Commander Toryn Raga - Conservation or Confirmation

[Rameses]

((Conference Room, Deck 3, USS Ronin, Two hours later, Deep Space))  

Toryn exchanged a glance with Karrod then tapped his comm badge. 

Raga: Right. That bears further details but we’re missing a few people who should be here for this. =/\= Raga to Sickbay and Engineering. Quentin, Marty. Drop whatever you’re doing and report to the conference room immediately. You’re going to want to hear this. =/\= ::he tapped at the controls on the table and double checked the coordinates:: Our new course has us heading practically right on the Alliance and Consortium’s doorsteps. 

Velis: All the more reason for urgency, wouldn’t you say?

Kel:  It's a pretty remote sector. No known M-class planets. Is there some kind of treasure on a rocky moon we're after?

Niac/Venn/Kessler: response

Raga: ::he nodded:: We’ve squared off with them both many times, more than anyone except for maybe the Khitomer. Although, I don’t recall if they’ve had the displeasure of dealing with the Consortium, but the Lattice Alliance most certainly. 

Kel:  Both parties are surprisingly difficult to deal with.  

Niac/Venn/Kessler: response

The door to the room parted and he looked up to see Marty and Quentin step in and provided them a stoic nod. His expression was serious enough to relate the severity of what was being discussed.

Raga: This is our CMO and our Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Commanders Beck and Tucker. Quentin, Marty, these are Lieutenants Venn and Velis. ::he looked at their guests:: If you’d be so kind as to repeat what you told us to them? 

Beck: V-squared, huh? Good to meet you, Venn, Velis. That definitely won't get confusing later.

Tucker: ::under his breath:: Can we give them name tags?

Toryn couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the pair’s comments. 

Niac/Venn/Kessler: response

Kel: What can you say about the creature's physiology? How is it propelling itself?  Do we have any ideas on size.  

For his part, Toryn sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of himself for a moment. They were chasing after a spaceborn lifeform. Which was dangerously near the two most dangerous groups in the Alpha Isles. He couldn’t help wonder if they were going through this trouble solely for a conservationist reason or if there was something else. 

Raga: Is it sentient? 

Velis: ::folds her hands:: In truth, we don’t know much about the creature. Only that it is very large, moreso than our instruments and scans can measure without days, possibly weeks of deeper research. None of the ships that have been sent to study it have been able to get close enough for more than cursory studies. We haven’t wanted to risk provoking it to defend itself.

The definition of ‘very large’ was subjective. They could be dealing with something the size of a runabout to something as big as a planet for all they knew. Which was also subjective since planets came in varying sizes as well. What concerned him most was the mention that they were not the first crew to attempt contact with this creature. Toryn let his arms fall to the rests of the chair and he looked towards Karrod in concern. 

Beck: Um. All due respect, but considering all of the previous ships you've sent to study this thing haven't had much luck, what makes the Ronin any different? Don't get me wrong, I love the girl, but we're not exactly on the cutting edge when it comes to Science vessels.

Venn/Kessler: Responses

Niac: Response

Kel: Spaceborne life forms are a long standing interest of mine.  We've been tracking several signals which we believe could be cosmozoan, I'll get the data sent to you.  

Spaceborn life was nothing new. Countless starships had reported running into various kinds over the centuries. Everything from jellyfish looking ones, and not just the ones that could make themselves out to be an entire outpost, to what were essential space whales and more. 

Tucker: I’m going to agree with the good doctor, what makes us, basically, a war relic giong to have those other ships don’t. Now, that’s not me bad-mouthing the Ronin, but we do have limits to what we can accomplish. 

At that the Al-Leyan met the gaze of their CMO and Chief Engineer and put voice to what he imagined many might not like to hear. In his experience one didn’t send a ship like theirs into a situation unless there was a concern something might have to be shot at. 

Raga: Because she’s rugged, has survived a great deal of damage of the last two years and worst case, has a lot of torpedoes. 

Velis: ::thoughtfully:: My task is to work with your science and medical personnel to learn more about the creature. ::glances at Venn:: The lieutenant can perhaps enlighten you more as to her purpose.

Venn: Response

Raga: That’s not a simple ask if the creature is bigger than expected. 

Niac/Kessler: Responses

Kel:  Surely, we won't be taking the creature out of its natural environment?

Beck: If this thing is as big as they're making it sound, I'm not sure we could take it out of its natural environment. ::a beat:: Still… I echo Doctor Kel's sentiment. We know next to nothing about this thing, do we really want to see what happens if we try to push it into a cage?

Toryn looked towards Quentin and V’Len as they voiced the concerns he’d expected them to. History on a multitude of worlds had shown that displacing an animal from its natural habitat had consequences. Either for the creature, or the people who removed it, the environment or all of the above. 

Tucker: Corning something we know nothing about? What part about that seems like a good plan? I’m up for figuring out what this thing is, but we’ve got to be smart about it. 

V'Len leaned in to look at Karrod.  

Kel: Sir, it's one thing to study a creature, it's something else to attempt to contain or relocate it.

Quentin nodded his agreement.

Beck: I'm not sure they make lassos big enough to wrangle something like this, anyway.

Tucker: ::to Beck:: I’m sure I could whip something up, on a bit larger scale. It’s all theory, but I bet there’s a way to lasso it, so to speak. ::he shrugged:: It’d take some finagling.

Raga: I imagine we’d have to use the tractor beam, assuming we even could. With or without also using our shuttles. 

Niac/Kessler/Venn/Velis: Response

Toryn heard V’Len tap away at his padd while Quentin scarfed down the last of his donut. 

Kel: The spaceborne life form the Starfleet has encountered communicate in a variety of ways. I'd suggest a long range scan of the creature's magnetic field and EM emissions. Maybe there's a way we can let it know we're not a threat.

His brows lifted a little before he spoke around the donut.

Beck: That's assuming the thing would even notice us to begin with.

Tucker: ::looking at his former roommate:: I’m sure if you got out and waved your arms frantically, maybe it’d notice? In all seriousness, why would you want to get noticed by something that is, ::using air quotes:: “very large”. 

Raga: I would assume it will. Based on the Lieutenant’s comment about none of the previous vessels being able to get close to it. Suggests either it has a natural hazardous defense to deter predators, or it actively deterred them. Is that likely?

He looked towards their two guests. 

Niac/Kessler/Tucker/Venn/Velis: Response

Kel:  ::looking at Velis::  Do you suppose it would respond to a standard hail?

Beck: That would depend greatly on whether this thing is alive or not. I find it hard to believe something this immense is alive, let alone sentient, but I'm sure people said the same thing about blue whales back on Earth a few centuries ago. Just because I'm having trouble conceiving of it doesn't make it impossible.

Tucker:  If this thing is still alive, then what?  It’s like the dog chasing the car, it finally caught the car, now it has no clue what it’s going to do with it. I mean, what is the ultimate goal here?

Raga: Even the Horta at one point weren’t considered to be sentient, yet as our beloved Gra’vel has proven, that’s quite contrary. 

Niac/Kessler/Tucker/Venn/Velis/Kel: Response

Toryn looked towards Quentin when he heard him sigh, right before the man poked at the padd again with a slight crease to his brow.

Beck: Okay… so let's assume this thing is alive, it can respond to us somehow, and it does notice us when we show up. What if, by doing so, we just piss it off?

Tucker:  I know this might be silly, but do we have a plan B? And really what is plan A?

Raga: Hopefully we can avoid that, but the concern is valid. We should keep our shields up while we’re attempting to study it. 

Niac/Kessler/Tucker/Venn/Velis/Kel: Response

Quentin shook his head.

Beck: I mean, what if this thing has the same capabilities of a planet killer? What if, by contacting it and making it aware that the ants are studying it, it decides it doesn't like that very much and we become barbequed Roninites?

Tucker: I’d like to hear more from our Mission Specialists, what’s your thoughts on a possibly armed and maybe hostel entity?

It was a valid concern in that scenario so Toryn considered his words carefully. 

Raga: I refer to my previous comment about the Ronin being rugged. Including the Khitomer, we’re the most powerful starship that Starfleet has in the Isles at the moment. Which stands to reason that’s part of the reason we were sent on this mission. If we piss it off, I imagine the reasoning is that we have a better chance of surviving any violence it might unleash. 

Niac/Kessler/Venn/Velis/Kel/Beck: Response

Tucker: So what do we know for sure?

Something had been nagging at him throughout the discussion so far, the level of secrecy combined with the urgency and the location of the creature near two of their largest enemies were a lot of coincidences. Which did happen. But a simple spaceborn creature, if it was just an animal, didn't seem like worth the effort unless the concern was it was endangered. 

Raga: The urgency of this, the secrecy, and the location. Is Command concerned this creature is endangered and in need of protection, or do they think it might not be natural?

Niac/Kessler/Venn/Velis/Kel/Beck: Response 

Tucker: Well, the Engineering department is more than willing to lend a hand. I’m sure we could come up with something. 

He glanced at Quentin and V’Len. 

Raga: You voiced concern about whether it has planet killer capabilities. There was at least one other entity that was sentient but not entirely part of the natural order. Do you remember reading about Gomtuu at the Academy? Not a planet killer but it was alive, sentient, powerful, and artificial. ::to V squared:: We’re supposed to confirm if it’s artificial or not, yes? What are our orders if it turns out to be just a giant space whale? Go home? Or does the mission become one of conservation?

Toryn looked at Karrod knowing full well in his gut nothing ever worked out that smoothly for them. And also that whether or not the creature ended up being artificial in any way or not, Alliance and Consortium space was not safe even for such a creature. He didn’t even want to think about what monstrous use Singen Wrath would have for a giant space creature even if it was little more than an animal. 

Niac/Kessler/Tucker/Venn/Velis/Kel/Beck: Response

Raga: We don't know enough at this point. I think our first priority should be to get to the creature, at a safe distance and find out just how 'very large' it happens to be. Then go from there. Normally I'd recommend sending a shuttle to scout ahead, but with the uncertainty of its size and temperament I'm hesitant to send out what might be seen as food if it's big enough. How long until we arrive at its last known location?

Niac/Kessler/Tucker/Venn/Velis/Kel/Beck: Response

[tags/tbc]

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Commander Toryn Raga
First Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
Writer ID: A239410TR0
https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Toryn_Raga