Lt Commander Jania Nis - He's got a gun!
Jania Nis
[[Holodeck]]
(( Main Bridge, USS Buffett ))
Lia had suggested that it was more than Romulans in the area.
Nis: A third party? Should we check with intelligence to see if they’ve heard of anything like that in the area?
Rouiancet: I'd prefer to establish what we're dealing with. The sensors say that it's a comet, except for the half-centimeter device. That's some very powerful trickery.
Ragh: ::to Rouiancet:: I agree, we need to determine who's handy work these 'comets' are.
Bakk: We could approach that from trying to determine unique minerology patterns, seeing where the comets share patterns with. Or we could analyze the systems on the comet, which have their own unique signatures and behaviors we were not expecting.
Nis: The comet itself may be incidental. Besides that technology altering its chemistry, it seems fairly normal.
Ragh: Well let's lay out the facts: We know the Romulans were making frequent visits to this area and we know that there were similar comets at those times. Now is that enough to start a confrontation, probably not, but I would say that it's more than a pretty good hunch.
Bakk: Are you proposing there may be a third party involved?
Jania raised an eyebrow. Well, technically in this context, Ragh acknowledging the possible involvement of a third party did carry more weight than Lia proposing it. He was the captain, after all.
Rouiancet: Response
Nis: The problem is, how? We need to be cautious if it’s some sort of spy craft. It could have defenses—
Ragh: ::said suddenly:: If you want to know if someone is there, give them a call.
Jania whipped around. oO That … is the opposite of cautious. Oo
Ragh: Open hailing channel: =/\= This is the USS Buffet of the Federation, to any and all nearby vessels, we come in good faith and seek open dialogue. =/\=
Nis: :: eyes wide :: Are you hailing a comet?
But hailing seemed to have little effect. Jania ran her tongue over her teeth and returned to her work.
Rouiancet: Response
Ragh: Okay, change of-
Unknown: =/\= USS Buffet, we heard your message. What we do here is our own concern. (A pause) But we are.. open, to further conversation. Give us thirty minutes and await our hail. =/\=
Jania’s eyes widened. For a moment, it didn’t feel like a game, a holodeck, but a legitimate threat. Nothing about “give us thirty minutes” sounded ideal.
Bakk: From a security standpoint, I have concerns about this course of action. A Romulan or potential third party wants us to wait for thirty minutes. They could be assembling reinforcements.
Nis: We think he’s right.
Rouiancet: Response
Bakk: We could assemble our own reinforcements, but the timing window is not large. Also it would be viewed as aggressive, and we are already tending away from that sort of approach.
This was a secret skills test for Ragh, and there was a reason for each new situation and the way that it unfolded. Jania suspected a request for reinforcements would be poorly perceived. He needed to do this on his own, at least for now. But how could she say that in a way that kept with the scenario? She wished she hadn’t flunked out of those acting classes her mom had put her in at 13…
Nis: Reinforcements are off the table for now. We’re too close to the border.
Ragh/Rouiancet: Response
Nis: There are other ways we can prepare.
She turned back to her console and focused on the long-range sensor array. There were dozens of these comets around them. Did they all have chips in them? She couldn't scan them all from here, but she started a program to estimate their number.
Ragh/Rouiancet: Response
Nis: We’re keeping an eye out for enemy ships, but the region still seems deserted. Ensign Bakk, anything interesting in the most recent probes?
Ragh/Rouiancet/Bakk: Response
Nis: So you’re saying that comet … has a gun?
Ragh/Rouiancet/Bakk: Response
Tags/TBC
Lieutenant Commander Jania Nis
Head of Health
USS Octavia E. Butler NCC-82850
O240108JN2