Lt. Commander Solaris McLaren - Sideways Plans
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solarismclaren
May 30, 2026, 5:38:44 PM (18 hours ago) May 30
to StarBase 118 Ops a Star Trek PBEM RPG
(( OOC: Sols thoughts in this sim do not represent the writer. ))
(( Nybarrite Mining Rig ))
Khorra: I can offer you 200 kilograms of liquid Platinum for a good price. That is, if you turn around and leave - and never look back.
Sol made an effort to look like she was considering the deal.
Munshi: ::Glancing at the PADD, then up at the dimly lit hangar ceiling where the primary vent controls were located, whispering to Sol:: I’m locking onto the primary cooling intake. The architecture of this rig is brittle; if I force the vent to open, the pressure differential will suck the oxygen right out of the room. It’ll stop them dead, but it won't be pretty.
S’zurak: Dead…?
Had Alok considered that they were also in the room? She glanced back at him for a moment, then turned her attention back to Khorra.
McLaren: Price?
Khorra: Five bars of latinum.
Sol tapped her chin, looking like she was actually considering the price.
S’zurak: About that tour… Is now a good time?
He took a few steps deeper into the mine, only to be pushed back immediately by a Nausicaan.
Krozh: Where do you think you're going?
Khorra: Krozh! ::she glared at the Borg-woman, who clearly was in charge:: Get your people under control, and I will control mine. Do we have a deal or not?
McLaren: S`zurak... no need to be hasty... Im sure once weve settled this we can look around... :: She looked back to Khorra. :: Show me the product... I dont just make deals without seeing what Im buying...
Munshi: ::His eyes locked on the PADD as the coolant flow reached a critical threshold:: The suppression grid is failing. They’ve bypassed the safety locks on the singularity core. Every second we stand here, the containment integrity is dropping by point-zero-three percent. If we don't trigger the shutdown now, the station will shake itself apart.
S’zurak: These ::searching for something to talk about:: walls… are very… intricate.
Sol saw a blade get drawn. Khorra's crew were much too tightly wound. Her hand tightened on her disruptor.
Krozh: Do you think you're funny?!
Khorra: Stop this immediately!
She was surprised the man was willing to throw down with a seven foot tall Gorn so readily. She would have given him credit for bravery it it weren't such a foolish thing to do.
McLaren: I thought you said you could control your people... all this over examining a wall!?
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::The moment the fist moved, Alok slammed his palm onto the PADD’s 'Execute' command.:: Deploying counter-measure!
Sol glanced back to Alok. She hadn't okayed the plan he had proposed, so the sudden blinding flash and deafening noise had been a surprise. She'd have a talk with him about that later.
Khorra: Enough!
Despite her attempts it didn't seem like Khorra's call for things to stop was going to work. Several of her crew had already surrounded S`zurak. Sol drew her disruptor, keeping it leveled at Khorra. S`'surak could likely handle himself for the moment so she would have to deal with the other three.
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Hunched low, using the visual distortion to move toward the nearest Temurian workstation to lock down the core’s output:: Sol, the vent surge is holding! We have ten seconds! We should secure the perimeter!
Sol just nodded that she had heard.
McLaren: Well then? I guess the deal is off?
Sol dodged backward as one of the other with the Nausicaan tried to swipe at her. She diverted them away from her, and into a pile of crates with a quick shove. She kept her eyes on Khorra.
Khorra: Response(s)?
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Calling out to Sol and S’zurak through the private channel while his fingers bypassed the rig’s primary lockout protocol:: The pressure gradient is shifting, but the emergency bulkheads are already engaging. If we don't seal the core containment in the next six seconds, the vibration will trigger a terminal singularity collapse! I’m forcing a hard-reset on the local power grid!
Sol wasn't sure what any of that actually meant, but she was going to trust that Alok could manage it.
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Dropping to one knee to shield himself behind a rusted cargo crate, the air whistling as it was pulled toward the open vents:: I’m in! I’ve got the core control interface—it’s an archaic Nybarrite sub-routine, but I’ve got the override! I’m dumping the excess thermal load into the secondary waste-heatsinks. It should dampen the resonance!
McLaren: Alok... just handle it!
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: I’ve got the primary loop stabilized! Pressure is normalizing, but we’re exposed. If they realize I’m the one who sabotaged the grid, they’ll converge on this position immediately!"
'If' they realize? Sol cast a clance back in his general direction. It looked like their entire crew, including their leader had come to meet them at the docking port. It would have been very hard for them not to realize.
McLaren: Their whole crew is already here!
Khorra: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::His hands flying across the terminal, sweat beading on his forehead as he fought the ancient, sluggish code:: It’s done! The core is in standby mode. But, Com… Sol… the energy output didn't just drop. It’s cycling up—there’s an automated backup signal coming from deep within the mine. Someone—or something—is overriding me from the inside!
McLaren: Who would be foolish enough to do that?
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Khorra: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Wiping a bead of condensation from his forehead while keeping his eyes locked on the primary terminal:: The containment shunt is holding at forty percent capacity! If the pressure spikes again, the rig's main bulkhead won't survive the stress—we need to force a full hard-stop on the singularity flow before this entire asteroid tears itself apart from the inside out!
Sol looked to Khorra.
McLaren: Who else is down in the mine that could do this.
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Khorra: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Ignoring the threat, his focus entirely on the rapidly decaying sub-routines of the core interface:: Khorra, you're the one in the blast radius! If I can’t isolate the override, the secondary reactors will cascade! This isn't just about trade—it’s about structural survival!
Sol waited to see how Khorra reacted.
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::His voice sharpening with urgency:: Wait. I've got a signal ping from the lower levels. It's not a remote override—it's a direct-access command string. Someone is down in the mines, and they are manually pulling the trigger on the singularity core!
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: I'm trying, but the command string is layered in a heuristic-encrypted cipher! It’s adaptive—every time I block a port, it rewrites the handshake! Whoever is down there, they know exactly how to push this rig into a terminal overload!
Khorra: Response(s)?
She was definitely going to talk to Alok about being too hasty with his plan, but that would come later. She looked at KHorra again.
McLaren: Well you have two choices... die here or stop this overload.
Sol glanced around. S`zurak had appeared to handle himself quite well, she could see that most of the crew that had decided to try and tangle with him had failed to do much of anything. The one who had tried to attack her was still dazed in a pile of crates.
Khorra: Response?
McLaren: Then we can work together to stop this overload.
S`zurak/Munshi/Khorra: Response?
McLaren: Or you can leave and we'll take the Temurians back to their colony...
S`zurak/Munshi/Khorra: Response?
Khorra: I can offer you 200 kilograms of liquid Platinum for a good price. That is, if you turn around and leave - and never look back.
Sol made an effort to look like she was considering the deal.
Munshi: ::Glancing at the PADD, then up at the dimly lit hangar ceiling where the primary vent controls were located, whispering to Sol:: I’m locking onto the primary cooling intake. The architecture of this rig is brittle; if I force the vent to open, the pressure differential will suck the oxygen right out of the room. It’ll stop them dead, but it won't be pretty.
S’zurak: Dead…?
Had Alok considered that they were also in the room? She glanced back at him for a moment, then turned her attention back to Khorra.
McLaren: Price?
Khorra: Five bars of latinum.
Sol tapped her chin, looking like she was actually considering the price.
S’zurak: About that tour… Is now a good time?
He took a few steps deeper into the mine, only to be pushed back immediately by a Nausicaan.
Krozh: Where do you think you're going?
Khorra: Krozh! ::she glared at the Borg-woman, who clearly was in charge:: Get your people under control, and I will control mine. Do we have a deal or not?
McLaren: S`zurak... no need to be hasty... Im sure once weve settled this we can look around... :: She looked back to Khorra. :: Show me the product... I dont just make deals without seeing what Im buying...
Munshi: ::His eyes locked on the PADD as the coolant flow reached a critical threshold:: The suppression grid is failing. They’ve bypassed the safety locks on the singularity core. Every second we stand here, the containment integrity is dropping by point-zero-three percent. If we don't trigger the shutdown now, the station will shake itself apart.
S’zurak: These ::searching for something to talk about:: walls… are very… intricate.
Sol saw a blade get drawn. Khorra's crew were much too tightly wound. Her hand tightened on her disruptor.
Krozh: Do you think you're funny?!
Khorra: Stop this immediately!
She was surprised the man was willing to throw down with a seven foot tall Gorn so readily. She would have given him credit for bravery it it weren't such a foolish thing to do.
McLaren: I thought you said you could control your people... all this over examining a wall!?
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::The moment the fist moved, Alok slammed his palm onto the PADD’s 'Execute' command.:: Deploying counter-measure!
Sol glanced back to Alok. She hadn't okayed the plan he had proposed, so the sudden blinding flash and deafening noise had been a surprise. She'd have a talk with him about that later.
Khorra: Enough!
Despite her attempts it didn't seem like Khorra's call for things to stop was going to work. Several of her crew had already surrounded S`zurak. Sol drew her disruptor, keeping it leveled at Khorra. S`'surak could likely handle himself for the moment so she would have to deal with the other three.
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Hunched low, using the visual distortion to move toward the nearest Temurian workstation to lock down the core’s output:: Sol, the vent surge is holding! We have ten seconds! We should secure the perimeter!
Sol just nodded that she had heard.
McLaren: Well then? I guess the deal is off?
Sol dodged backward as one of the other with the Nausicaan tried to swipe at her. She diverted them away from her, and into a pile of crates with a quick shove. She kept her eyes on Khorra.
Khorra: Response(s)?
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Calling out to Sol and S’zurak through the private channel while his fingers bypassed the rig’s primary lockout protocol:: The pressure gradient is shifting, but the emergency bulkheads are already engaging. If we don't seal the core containment in the next six seconds, the vibration will trigger a terminal singularity collapse! I’m forcing a hard-reset on the local power grid!
Sol wasn't sure what any of that actually meant, but she was going to trust that Alok could manage it.
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Dropping to one knee to shield himself behind a rusted cargo crate, the air whistling as it was pulled toward the open vents:: I’m in! I’ve got the core control interface—it’s an archaic Nybarrite sub-routine, but I’ve got the override! I’m dumping the excess thermal load into the secondary waste-heatsinks. It should dampen the resonance!
McLaren: Alok... just handle it!
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: I’ve got the primary loop stabilized! Pressure is normalizing, but we’re exposed. If they realize I’m the one who sabotaged the grid, they’ll converge on this position immediately!"
'If' they realize? Sol cast a clance back in his general direction. It looked like their entire crew, including their leader had come to meet them at the docking port. It would have been very hard for them not to realize.
McLaren: Their whole crew is already here!
Khorra: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::His hands flying across the terminal, sweat beading on his forehead as he fought the ancient, sluggish code:: It’s done! The core is in standby mode. But, Com… Sol… the energy output didn't just drop. It’s cycling up—there’s an automated backup signal coming from deep within the mine. Someone—or something—is overriding me from the inside!
McLaren: Who would be foolish enough to do that?
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Khorra: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Wiping a bead of condensation from his forehead while keeping his eyes locked on the primary terminal:: The containment shunt is holding at forty percent capacity! If the pressure spikes again, the rig's main bulkhead won't survive the stress—we need to force a full hard-stop on the singularity flow before this entire asteroid tears itself apart from the inside out!
Sol looked to Khorra.
McLaren: Who else is down in the mine that could do this.
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Khorra: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::Ignoring the threat, his focus entirely on the rapidly decaying sub-routines of the core interface:: Khorra, you're the one in the blast radius! If I can’t isolate the override, the secondary reactors will cascade! This isn't just about trade—it’s about structural survival!
Sol waited to see how Khorra reacted.
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: ::His voice sharpening with urgency:: Wait. I've got a signal ping from the lower levels. It's not a remote override—it's a direct-access command string. Someone is down in the mines, and they are manually pulling the trigger on the singularity core!
S’zurak: Response(s)?
Munshi: I'm trying, but the command string is layered in a heuristic-encrypted cipher! It’s adaptive—every time I block a port, it rewrites the handshake! Whoever is down there, they know exactly how to push this rig into a terminal overload!
Khorra: Response(s)?
She was definitely going to talk to Alok about being too hasty with his plan, but that would come later. She looked at KHorra again.
McLaren: Well you have two choices... die here or stop this overload.
Sol glanced around. S`zurak had appeared to handle himself quite well, she could see that most of the crew that had decided to try and tangle with him had failed to do much of anything. The one who had tried to attack her was still dazed in a pile of crates.
Khorra: Response?
McLaren: Then we can work together to stop this overload.
S`zurak/Munshi/Khorra: Response?
McLaren: Or you can leave and we'll take the Temurians back to their colony...
S`zurak/Munshi/Khorra: Response?
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