.Neva Cordon/Aya Talos|Scrap Dealer]

Neva raised an eyebrow at Alhanjhu but quickly set her hand on his, a teasing smile on her lips. "Aye, m'dear. I'm wantin' summat t' be..." She trailed a finger of her other hand from the clavicle to the edge of her green tank top, where she stopped to tug it out a little to suggest cleavage. She turned and winked at the man at the desk then added. "Bout time we hit a deesen' place fer shoppin'!"

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 12, 2024, 06:23:07 AMNeva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"13 bars. Go to the payment booth. Next!"

The customer service advisor called out again, ignoring the pair and their protests of more payment. Behind them an impatient Romulan barged forward to the front of the queue. "I'm next! Get out of my way!"

A few other workers then collected the metal they had brought and began to load it onto a anti-grav sled.

Round the corner of the building was the payment booth. There another Romulan customer service advisor waited. They received their 13 bars of gold pressed latinum.

They then returned to the Calindra's Dream with the recycling centre workers to assess the remainder of the cargo. On arrival they discovered a large gang of what appeared to be 'street-children' disassembling the Dream's external components.

Neva cursed as she grabbed Alhanjhu's shirt, dragging him with her into a darkened alley. Her dark eyes were bolted onto the desecration  even as she hissed,"My kingdom for a remote to electrify the hull! Drop those bastards like flies!"

For long moments, Neva watched the train wreck, hot tears streaming down her face. It took all she had to turn and look at Alhanjhu. 

"Any ideas for two of us to stop this?" She choked out.

Quote from: CJ Dawson on December 09, 2024, 03:36:24 PM[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

She only had to wait a moment before her new chief arrived. A woman walked towards the desk and introduced herself as Lieutenant Commander Fellows. A big smile grew on CJ her face and she greeted the woman. "It's my honor to meet you, sir. I'm happy to be back on a ship. Can't wait to start." She said and nodded at the last thing the Lieutenant Commander said. "Must be a dangerous mission if they needed to go undercover. Not being able to help whatsoever. No questions at this point. Lead the way, sir." CJ smiled and water for the Lieutenant Commander to begin te tour.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Jess led CJ around the various areas of medical facility, as she went, she explained the nature of the ship.

"Challenger is a curious ship. Her basic space frame is 80 years old. One of the last Excelsiors built. Several years ago, after a classified mission, she was nearly wrecked. For some reason, she was rebuilt as the Trailblazer-Class. Add in some very clever modifications and she is one of the toughest ships in Starfleet. The downside of that is she frequently gets sent into heavy combat situations, which results in frequent casualties. So, I can promise, you will never be bored-"

Before Jess could continue  she was interrupted by her combadge.

=/\= "Sickbay, Bridge. There has been some sort of event on the Cutty Sark and she's nae respondin' ta hails. Stand by ta receive casualties as we try ta figure out what's happened, Galloway out." =/\=

"Like I said, rarely a dull moment. You will assist me once the casualties are aboard."

Quote from: Neva Cordon on December 14, 2024, 05:36:39 PM[ACEO Lt.Neva Cordon/Aya Talos|Scrap Dealer]

Neva raised an eyebrow at Alhanjhu but quickly set her hand on his, a teasing smile on her lips. "Aye, m'dear. I'm wantin' summat t' be..." She trailed a finger of her other hand from the clavicle to the edge of her green tank top, where she stopped to tug it out a little to suggest cleavage. She turned and winked at the man at the desk then added. "Bout time we hit a deesen' place fer shoppin'!"

Neva cursed as she grabbed Alhanjhu's shirt, dragging him with her into a darkened alley. Her dark eyes were bolted onto the desecration  even as she hissed,"My kingdom for a remote to electrify the hull! Drop those bastards like flies!"

For long moments, Neva watched the train wreck, hot tears streaming down her face. It took all she had to turn and look at Alhanjhu. 

"Any ideas for two of us to stop this?" She choked out.

Quote from: Malik Grippen on December 12, 2024, 06:23:07 AMNeva, AJ
Bathân, Metal Recycling Centre

"13 bars. Go to the payment booth. Next!"

The customer service advisor called out again, ignoring the pair and their protests of more payment. Behind them an impatient Romulan barged forward to the front of the queue. "I'm next! Get out of my way!"

A few other workers then collected the metal they had brought and began to load it onto a anti-grav sled.

Round the corner of the building was the payment booth. There another Romulan customer service advisor waited. They received their 13 bars of gold pressed latinum.

They then returned to the Calindra's Dream with the recycling centre workers to assess the remainder of the cargo. On arrival they discovered a large gang of what appeared to be 'street-children' disassembling the Dream's external components.

[Ensign Alhanjhu Jei'Jendak/Tarik | Recycling Center >- Calindra's Dream | Bathan]

"Thirteen bars is deal," Alhanjhu said, noticing that the man was being more annoyed. He did the best he could with the haggling and so they got thirteen bars of gold-pressed latinum.

On the way back, he said, "Apologies, lovely mistress, for taking a hand in the matter. It was the best we can do. And my haggling skills may be rus...FVADT!"

Suddenly, he saw some street urchins taking apart the Calindra's Dream. Neva was in tears... but it's to be expected in an engineer. Naturally, this was a familiar situation. The thing was, back then, it was salvagers collecting parts from the Warbird Necropolis. And he had trees, foliage and vines to his advantage.

"Leave it to me," he said. "It's something like how I encountered salvagers back on Andgarr...but something different, in that these are street urchins."

He then made his way to the children and said, "Stop there! That is not yours to take!" Given how many there were, he expected the bigger ones to fight him. "You will return our property now. I won't warn you again."