MSNPC Jetripar - Finally! Useful!
Jira Jaran
((Bridge, USS Artemis))
Munro: We should intercept it in several minutes. The Atlas and the Prometheus are in a holding pattern, requesting to go to warp, Captain?
MacKenzie: ::waving a finger and nodding:: Tell them to get on with it. Helm, slow to warp 5.
Munro: Secretary Jetripar, what do you know about Da'al surveillance probes?
For once, Jetripar didn't have to feign ignorance or hide anything. That was something outside of his sphere of knowledge.
Jetripar: As surprising as this may be, I can genuinely say I know nothing at all about our surveillance program at all, assuming it even exists.
Jovenan: It would help to know if the object is Da’al or from someone else. It might not even have anything to do with the Afalqi.
Storm: It’s also possible that whoever Havun was working with gave them that item as well. Just because it isn’t Da’al doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t have anything to do with the Afalqi.
Munro: It's sending a signal out :: sighs :: To a relay on Outer Seedea. The signal bounces from there.
MacKenzie: What kind of signal? Comms? Data?
Jovenan: Um… Inconclusive. It might not be either, in the strict sense. The level of uniformity of the signal would make it a poor method of transmitting anything meaningful.
Storm: Whatever transmission it’s sending, it appears to be repeating.
Jetripar: I do have access to some of our higher level encryption protocols, if that would be helpful.
Munro: Response
MacKenzie: Do you suppose it's a signal of some kind?
Jovenan: Maybe, if its purpose is just to let the recipient know that the sender is still functional.
Storm: What do you think would happen if it weren’t still functional?
After being briefed on the situation that had occurred in the hangar on the surface, the term "dead man's switch" jumped to Jetripar's mind all too quickly.
Jetripar: I shudder to think.
Munro: Response
MacKenzie: Is there a way we can disrupt the signal? Cut off... whatever it is and whatever it's sending?
Jovenan: We can intercept the signal and either block or bend it so that it doesn’t reach the relay… or we could just destroy the object. However, there’s a possibility that something happening to the object is the message the Afalqi is looking for.
Storm: But that might be exactly what we need. The likelihood that it would start a reaction might be beneficial. If that’s what the Afalqi is waiting for, we have two shuttles that are pursuing the other trails. One of us is likely to pick up on something.
Jetripar: Springing a trap can be beneficial if you're aware the trap is there.
Munro/MacKenzie: Response
Jovenan: Captain, the signal has ceased. Neither the object nor the relay are transmitting any more.
Storm: I can confirm.
Jetripar: ::nervously:: What does that mean?
Munro/MacKenzie: Response
Jovenan: Caught the object in sensors. Scanning for the internal composition. ::pause:: Um, it seems the probe is dead. I’m not sure if it suddenly broke down or if something initiated the self-destruct.
Storm: The internal mechanisms may not be functioning, but it is intact.
Jetripar: This seems very convenient that it would break down right now...
Munro/MacKenzie: Response
Storm: My biggest concern is that if we bring it aboard, we could be bringing on a Trojan Horse.
Jetripar: I'm not sure what that is, but it sounds bad. Can you examine it from here?
Munro/MacKenzie/Jovenan: Response
Storm: If we look at this situation from a tactical perspective, Havun wants to get away, but he wants to do so stealthily. The easiest way to do that is to stay still.
Jetripar: I'm not sure I understand. He gets nowhere that way.
Munro/MacKenzie/Jovenan: Response
Storm: If we pass him and our focus is out in front of us, he can sneak back in behind us and get away easily.
Jetripar: Wouldn't that leave him in unfriendly territory, and in the path of a returning hunt?
Munro/MacKenzie/Jovenan: Response
Jetripar was beginning to despair. They were talking themselves in circles. Havun could have done this, could have done that, but if he'd done that then he couldn't have done that. They needed to take action. The cost was high if they took the wrong action, however.
Jetripar: Let's assume that he stopped here and is somehow cloaked. How long could he maintain the cloak?
MacKenzie/Munro/Jovenan/Storm: Response
Well, that was simply unacceptable. They couldn't simply sit around and wait on the hunch that he hadn't gone where the trail led. If he had followed, he could get even further ahead.
Jetripar: Well, we must do something. What was causing the sensor echo to pick up on this in the first place. Is that something we can magnify?
MacKenzie/Munro/Jovenan/Storm: Response
Jetripar: Yes, I can do that. Finally, something I can help with.
Jetripar was over to the console as quickly as his legs would carry him. After a moment of orienting himself with the layout, he tapped in the codes.
Jetripar: There. You should have access, as much as I can provide.
MacKenzie/Munro/Jovenan/Storm: Response
Tags/TBC