Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper: That’ll Buff Out
Robin Hopper
((OOC – Once again, thanks for the patience on this one guys! Let’s start to bring this one towards a close with our next sims, so we can be prepared to move into Act 2 during the coming week.))
((Bridge, USS Independence-B – Stellae Paddock, Nuriootpa Solar Nebula))
With everyone having offered up their answers to the Talaxian representative’s questions, Robin was feeling good. So far, their cruise had been smooth sailing. Of course, out here in the Delta Quadrant, things could always change in an instant. Just then, all three consoles began beeping as new telemetry and sensor data made itself known.
Hopper: Report.
She turned her attention – and her swiveling chair – back towards the front of the bridge and the large viewscreen. She could tell there was something there in the distance, but at this range it was hard to tell if all they were seeing was nebula gasses and space debris, or if there were actually creatures out there.
S. Richards: I'm getting reading on the scans. It looks like we are about to intercept a fairly large herd of space co.. I mean Stallae.
There they were – right on the edge of the Stellae Paddock, their long-range sensors picking up what Robin had to figure was the reported swarm of Hawlat Angels they’d been tipped off to. Without even having to ask, someone magnified the image displayed on their viewscreen, and Robin’s questions were answered.
There was, indeed, a swarm of the creatures sailing around lazily, no doubt enjoying the plentiful gasses upon which they fed. With no natural predators in the area, and the Hawlat carefully managing their care to ensure there were no more run-ins with the miners, it must have been an incredibly peaceful existence for the scooty space balloons.
Blackwood: ::Low:: Manatees ::turning around in his seat to the viewscreen:: Damn, quite a few of them.
Ylvor: Incredible.
Hopper: Well! Who’s up for a closer look, hmm? ::Small sigh:: Lieutenant Blackwood, once we’re within 100 kilometers, reduce speed to thrusters. ::Cheeky smile:: Lieutenant Ylvor, can you adjust the polarity of the hull to attract vented plasma particulates – see if we can draw the creatures even closer? Perhaps Miss Richards can help identify the most ‘appetizing’ blend of gas and plasma…?
After all – they might be able to see the Stellae well enough with their magnified and enhanced visual sensors, but the rest of the delegates down in the mess wouldn’t be seeing much more than some distant tiny blobs in front of a cloud.
S. Richards: ::tapping away on her console:: Lets see what I can come up with!
Blackwood: Hey, just don’t make them bump into my ship! They’ve got some mass to them.
Ylvor: Aye Captain. ::beat:: Your ship? Lieutenant, she's ours, please. ::She said with a devilish grin::
Robin was glad her crew was beginning to relax. She had known that this little adventure had been rather sprung on them – and that Sam, in particular, had felt nervous. But if the back-and-forth banter was anything to go by, that tension had begun to ease now that they were all out here, just having a good time.
The Indy moved in closer, then slowed, per Hopper’s instructions. The Stellae were now quite close, and their naturally curious nature seemed to have already drawn several away from the larger herd, venturing out to investigate the ‘newcomer’ in their midst. Robin had to admit, they were funny creatures – but they did sail around with a sort of graceful movement that did make her understand how the Hawlat might think of them as ‘angelic’, out here amongst the stars.
S. Richards: I've identified a suitable mixture of the surrounding gasses and plasma. Lets see if they like this space smoothie ::smirking to herself::
Blackwood: ::staring at the viewport:: In all my time here this is my first time seeing these things up close.
Ylvor: Polarity modified, particulates increasing adherence to the hull. ::Looking back at the viewscreen:: How incredibly majestic.
Some of the creatures were growing quite close to the ship now, a few of the juveniles eagerly rushing ahead. There was something endearing about the fact that they seemed just as interested in their visitors as their visitors were in them.
Hopper: Majestic? Yes. Cute? Definitely. And it looks like our ploy worked! ::Pressing the comm button again:: =/\= This is Lt. Commander Hopper again. We’re now being approached by several of the Stellae / Hawlat Angels. The creatures are quite docile, however we may experience a few minor harmless ‘collisions’ – which are no cause for alarm. Enjoy the show, folks! =/\=
Everyone seemed enamored with the spaceborn creatures as they fanned out, surrounding the Indy. No doubt they were now taking note of the delicious plasma goo adhered to the ship’s hull plating.
oO This should be fun. Oo
S. Richards: ::quietly, staring at the viewscreen and watching more of the stellae come towards them:: Isn’t it beautiful?
Blackwood: Yeah, it’s pretty cute. There’s a lot of nice things to look at out here… ::smirking::
Ylvor: Focus Lieutenant ::She joked::
Robin cleared her throat, hoping her subtle cue was understood. oO Now we might be getting a little too comfortable… Oo
Rexia: But he is focused. Admiring our new friends.
Hopper: My thoughts exactly… Speaking of which, anything from science to report about our inquisitive friends?
S. Richards: I'm sure most of you are aware, but just in case.. The Stallae tend to be fairly playful and they do like to “bump” into ships.
Before Robin (or anyone else) could even offer a comment, the first noticeable bump resonated through the ship, as one of the creatures ran into and harmlessly bounced off the hull.
S. Richards: I do believe that is what is happening now.
Rexia: You won't let us get too thrown around, will you?
Considering the size of the Independence, it was impressive that they could feel it at all – but then, the Stellae were quite large themselves, and they did seem to ram into things at a surprising speed, considering it appeared not to harm them at all.
Blackwood: On it. Don’t worry… ::frantically tapping:: firing aft thrusters, altering our trajectory now.
Ylvor: Mighty friendly.
Rexia: Mighty big…
Robin chuckled. She wasn’t about to worry – not just yet, anyways – and if she was going to worry for anyone, it would be the endangered creatures bumping into a duranium hull head-first.
Hopper: Juuust remember, this is their way of investigating us. But the Stellae don’t really have an ‘aggressive’ bone in their body. Actually, they don’t technically have any bones. Anyway, we’re in their habitat now, so it’s only natural – ::to Blackwood:: Lieutenant, maybe we can adjust our flight patterns to, um, ‘act casual’?
Blackwood: I’m going to spin us around, try and move with them, and see how they feel about that.
Ylvor: Preparing to broadcast 'sorry, sorry sorry' on all channels and known languages. ::She said in a joking tone::
S. Richards: ::snorting a small laugh:: I can only imagine what they would think of that.
Robin chuckled, then turned to their Talaxian guest.
Hopper: So, Representative, what do you think of our–
Before she could finish her sentence, there was another, larger nudge to the ship. No doubt the first one had come from a juvenile, and the latter from an adult. This one caught Robin (and, seemingly, everyone else) a little off-guard.
Blackwood: $%£&, I mean… sorry, that scared the hell out of me… ::chuckling::
Harrison’s nervous chuckle made Robin wonder if she’d underestimated the creatures – or overestimated Blackwood’s comfort with the Defiant Class’ conn. oO Nahh. He’s probably just frustrated he didn’t keep his cool in front of all the “nice things to look at…” Oo She rolled her eyes and adjusted her posture, lightly gripping the arms of her chair in case they experienced any additional bumps from overeager Stellae.
Ylvor: Nice course correction Lieutenant, it is a shame that the adult creatures didn't think so.
Hopper: Alright, alright… Torvi, keep an eye on structural integrity. The Indy is a tough little ship, but I’d rather not have to raise shields against these critters. I think they mean well.
Blackwood: response
While Harrison navigated the swarm to the best of his abilities, Robin kept an eye on the movements of the swarm around them. While some interaction was all in good fun, she didn’t want to disrupt the Stellae too much. After all, they were there to observe, not to throw the herd into disarray. She was sure the Hawlat wouldn’t appreciate that either.
Ylvor: What do you think of them, Representative? ::She said, directly at Rexia::
Rexia: They are certainly a boisterous bunch.
From the Talaxian’s tone, Robin thought that sounded like a positive. After all, her own limited experienced with the Talaxians who called Amity home had definitely led her to believe they were naturally fun-loving people.
S. Richards: That they are! ::nodding in agreement::
Blackwood: response
Ylvor: I am curious to know how fast they can travel, their migrations must take years if they travel at less than 1/10th impulse. Would they experience time-dilation at that speed?
The Tactical Officer raised an interesting question – seemingly directed at Sam – though Robin knew that it was not her specialty. She might be sitting in the Science Officer’s seat at present, but Samantha Richards was an expert in planetary science – not exobiology or special relativity. That said, with a little more training, Robin was sure Sam possessed the wherewithal to become a very capable and well-rounded science officer, if she so chose.
S. Richards: Well, I’m not fully certain on that. Maybe one of our more senior crew can help answer that?
Catching Sam’s uncertain glance, Robin offered her own input.
Hopper: Technically, speaking, all objects in motion experience minor relative differences in the experience of time, regardless of their speed. That said, I’m not sure there’s any data to suggest the Stellae can reach anything close to that sort of velocity, even in a vacuum, without having to stop to ‘refuel’. I doubt there’s any perceptible ‘relativistic’ effect… Then again, who can say how the Stellae even perceive the passage of time?
She tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair.
Hopper: Questions for future study, perhaps.
Blackwood/Ylvor: response
Robin glanced to Sam, then to Rexia.
Hopper: I may need to consider drafting some sort of joint research project into the movements of the Stellae. I’m sure the Hawlat have some historical data they could share with us regarding their migratory patterns. Could be interesting! And these kinds of questions are exactly why we’re out here. ::To S. Richards:: Right, Sam?
S. Richards: ::Smiling, bouncing slightly in her chair:: Yeah, that!
Rexia: Very interesting.
There were another series of bumps – nothing severe, but enough that the crew could feel them. At least, at this point, none of the creatures had attached themselves to the ship. Apparently that had happened back when the crew of Amity had first encountered them two years ago. Robin had to assume that was on account of Blackwood’s piloting.
Hopper: Looks like ‘flying casual’ is working, Lieutenant – at least enough that they seem happy to have us along for the ride. I think we can stay a few more minutes, then we’ll move on to the asteroid field – show off some of the mining operation.
Blackwood/Ylvor: response
As they continued to sail peacefully through the swarm of Stellae, the creature almost appeared to create a sort of ‘pathway’ for them to pass through, gracefully gliding out of their way.
S. Richards: It almost seems like they are dancing ::smirking:: Do you think it's choreographed?
Another bump. Robin snickered. If it was choreographed, it seemed like the Stellae still needed some more rehearsal time. Then the image of the Stellae in little ballerina outfits snuck into her brain. oO Well, that thought is living with me forever. Oo
Rexia: Do they always play with ships like toys? Throwing them around?
S. Richards: No one is exactly sure why ::shrugging:: but they are playful.
Hopper: It doesn’t seem to be an agitated response. From our limited observations, we can only theorize that the collisions are some sort of ‘investigative’ action – like how dolphins nudge objects, even boats, with their snouts. ::Smile:: Even housecats sometimes have to ‘boop’ something to figure out what it’s all about.
Blackwood/Ylvor: response
Another collision happened between the ship and one of the Stellae, feeling less like a bump or a nudge and more like a kick. Robin steadied herself in her seat. oO Of course, our recorded data on the Stellae is pretty scarce… Oo
Rexia: And this ship, the, uh, the Independence-B, the Stellaesirenia can't hurt it, can they?
S. Richards: ::quietly:: uhh….
Ylvor/Blackwood: Response
Hopper: ::Reassuringly:: She’s built tough. The original purpose for the Defiant class, when they were first designed, was to withstand combat with the Borg.
Despite their assurances, Robin did not Sam glancing at her console with a rather worried expression.
S. Richards: Well, that’s strange..
Rexia/Blackwood/Ylvor: Response
Hopper held her index finger up to halt any speculation.
Hopper: Standby… What’s on your mind, Sam?
S. Richards: It seems that the herd is surrounding the ship. Maybe my space smoothie is too irresistible. ::she said with a nervous chuckle::
Hopper: ::Pursing her lips:: Alright, well, it’s been fun dancing with the Angels, but we’re nearly through at this point… Out of an abundance of caution, let’s ‘shower off’, shall we? ::To S. Richards:: Sam, redirect plasma flow back into the bussard collectors. ::To Ylvor:: Torvi, invert hull polarization to shed any remaining ionized matter. ::To Blackwood:: Harrison – let’s boogie, hm?
Rexia/Blackwood/Ylvor: Response
Even as they worked to separate from the herd and shed the remaining plasma ‘smoothie’ from the hull, a few more disjointed jolts from various directions momentarily overwhelmed the inertial dampers’ ability to compensate. Robin braced appropriately, out of muscle memory, but those without the Starfleet training likely wouldn’t have had that instinct.
S. Richards: It seems this particular herd is extra playful…
She glanced at Rexia, hoping the Talaxian delegate wasn’t too shaken by the experience thus far. Things had been going well, and the last thing Robin wanted was to undo any of that good work.
Hopper: Sorry about that, Representative. It’s not every day we fly right into their midst. Still, I’m finding this pretty exhilarating.
Rexia: Response
Hopper: ::To Ylvor:: Standby to activate the deflector shield… Any damage to the hull?
Ylvor: Response
Hopper: That’ll buff out. ::To Blackwood:: See if you can transfer any power to the dampers, smooth the ride – then plot a course out of here…
Blackwood: Response
Hopefully that would be sufficient to get them out of there without sustaining too much more jostling. (If any).
S. Richards: Could it be possible we have overstayed our welcome and this is their way of asking us to leave?
Hopper: I don’t intend to stick around to find out. We should be almost at the edge of the paddock by now… ::Getting an idea:: Sam, that smoothie of yours. Let’s see if we can vent a burst of that warp plasma. Leave them with a tasty “goodbye” treat. You follow me?
S. Richards: Response
Rexia/Blackwood/Ylvor: Response
With no shortage of effort on the crew’s part, they were able to slip away from the majority of the Stellae without further incident. As they passed the edge of the ‘paddock’ – really, just an area of space shaped by harmless machines, designed to create a desirable environment by collecting and concentrating the Stellae’s favourite food sources away from the asteroid field and the mining operations therein – Robin breathed a little sigh of relief. She noticed her fingers were clenched on her armrest, and loosened her grip.
Hopper: Well! ::Beat:: That was exciting, huh?
Rexia/Blackwood/Ylvor/S. Richards: Response
Pointing at the viewscreen, and the asteroid field ahead, Robin nodded to the crew around her.
Hopper: Well done everyone. Now – the next leg of our tour shouldn’t be quite so interactive… but I’m sure you’ll still find it interesting, Representative. We’ve got a few minutes ahead of us before we reach the mining facility we’ll be visiting and, during that time, I thought it might be fun to demonstrate some of the Indy’s capabilities… aside from surviving a bit of rough play with the space cows, that is.
Rexia: Response?
She gave a knowing nod to Harrison and Torvi. She’d asked them to prepare some sort of demonstration of the ship’s systems.
Ylvor/Blackwood: Response
Hopper: And – once we arrive, Miss Richards and I would be delighted to talk about the naturally regenerating benamite field and how we use those crystals in our Quantum Slipstream Drives.
S. Richards/Rexia: Response
TBC
((OOC – We can set up, but don’t need to completely play out the aforementioned ‘demonstrations’. Much of that can happen “off screen” between Acts 1 and 2, but please do feel free to describe IC through dialogue and narration what your characters have planned!))
