Ensign Alok Munshi - Fly Me to the Planet
Alok Munshi
(( The Angry Pigeon ))
Munshi: I have the passive arrays at maximum aperture. If anything else is out here—even a cloaked signature with a minor gravitational distortion—it will show up on our telemetry. We’re ready to move.
S`zurak: Sensorsss set to all frequencies.
McLaren: Good... hopefully we find nothing and Wyn was just being overly cautious.
Munshi: ::Alok’s eyes scanned the fluctuating sensor returns, his fingers twitching slightly over the console as he smoothed out the remaining noise in the data.:: I wouldn't bank on that, Commander. Even if the immediate sector is clear, I’m detecting residual ionizing radiation signatures consistent with a high-energy signature that passed through here recently. Whatever ship was tracking us—or whatever research Reence is hiding—is leaving a very long tail.
Sol settled into her seat, tapping a few controls on the console in front of her as the shuttle dipped into the atmosphere. There was a period of quiet for a few moments, save for the rhythmic groan of the shuttle’s hull adapting to the atmospheric pressure.
S’zurak: You’ve done well, Pigeon ::Patting the console::
Sol glanced over, raising an eyebrow.
Munshi: ::Alok allowed himself a faint, dry smile, though his focus remained locked on the monitor.:: I suspect the Pigeon appreciates the sentiment, Lieutenant. Though I suspect it would prefer a structural reinforcement on the port-side thruster housing over verbal encouragement.
S’zurak: What? ::Obviously embarrassed:: I was just… offering the shuttle sssome encouragement. It hasss performed admirably today.
McLaren: It has.
Munshi: Admirably is a strong word, but it has certainly exceeded the baseline. I suppose it has earned its keep.
McLaren: Then again, so has its crew. You've both done well, under some pretty stressful circumstances.
That came as a shock to Alok. Though they succeeded in gathering quite a lot of intel, he thought he was still on the hook for unauthorised and dangerous improvisation to the mission. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, focusing on his terminal, keeping Sol in his peripheral vision for any signs. Was it just because of his situation or has Sol always been so quietly dangerous?
Munshi: ::Alok straightened his posture, allowing himself a brief moment to process the commendation. He held his gaze steady, his professional veneer settling back into place.:: The efficiency was the objective, Commander. I’m just glad the tactical variables resolved in our favor. Though, I must admit, navigating that minefield was not in the original engineering simulation profile.
S`zurak: Response(s)?
McLaren: This planet is remarkable... looks like there was an ion trail leading up from where we thought that Orion compound was... but it seems to be dissipating.
Munshi: ::He quickly isolated the ion trail, running a comparative spectral analysis against the signature of the Marauder they had engaged earlier.:: I see it. The trail is narrowing. If that ship is still operating under cloak, their thermal exhaust is being vented inconsistently. They’re venting into the wake of their own ion trail to stay hidden from our long-range sweep. If we drop to a lower orbit and utilize the ion cloud for cover, we might be able to pick up their precise vector.
S`zurak: Response(s)?
McLaren: Anything else seem interesting?
Munshi: Beyond the trail? Nothing immediate. However, I’ve flagged a localized subspace harmonic that’s slightly out of phase with the planet’s natural background radiation. It’s too regular to be planetary weather. I’m tagging the coordinates now—if Reence is still down there, that might be their current operating frequency.
===========^==============
Ensign Alok Munshi
Engineering Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
A240204AM1