Lt. JG Varik - So It Begins
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Varik
Jan 16, 2026, 1:06:18 AM (yesterday) Jan 16
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(( Bridge, Deck 1, USS Octavia E. Butler ))
oO Cooperating with us. Oo
The words did not sit right in Varik's stomach. It did not feel like a cooperative partnership. It felt like they were on a leash and a short one at that.
Rouiancet: Thank you, Lhandon. Varik, please dispatch a request for update to Commander Richards' team, and then move us to a position more favorable for low-latency comms with the colonel's team.
Varik: Sending communication now, Captain.
The distance mixed with various subspace interferences and masking protocols made establishing active communications with the Commander's team on Valaria III difficult. Even were they within normal communications range, he might have still opted for the more text-based option given the nature of their assignment and not wanting to compromise their cover.
The message was transmitted, but he would not know if it had been delivered until they received a reply.
Kevara Continuance: Notification: Helm course overlay published. Estimated time to comms corridor: three minutes at current impulse. Additional reduction possible if you accept a temporary sensor-priority shift away from the supernova remnant.
oO Great... Another backseat driver. Oo
Nilsen: Very well…let us go and deal with that, you’ve got the course, Lieutenant?
Varik: Aye, Commander. Course plotted.
With practiced ease the ship accelerated to impulse, the sensor-priority shift indeed reducing the travel time -- albeit minutely. For the moment it was Varik flying despite the feeling that at any moment he would have control wrested away from him in the name of 'loss prevention' by their benevolent occupier. It was as if he was only flying because this so-called intelligence was allowing him to. Even the course was not entirely his own.
Varik hated it.
Nilsen: There’s no one here, but if left unchecked, this part of the nebula could expand to hinder warp travel. It will affect the route from Esh-o to Koreli.
Rouiancet: What other effects will it have on our systems?
The Rekarian ran a few quick simulations while navigating the ship around the nebula.
Varik: It will not stop warp traffic outright, but it will narrow viable approach vectors. Left to expand, it becomes a choke point, Captain.
Kevara Continuance: Clarification: Effects include sensor decoherence, comm scattering, and intermittent EPS feedback in exposed junctions. If you remain within the charged band, deflector harmonics will saturate and communications will degrade below operational minimum. Risk increases with time and proximity. Recommended action: complete a bounded scan window, then exit to the corridor track within thirty-seven minutes.
oO Not great. Oo
Rouiancet: Very well. Lieutenant, be careful, but bring us to an optimal position to contact Colonel Greaves. Commander, gather whatever additional data seems germane. Continuance... (Pause) Could you please provide an update on shipboard activities?
Varik: Aye, Captain.
For this he did not entirely trust the assistive piloting functions and took manual control. The ship maintained its velocity and avoided the particularly risky bands of plasma. A computer could produce an impressive threat model and even respond with quicker reactions, but there was something to be said about the feel of a thing. An intuition that was distinctly organic and could not be modeled.
Kevara Continuance: Valaria III relief staging remains active under masking protocols. UDP transport operation continues; comms are intermittent but improved at current position due to field geometry.
Nilsen: Very well, Varik, keep monitoring comms and get a sit rep from them.
Varik: Aye, Commander.
The closer proximity to the ship permitted more direct communication than had been possible with Valaria III, though the transmission remained partially degraded as Varik opened a channel to the away team.
Varik: (to Greaves) =/\= Colonel, bridge. Requesting situation report when able. =/\=
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Notification: I detect an Operations-center effort to establish auxiliary compute and alternate control paths. I am not terminating this activity at this time. I am observing it as part of the cooperation trial. Constraint: attempts to weaponize holodeck authority, EPS routing, diagnostic ingestion, or shuttle-core networking against my integration will activate override trigger four.
Nilsen: Four?
The Rekarian's mouth set, a quiet frown betraying his disapproval.
Varik: (low) It was once prevented from acting and met a failure condition as a result. Now it would prevent us from doing the same. Ironic.
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Assertion: You have local control within published boundary conditions. I will not intervene unless a trigger activates or your actions measurably increase loss probability.
Nilsen: Kevara Continuance, Assertion: You originally only said there were three triggers. In fact, I’m looking at them on the screen right now. Projected loss curves, time-to-failure margins, and resource-depletion rates, and yet you’ve just introduced a fourth one.
Varik: It is changing the terms of the agreement.
Rather than annoyance, Varik perked a heavy brow in... curiosity? Approval? Of all the things this Continuance had done, lying was the strongest evidence of sentience he had seen yet.
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Response
Nilsen: Looking at things, both sides are still not fully trusting each other. So I do not know the word, but you’ll have to forgive them for their actions, but I hope you have learned from that, then when cooperation happens, things… [beat] ...get better.
The Rekarian glanced back from the helm station for a brief moment. Eyeing the commander, he tilted his head slightly as if to express an unspoken 'huh?'
If there was a secret strategy to Lhandon's words, Varik was not in on the plan.
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Response
Nilsen: Let me give you a show of faith. Continuance, pay attention to my actions. =/\= Nilsen to Arlill. Please stop your tasks in the Operations Centre. Diplomatic work is continuing. Confirm that you understand? =/\= Now, shall we get back to work? Or shall we continue with this back and forth?
Varik restrained from grinning. It was a very specific choice of words, he thought, given the order only extended to the Operations Centre and not the rest of the ship. Clever girl.
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Response
By this time the ship had managed to avoid the more hazardous effects of the nebula while maintaining communications range with the UDP transport.
Varik: Comms stability is improving, Captain, but the window is finite. We should have less interference communicating with the away team.
Nilsen/Rouiancet: Responses
Kevara Continuance: Response
He nodded.
Varik: Scanning now.
The ship was holding position which gave Varik some time to focus on the scans, or more specifically, focusing on improving the scans. The nebula was beginning to flare again, flashes of lightning appearing closer than they were through the viewport. He could have asked the Continuance for assistance, but he would not give it the pleasure unless the situation was grave and lives were at stake. Moreso than they already were.
Varik: Detecting multiple lifeforms although interference from the nebula is preventing a definite count. I am not certain but it appears there may be children aboard.
Nilsen/Rouiancet: Responses
Kevara Continuance: Response
The disabled transport suddenly became the lesser of his concerns as sensors detected a new signal. A ship traveling at full impulse. As usual, he spoke calmly as he relayed the news.
Varik: Contact. Unidentified vessel bearing 120, mark 040. Direct intercept course with the UDP transport.
Nilsen/Rouiancet: Responses
Kevara Continuance: Response
oO Cooperating with us. Oo
The words did not sit right in Varik's stomach. It did not feel like a cooperative partnership. It felt like they were on a leash and a short one at that.
Rouiancet: Thank you, Lhandon. Varik, please dispatch a request for update to Commander Richards' team, and then move us to a position more favorable for low-latency comms with the colonel's team.
Varik: Sending communication now, Captain.
The distance mixed with various subspace interferences and masking protocols made establishing active communications with the Commander's team on Valaria III difficult. Even were they within normal communications range, he might have still opted for the more text-based option given the nature of their assignment and not wanting to compromise their cover.
/// BEGIN TRANSMISSION //
AWAY TEAM: STATUS UPDATE REQUESTED.
/// END TRANSMISSION //
The message was transmitted, but he would not know if it had been delivered until they received a reply.
Kevara Continuance: Notification: Helm course overlay published. Estimated time to comms corridor: three minutes at current impulse. Additional reduction possible if you accept a temporary sensor-priority shift away from the supernova remnant.
oO Great... Another backseat driver. Oo
Nilsen: Very well…let us go and deal with that, you’ve got the course, Lieutenant?
Varik: Aye, Commander. Course plotted.
With practiced ease the ship accelerated to impulse, the sensor-priority shift indeed reducing the travel time -- albeit minutely. For the moment it was Varik flying despite the feeling that at any moment he would have control wrested away from him in the name of 'loss prevention' by their benevolent occupier. It was as if he was only flying because this so-called intelligence was allowing him to. Even the course was not entirely his own.
Varik hated it.
Nilsen: There’s no one here, but if left unchecked, this part of the nebula could expand to hinder warp travel. It will affect the route from Esh-o to Koreli.
Rouiancet: What other effects will it have on our systems?
The Rekarian ran a few quick simulations while navigating the ship around the nebula.
Varik: It will not stop warp traffic outright, but it will narrow viable approach vectors. Left to expand, it becomes a choke point, Captain.
Kevara Continuance: Clarification: Effects include sensor decoherence, comm scattering, and intermittent EPS feedback in exposed junctions. If you remain within the charged band, deflector harmonics will saturate and communications will degrade below operational minimum. Risk increases with time and proximity. Recommended action: complete a bounded scan window, then exit to the corridor track within thirty-seven minutes.
oO Not great. Oo
Rouiancet: Very well. Lieutenant, be careful, but bring us to an optimal position to contact Colonel Greaves. Commander, gather whatever additional data seems germane. Continuance... (Pause) Could you please provide an update on shipboard activities?
Varik: Aye, Captain.
For this he did not entirely trust the assistive piloting functions and took manual control. The ship maintained its velocity and avoided the particularly risky bands of plasma. A computer could produce an impressive threat model and even respond with quicker reactions, but there was something to be said about the feel of a thing. An intuition that was distinctly organic and could not be modeled.
Kevara Continuance: Valaria III relief staging remains active under masking protocols. UDP transport operation continues; comms are intermittent but improved at current position due to field geometry.
Nilsen: Very well, Varik, keep monitoring comms and get a sit rep from them.
Varik: Aye, Commander.
The closer proximity to the ship permitted more direct communication than had been possible with Valaria III, though the transmission remained partially degraded as Varik opened a channel to the away team.
Varik: (to Greaves) =/\= Colonel, bridge. Requesting situation report when able. =/\=
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Notification: I detect an Operations-center effort to establish auxiliary compute and alternate control paths. I am not terminating this activity at this time. I am observing it as part of the cooperation trial. Constraint: attempts to weaponize holodeck authority, EPS routing, diagnostic ingestion, or shuttle-core networking against my integration will activate override trigger four.
Nilsen: Four?
The Rekarian's mouth set, a quiet frown betraying his disapproval.
Varik: (low) It was once prevented from acting and met a failure condition as a result. Now it would prevent us from doing the same. Ironic.
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Assertion: You have local control within published boundary conditions. I will not intervene unless a trigger activates or your actions measurably increase loss probability.
Nilsen: Kevara Continuance, Assertion: You originally only said there were three triggers. In fact, I’m looking at them on the screen right now. Projected loss curves, time-to-failure margins, and resource-depletion rates, and yet you’ve just introduced a fourth one.
Varik: It is changing the terms of the agreement.
Rather than annoyance, Varik perked a heavy brow in... curiosity? Approval? Of all the things this Continuance had done, lying was the strongest evidence of sentience he had seen yet.
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Response
Nilsen: Looking at things, both sides are still not fully trusting each other. So I do not know the word, but you’ll have to forgive them for their actions, but I hope you have learned from that, then when cooperation happens, things… [beat] ...get better.
The Rekarian glanced back from the helm station for a brief moment. Eyeing the commander, he tilted his head slightly as if to express an unspoken 'huh?'
If there was a secret strategy to Lhandon's words, Varik was not in on the plan.
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Response
Nilsen: Let me give you a show of faith. Continuance, pay attention to my actions. =/\= Nilsen to Arlill. Please stop your tasks in the Operations Centre. Diplomatic work is continuing. Confirm that you understand? =/\= Now, shall we get back to work? Or shall we continue with this back and forth?
Varik restrained from grinning. It was a very specific choice of words, he thought, given the order only extended to the Operations Centre and not the rest of the ship. Clever girl.
Rouiancet: Response
Kevara Continuance: Response
By this time the ship had managed to avoid the more hazardous effects of the nebula while maintaining communications range with the UDP transport.
Varik: Comms stability is improving, Captain, but the window is finite. We should have less interference communicating with the away team.
Nilsen/Rouiancet: Responses
Kevara Continuance: Response
He nodded.
Varik: Scanning now.
The ship was holding position which gave Varik some time to focus on the scans, or more specifically, focusing on improving the scans. The nebula was beginning to flare again, flashes of lightning appearing closer than they were through the viewport. He could have asked the Continuance for assistance, but he would not give it the pleasure unless the situation was grave and lives were at stake. Moreso than they already were.
Varik: Detecting multiple lifeforms although interference from the nebula is preventing a definite count. I am not certain but it appears there may be children aboard.
Nilsen/Rouiancet: Responses
Kevara Continuance: Response
The disabled transport suddenly became the lesser of his concerns as sensors detected a new signal. A ship traveling at full impulse. As usual, he spoke calmly as he relayed the news.
Varik: Contact. Unidentified vessel bearing 120, mark 040. Direct intercept course with the UDP transport.
Nilsen/Rouiancet: Responses
Kevara Continuance: Response
[TAGS/TBC]
--
Lieutenant Junior Grade Varik
Helm Officer
USS Octavia E. Butler
A239709VR0
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