LtJG Jovenan – When the fun turns to tears
Jovenan
((Bridge, USS Artemis))
The game wasn’t going well for the Artemis crew, and Jovenan considered the possibility they might actually lose. The artificial gravity was offline, there was a saboteur group lurking somewhere in their computer core, and the Artemis’ shields were taking hits from outside. Even her own combadge indicated she was injured, although she downplayed how bad the hit had been to her legs – the computer must have calculated that in a real emergency, the force would have been stronger than it could safely simulate.
The Berlin was also bombarding them with a ton of nigh-incomprehensive signals. They were hiding their communications to the boarding team, and she had decided to find them. Somehow.
Jovenan: I’ve isolated the commlink, sir! It’s very faint and might be encoded, I’m not sure if we can hear them.
MacKenzie: See what you can do.
Kader: Aye aye
Their computer had taken a hit and was losing computing power, but it wasn’t fully non-responsive either, like the Excal’s had been only some months ago. She could run the messages through the program multiple times and ask assistance from the scientists down on Deck 9. While she concentrated mostly on the issue at her hands, she listened to the Captain and other bridge officers carefully.
MacKenzie: What if the damage isn’t simulated?
Jovenan stopped working and turned to the Captain. She wasn’t entirely sure what she had meant by that.
Silveira: Sorry Captain, what?
Jovenan: Uh, the simulated weapons can’t damage us for real, sir.
Kader: Response
The Captain shook her head.
MacKenzie: I mean what if this damage is unrelated to or outside the parameters of the game…
Jovenan switched between looking at her console and the Captain. Her readings weren’t all as expected, but that is to be expected in an environment that can confuse or damage sensors or when the computer and other systems had taken (simulated) damage. She didn’t follow what the Captain was talking about.
Silveira: We are in a hostile environment.
Jovenan: Yes. We might have taken some real damage from the plasma. Is that what you mean?
Kader: Response
MacKenzie: I think we should seriously consider the possibility that something else is wrong here. I need theories and verification of the damage to the ship’s systems…
Jovenan shrugged silently before turning back to her console. She initiated a diagnostic sequence on all systems under her control. Maybe that could reveal something, if there even was anything to be revealed.
Silveira: I am having trouble getting a proper reading Captain.
Jovenan raised an eyebrow almost in a Vulcan way.
Kader/MacKenzie: Response
Silveira: The computer isn’t allowing me to make the distinction between simulated and real damage. Do any of you have the same problem?
Jovenan: Diagnostic on scientific and sensor systems are simply stating all damage is simulated. I’ll, uh, try to verify those results in case the diagnostic tool is corrupted.
The first logical step would probably be to contact the personnel on the sensor pod and in Stellar Cartography, Astrometrics and other laboratories and request them to state their status. These people had better chances of detecting actual damage than she had.
Kader/MacKenzie: Response
Silveira: If your theory is correct then someone is taking advantage of our drill. And I don’t believe they mean to destroy us, they could have done that already.
A shiver ran down Jovenan’s spine. If they were really attacked while in this state, they had very poor chances of defending themselves. They couldn’t even fire a phaser that could make a dent on hull plating.
Jovenan: We can, umm, contact the Berlin, end the drill, and disable the drill mode as a precaution. That should purge the system of simulated damage.
MacKenzie: Response
Kader/Silveira: Response
Jovenan: The message the Berlin send to the boarding team isn’t entirely clear, but I believe they are also taking damage from the nebula and are moving further back.
MacKenzie/Kader/Silveira: Response
The teams in laboratories and the sensor pod began filing in their reports. Most of it was expected and mundane, but then came in a report from above. It might have been unexpected to the team that reported it, but after the discussion the bridge team was having, Jovenan began to feel terrified.
Jovenan: Sir! The sensor pod team is reporting that some of their systems are unresponsive even in maintenance mode. That’s real damage, but the computer reports it as simulated only. ::pause, voice cracks:: The drill mode is compromised.
MacKenzie/Kader/Silveira: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11