[MISSION TEASER] JP - Cmdr Wil Ukinix and Lt Cmdr Robin Hopper - This Is A Call
Wil Ukinix
((Ready Room, USS Independence - en route to Imza-4521-L))
Computer: ::error tone:: No acknowledgement of transmission of authorisation codes received from Starfleet classified research facility, “Whispering Wall”.
Ukinix: Computer, try sending them again?
Computer: Working…
Wil had already tried twice to forward on a code to the colony on the fourth planet in the Imza-4521-L system. He had received it via an urgent communication via Operation Watson from Starfleet command, which, given the conditions between the Alpha and Delta quadrants, had taken four days to get to Amity.
And when he’d received the information, it had been encrypted and made very clear it was classified.
The instructions were also clear: investigate a small, nay tiny, colony/research facility that had been hidden in the Barossa Nebula, even from Amity. The information was initially only available for Wil’s eyes only, but allowed him to share information with senior crew.
Ukinix: Third time’s a charm?
Hopper: You know what they say about trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results, don’t you?
Robin, sitting across from Wil, shot him a mocking side-eye as she sipped on her chai latté. Wil playfully raised his eyebrows at Robin, before waving Robin’s implication away.
Ukinix: Give it a few minutes. So, now that we’ve left Amity I can tell you all the saucy top-secret details. Starfleet’s had a tiny research colony out in the Barossa nebula working on stuff. And they’ve gone dark, and we have to investigate.
The First Officer’s brows shifted from teasingly raised to curiously furrowed.
Wil handed over a PADD to Robin. On it was a list of projects, named after Terran mythical creatures-- Unicorn, Sasquatch, Centaur, Mermaid, Pixie, and Elf. But one project had a very distinct name.
“Interlink”.
Hopper: One of these things is not like the other… Did you say they had a secret research base? Out here?
Ukinix: Oh yeah, you’re going to love it. So you remember good old “Fleet Mode”?
One third of the trifecta of doom that had made Frontier Day 2401 so memorable. How could she forget?
Hopper: I had a front-row seat, skipper. ::Passing the PADD back to him:: Why do I get the feeling you were being facetious when you said I would love it?
Wil was going to have to have words about the use of “skipper”. Or maybe he needed to sit on it, let it run around in his brain to see if he liked the term… oO Focus, Ukinix. Oo
Ukinix: Apparently that wasn’t the only initiative to research sharing of resources between starships and facilities. There were a couple of project teams given the same brief - a way to make the whole bigger than the sum of the parts. So our “Whispering Wall” colony that we’re headed to was working on a whole bunch of projects.
Hopper: Well doesn’t that just sound all kinds of promising… ::Sipping her tea again:: Alright. So, “Interlink.” Give me the turbolift pitch.
Ukinix: They were working on a way to allow starships or starbases to effectively pool computer systems up to a light year away from each other, allowing for faster processing and better failover redundancy - say, important sensor data in case one of the ships gets destroyed or disabled.
Hopper pursed her lips and sighed through her nose.
Hopper: It sounds great — in theory. I can even see how that might have come in handy during the battle with Ravarj... But I’m guessing we aren’t rushing to this top secret base on a classified mission so that we can deliver a crate of celebratory champagne because everything has worked out perfectly?
Ukinix: Apparently they’d had some success with it. To what extent, they don’t know. But then the colony went dark--
Computer: ::error tone:: No acknowledgement of transmission of authorisation codes received from Starfleet classified research facility, “Whispering Wall”.
Wil just shrugged. There would be no way of knowing if the auth codes were being received or not.
With a slight roll of her eyes, and a wry smile, Robin gave the desk surface a little pat and rose from her seat, tea still in hand.
Hopper: Guess it’s up to us to check if the lights are still on, see if anyone’s home. ::Pause:: What do you think, Wil? How are we approaching this one?
Ukinix: I’ll get you to lead a big team away team down to the colony, then split them up.
He brought up a topographical map of the colony - the colony itself was small, set amongst a forest. At one end of the compound was a Science Center building, at the other end was a four story multi-level Storage and Engineering Facility building which powered the compound. The top floor included room for three Talon class scouts, effectively acting as a small shuttle bay.
In the middle of the compound were two rows of small cabins. Twenty cabins to be precise, ten in each row. And from what Wil could tell, there were litterings of veggie gardens around the compound.
Surrounding the map of the compound was a line, some sort of energy fence for the convenience of keeping local creatures out rather than for protection from them. According to the intel provided, the local fauna was no bigger than a cat and were not life threatening.
Wil showed the map to Robin, and let her peruse it.
Hopper: Okay then. I’ll start putting together team proposals and get those to you within the hour. That’ll give us enough time to brief everyone before we arrive. ::Finishing off her tea:: How much trouble can one little classified research base be?
Ukinix: Yeah. Yeah, maybe they’ve just got a comms issue or something. It’ll be ‘right. … oO Right? Oo
END SCENE - ROLL CREDITS - WELCOME TO THE MISSION - “INTERLINK”!
(OOC: Act 1 posts and OOC explainer email to come)
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Commander Wil Ukinix
Starfleet attaché and First Officer
Amity Outpost
V239511WU0
And
Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper (she/they)
First Officer, Amity Outpost
V239806K11