MSNPC Jetripar - The Shotgun Approach
Jira Jaran
(( Bridge - Deck 01 - USS Artemis-A ))
Storm: Do you think Havun is being used by another group - that this scheme is actually mercenary?
Jetripar: :scoffing:: I'm sure he's doing this for himself somehow. Everything he does is for himself.
Munro: Klingons don't feel right to me. They don't go in for this level of deception. Someone has been pushing them since we got to Meranuge IV and we have no evidence of their involvement. Are we willing to risk antagonising the Klingons and getting them involved? They wouldn't mind getting their hands on an experimental ship full of Romulan technology, I suspect?
Jovenan: The Klingon Empire is still our ally. Could we ask them for help?
MacKenzie: I could reach out to Klingon High Command, but I agree with Commander Munro - this doesn't feel very Klingon to me at all...
Storm: Klingons aren’t known for their subterfuge.
Jetripar: I'm certainly not convinced that the Klingons themselves are involved. But I know that Havun wouldn't be above attempting to use them for his own goals.
Munro: Captain, if we select the one trail for the Artemis to track and send out the Atlas and the Prometheus to track the other trails at maximum warp, its unlikely that they would have been able to sustain the false trail for long and we can divert course?
MacKenzie nodded.
MacKenzie: I was thinking the same thing - they have a decent head start but surely they can't be too far ahead if we're still picking up the warp trails... but any false readings will fade out pretty quickly...
Storm: It’s the best idea so far and covers all of our bases at the same time.
Jetripar nodded. He would hate for them to pick the wrong path and let his quarry escape. He could not allow that to happen.
Jovenan: The Argo class transports have the maximum speed of warp 7.5. It’s a question of how that compares to the Afalqi’s smallcrafts’ and drones’ performance.
MacKenzie looked to Jetripar at that.
Storm: Maybe the secretary can fill us in on that, or at least what their maximum’s were purported to be.
At least for this, it didn't hurt in the slightest to share what he knew on the matter.
Jetripar: The Afalqi itself was incredibly advanced. Any support vessels aboard are more standard and only capable of Warp 5 with a capable crew keeping them together under the strain. ::under his breath:: Unless that too changed without my knowledge.
Munro: Response
Jovenan: The Afalqi and its decoys have considerable headstart, but with our and the Argos’ sensors, we can negate a large portion of it. With their speed, the Argos would be able to reach a negative recognition in… two hours or less. The Artemis takes significantly less. Assuming the decoys don’t have other means to manipulate their signature.
Jetripar: I have immense confidence in your abilities.
Munro: Response
Jovenan: There’s also the possibility that if either of the Argos find the Afalqi, the Artemis needs to turn around to come face the Afalqi and help our transport. The further we’re apart, the longer it takes for the assistance to arrive.
MacKenzie: Is there any way to calculate how far off course we'd be if we chose the wrong path, and how much longer it might take for us to regroup with either of the shuttles if they find the Afalqi first?
Storm: According to my numbers, if the Artemis slows down to warp 5 and we send out the Atlas and Prometheus at warp 7.5, and if the false trail or trails are lost within the first hour that the shuttles are out, we stand to put ourselves in the best position to catch the culprits, no matter which way they go.
Jetripar didn't like the idea of slowing down. The mention of it made a muscle in his cheek twitch, but he managed to stay silent.
Munro/Jovenan: Response
The Captain thought for a moment in thought.
MacKenzie: Commander, mobilize the shuttle pilots and have them prepare the Atlas and the Prometheus for immediate launch.
Munro: Response
MacKenzie: The Atlas should proceed to the Barol system, and the Prometheus to ngeb Station. We'll head for Nasciak territory. I can't afford anyone but the Artemis to get caught near their territory - at least I'm confident in our ability to diffuse any situations that might come up.
Storm: I’ll concentrate my scans on the area ahead of us, then, but if they are under cloak…
Jetripar: I thank you for considering all of this as carefully. I am certain you will be successful.
Munro/Jovenan: Response
The officer in gold tapped at her screen.
Storm: I’m unfamiliar with the Nasciak or their territory, and the information on the LCARS is spotty at best. Could you fill us in, Captain?
Jetripar moved back to the seat he had earlier vacated and listened carefully. This was a learning experience for him as well.
Munro/Jovenan/MacKenzie: Response
Something happened on Storm's console, and she diverted her attention to it.
Storm: Captain? I have….
Storm: I’m sorry. I had something, but either I lost it or I never really had anything to begin with.
Jetripar: Is it the Afalqi?
Munro/Jovenan/MacKenzie: Response
Storm: Wait. I have it again, but it’s in a different location. It’s almost…
Storm: It’s almost like a … reflection. It’s the same signal, but displaced somehow.
She shook her head.
Storm: I’m not sure how to explain it better. Commander, Jovenan, I’m sending you my sensor data to see if you can figure out what to make of it.
Jetripar turned his attention to the others.
Jetripar: What could cause this?
Munro/Jovenan/MacKenzie: Response
He listened as the jargon flowed. Most of it made no sense to him, but he understood one thing: they didn't know what it meant.
Jetripar: Is it at least in the direction we're going?
MacKenzie/Munro/Jovenan/Storm: Response
He gestured emphatically.
Jetripar: Well speed up then! Catch it! If we can't tell what it is from here, we surely can get closer. If it's my ship, there's no time to waste.
MacKenzie/Munro/Jovenan/Storm: Response
Jetripar sat back in his chair, almost sulking, though he never would have described it that way.
Jetripar: At the very least, can we try and see it with our own eyes, whatever it is?
MacKenzie/Munro/Jovenan/Storm: Response
Tags/TBC