[sb118-butler] Lieutenant. J.G. Alex Forsyth - A Lot Of Calculations.

[Robert Forsyth]

(( Bridge, Deck 1, USS Octavia E. Butler. )) 

Forsyth: I can run it again, if you want? 

Rouiancet: Yes, see what you can come up with, and--

Bim Brirr: Captain, please excuse the interruption, but you have a priority message from the authorities on Argratha. 

Alex looked over towards Bim Barr, wondering if the away teams were alright. She knew Lahl was sensible enough to keep out of trouble, most of the time anyway. Her other friends, Jania and Lhandon, on the other hand, seem to get into shenanigans the most, but she hoped that everything was all right down there. 

oO Too late to turn around, we need to catch these smugglers while we have a chance… Oo

Rouiancet: Send it over.

The tactical officer returned to her console to recalibrate her trajectory. She ran it through a few more times, needing it to keep them hidden upon arriving at their destination. The best she could get was a slightly longer approach around the system star towards the supposed area of the smugglers, which would mean dropping out of warp at the same time as the star.

Forsyth: Right, I have revisited the route slightly. 

Rouiancet: Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. Please say again.

Alex nodded, putting up on the big screen. 

Forsyth: Well, it's similar to the last one, except we enter the system very close to the star corona from the eastern side and fly around it towards the area. 

Alex hoped that the Captain found her new route more satisfactory than the previous one, as she still felt the need to give a good impression, even though the Captain was properly impressed by her anyway. 

Rouiancet: Yes, that seems reasonable. How likely is it that the smugglers won't detect anything at all?

Katsim: We can’t really know for certain.  

That was not a great answer to hear. Alex considered trying the calculation again, debating it in her head for a minute. Ultimately, she decided to trust her instincts and reconfirm it to the others. 

Forsyth: As long as we drop out of warp close to the star, then we should be hidden.

And then what Commander Katsim said next put a very large wrench in her plan. 

Katsim: Scans show several moons. 

Forsyth: Wait, what? 

The Tactical Officer turned to face the Bardassian, blinking a few times as she processed what she had said. The news of multiple moons meant that Alex's trajectory needed to be reworked again, which slightly annoyed her.  

Rouiancet: Response

Katsim: I can not give you more. 

Forsyth: I’ll need to do some rejustment then….

Alex once again returned to her calculations, although without any clear data on the system they were heading to. She was not sure how accurate their new route would be, given that they were not sure if the energy reading was coming from the planet or one of its moons. 

Rouiancet: Response

Katsim: It’s a very large magnetar.  Between its magnetic fluctuations and gamma rays, we will not be able to easily locate another ship. 

That was another problem for them to overcome, and Alex began to feel that little bit of doubt about her plan start growing at the back of her mind. She was not sure if they could use the star as cover without becoming blind themself, but tried her best to think positively as Commander Katsim put forth a previous suggestion.  

Katsim: Unless we use the polaron beams. 

Alex was not familiar with using polarons as a way to break the interference of a magnetar-type star, but assumed that it had been tried in the past. She did trust Katsim's judgment, however, as having seen her quick thinking during the kidnapping of the senior staff by the Collectors. The effect of the alternative dimensional wormhole would have been dangerous if not for the Commander's action that day.  

Alex still has dreams about that robotic arm from time to time, but becoming less and less frequent as time goes on. 

Forsyth: Well, either that or trying to think of a new plan…. 

Rouiancet: Response

Forsyth: Aye, cap’n.  

Rouiancet/Katsim: Responses

Tag/TBC

_________________________________________________ 

Lieutenant. J.G. Alex Forsyth

Tactical

USS Octavia E. Butler

D239910AF1