Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: That Doesn't Sound Good
Lael Rosek
(( Bridge, Deck 3 Primary Hull, USS Chin’toka ))
Her brow furrowed in thought, Lael reached for a PADD and opened a new document, outlining the events of the battle as she saw them in her head. She’d found that seeing things written down often helped her when she was solving a problem. She hoped the same would prove true in this situation. As she worked, her frustration grew. She still couldn’t narrow it down to one possibility or the other. The fact was that unless she knew more about the person responsible for the attacks, they’d likely never be one hundred percent certain.
Serala: What do you two think?
Tal'Aura: We discovered much more about their vessel's capabilities than their motives. When their shields were disabled we were able to get detailed scans of their vessels. There is some valuable information there that will help us understand their combat capabilities better. I will update the database accordingly.
Rosek: ::nods:: I’ve tried working out their motivations, ma’am. But there just isn’t enough information at present to provide a conclusive analysis. ::to Tal’Aura:: I’m not a tactical officer, but I can enter data. Can you link to my PADD? ::lifts the PADD in her hand:: I can work from one end and meet you in the middle so to speak.
Serala: Well, I will leave you to it. Just don’t take too long. If they come back, I would like to know what kind of weaknesses they have. And their strengths.
Tal’Aura: Yes, Sir.
Rosek: ::nods:: Aye, Commander. ::to Tal’Aura:: How’s that link coming along?
Tal’Aura: Data should begin streaming in any second now.
She nodded, checking to be sure the receiver was enabled. Within moments, information flooded the screen of her PADD.
Rosek: Link successful. The data is loading.
Tal’Aura: The more I review the data the more interesting their actions become. No doubt from our first volley they would have known they were severely outmatched and yet they continued to attack. Rather than approach the maximum firing aspect, they seemed more determined to simply keep us occupied. Had they attempted something closer to a reverse omega-three pattern they may have stood more of a chance.
Returning her attention to the PADD, she arched an eyebrow. She wasn’t slow by any means, but some of this terminology was out of her depth. It was likely her lack of tactical training. She made a mental note to take a class or two to at least brush up on the basics. The higher she went up the ladder, the more she’d be expected to have a general operating knowledge of the more common duty posts.
Tal’Aura: Ah, apologies, Commander. What I mean to say is that it's clear they did not intend to engage us in order to disable the ship or cause significant damage. While technologically inferior there were several things they /could/ have done to give themselves more of a fighting chance or at least to prolong the conflict until aid could arrive but they did not. This, I believe, supports your hypothesis that the events here in orbit and on the planet are likely connected and they possibly were just hoping to stall any efforts of ours to assist our personnel on the ground.
She looked up from her entry of the data and grinned.
Rosek: Must have missed those lessons in the Academy. I never really felt the need to know tactical until the last couple of years. I need a refresher, it seems.
He grinned in return. It wasn’t often she had the opportunity to share a bonding moment over tactical data. But she supposed there was a first time for everything.
Tal’Aura: And not a day has gone by where I do not wish I knew more about the engineering systems on the ship, Commander. It has very quickly become clear that the Academy has not prepared me for everything but gave me the tools with which to learn. Also I just want to put it on the record that I hate power relays.
She chuckled. Maybe she would have an excuse to sit down and get to know the young officer. They hadn’t had much interaction since he’d come aboard and it would be the perfect excuse. He probably knew a few tricks to the tactical trade and she could certainly share some of her Engineering wisdom.
Rosek: ::chuckles:: Even us old-timers are always learning, Ensign. “Wisdom is not the product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”
Tal’Aura: Was that the motto of some educational institution? If not, it sounds like it should be.
Rosek: ::grins:: Albert Einstein. One of 19th century Earth’s greatest minds.
Tal’Aura: Ah, Lord Einstein must have been a wise man himself. I have always found it fascinating how the words of some philosophers can persist through centuries while others are lost. Who decides what remains and what is forgotten? Much of my own culture's history has been passed down to us by storytellers. No doubt some facts or details have been omitted from such stories for one reason or another but we believe the underlying meaning of the stories remain the same.
She grinned. Philosophical indeed. She had a feeling that she and Tal’Aura could have some very intellectually stimulating conversations. Admittedly, it was part of why she’d grown so fond of Vulcans and Romulans. Once one got past the cultural differences, the quest for logic was actually fascinating. It challenged her to provide reasonable evidence rather than emotional one and she always loved a challenge.
Rosek: ::smiles and nods:: I’d say that’s true of many cultures, Ensign. Stories can hold great wisdom.
As they talked, she entered the final pieces of data and engaged the subroutine that would begin the process of scanning it for keywords or phrases. She was an Engineer and a coder by trade. It was just her style of analysis. Computers weren’t perfect, but they made her job a hell of a lot easier.
Tal'Aura: I have analyzed and compiled all that I think I can from here. What have you been able to make out from the data?
A beep from her PADD informed her of a new file available. Likely Tal’Aura’s report. She ignored it for the moment, typing in the last of what she could infer of the surface events from the communications with the Captain’s team. Once that was done, she opened the Ensign’s report and began the process of correlating from memory. A wry, unamused grin crossed her lips. It wasn’t as comprehensive as she would have liked, but it certainly brought them a step or two closer to a logical conclusion.
Rosek: ::pauses:: I still can’t be sure, but I think we have enough to support our hypothesis. ::enters a series of commands into the PADD:: I’m linking what I have to you. ::pauses:: It’s looking more and more like a smokescreen. The data we have matches up.
Tal'Aura: :: He nodded. :: I think with your additions we have enough to report to Serala with. Shall we?
Rosek: ::nods:: At least to--
The proximity alarm from Tal’Aura’s console interrupted and she tensed. From the sensors, it looked like their playmate was back.
Tal'Aura: Sir, the Valcarian cruiser is back. Holding position just outside of weapons range. Scans indicate their weapons and shields are still offline. They appear to just be observing. :: He said to the commander as he began to grow tense once again. :: At present they are no threat to us nor our personnel on the ground but I'll keep an eye on them.
Rosek: ::to Serala:: I don’t believe based on what we know so far that they’ll go for a ground attack. It’s too obvious.
Serala: Response
At that moment, the crackle of the comm interrupted and Mei’s voice rang through.
Mei’konda: =/\= Mei’konda to Chin’toka. =/\=
Serala: =/\= Response =/\=
Mei’konda: =/\= We’ve discovered some sort of deviice down here that appears to have been planted around the time that the attack began. I’d like you to verify whether or not it is interfering with a transporter lock. =/\=
Serala: =/\= Response =/\=
Lephi/Raga/McKnight/Strin: Responses
She could make out bits of the conversation in the background and her brow furrowed. They were focused on something.
Snow: ::Concerned:: =/\=Perhaps you should put it down.=/\=
The tone of Snow’s voice set her instantly on alert. They’d found something, quite possibly something dangerous. Her gaze flickered to Serala’s, certain the woman could see the hesitation in her expression.
Lephi/Raga/McKnight/Strin/Mei’konda: Responses
There was yelling and a loud noise that sounded like a crash. It was enough to set her heart racing. Her fingers hovered over the button that would open the channel to the transporter room before she remembered that they hadn’t been able to get a lock on the team earlier. They’d been so focused on the enemy ship that they hadn’t worked out a way to break through the transporter interference. She scowled, muttering an Al-Leyan curse. The vessel’s passive-aggressive attacks had kept them from an equally important task.
Lephi/Raga/McKnight/Strin/Mei’konda: Responses
Rosek: ::gaze flickers to Serala:: Orders, Commander?
Serala: Response
She grimaced, her fingers flying over the console as she got to work, aware in the corner of her mind of the ship hovering nearby. Even if they did find a way to break through the interference, they’d have to drop their shields for transport. They’d be vulnerable for those precious seconds it took to evacuate the entire team and the other two in the room. It likely wouldn’t be possible in one cycle, which would mean double the vulnerability or leaving someone behind. The latter would be so much worse.
Tal’Aura: Response
Mei’konda / Serala: Response
Lephi/Raga/McKnight/Strin: Responses
