Commander Toryn Raga - Shared Worries
Rameses
((Conference Room, Deck 3, USS Ronin, Two hours later, Deep Space))
His smirk bordered on mischievous as he sat back in his chair and faced Karrod, deciding on a little levity to shift their focus back into how in the winds they were going to try and make first contact with a cosmozoan.
Niac: Well I did say the closest thing we had to first contact experts...although I'll admit, the few I've been involved with over the years have been...challenging. At least so far we're all still in our own bodies...::at Toryn's look he held up a hand and shook his head::...long story.
Toryn’s brow raised in that vulcanoid manner, he would definitely have to inquire about that story later.
Raga: That’s fair. That said, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about this one Karrod. As the good Lieutenant so directly pointed out in their presentation, there have been very few encounters with beings on this scale that have gone well. The one with Gomtuu was likely the one with the best outcome, and an entire crew of Romulans were lost. ::he exhaled slowly and ran his fingers through his hair in thought:: And you and I both know that if Wrath gets even so much as a whisper of a creature like this that he’d send someone to leash and chain it up until he can find a way to use it in some way. Just imagine something of that scale slamming into Thirty Three.
There was no shortage of disgust in his tone as he threw out that example. Due to his link with Sylara he was particularly sensitive about the abuse of animals for nothing more than greed of others. Poachers were shot on site on Leya-I as a result of decades of bringing Seiuri nearly to extinction just because telepathic birds were a novelty offworld. That wasn’t even because they were being weaponized.
Niac: Honestly Toryn if that's all the Consortium could come up with we'd have to consider ourselves lucky. If our vague guests are right and there is some kind of biological engineering at play here, we're talking about a discovery that could radically alter the balance of power across the quadrant. The Federation has flirted with bioengineering a few times...bioneural circuity for example...but the idea of growing an entire ship? Of engineering an entire life form on that macro scale, with the capacity for interstellar travel? It's...beyond revolutionary. And absolutely something we cannot allow the Consortium..or the Alliance...or anyone else for that matter to get anywhere near.
Raga: I think, if they were to be interested the Alliance would most likely seek to just destroy it if they thought it posed a threat. They’d definitely see it as a lesser lifeform, like they do with us. The Consortium are the ones with a long history of perverting other things and beings for their own goals. ::a soft huff later:: Consortium notwithstanding, this is definitely going to be out of our usual nacellehouse. I don’t know about you, but I don’t relish seeing Chief Tucker’s reports if this thing ends up…what was it you said? Being romantically problematic?
It was not lost on him at that moment that their flight deck ran the full length of the ship. He’d definitely been around Humans too long. A fact he was not about to bring up verbally. He was pretty sure Karrod would consider that scenario fully in the ‘worst mistakes in first contact history' column.
Niac: If the worst we have to deal with is defending the ships virtue I'll consider the mission a complete success. But we can't keep spinning our wheels and speculating about what if's for the next few hours...we just don't know enough to formulate any kind of rational plan of action. So for the moment I say we fall back on what we're good at...what this crew has always been good at.
Raga: Being at the right place at the wrong time? Or the wrong place at the right time?
His smirk held as Karrod chuckled and stretched a little.
Niac: I was going to say 'figuring it out as we go,' but sure, that works too. The crew needs data...and then they need time. We have to figure out a way to get them as much of both as we can. Because our vague visitors are right about one thing...this is a bad neighborhood and if we don't find some way to make contact with this thing, it'll come to one of several bad ends. And I don't want that to happen.
On that he didn’t disagree, the crew was basically just throwing “What-if’s” at the walls and seeing what might stick. Until they had concrete evidence to work with they’d be hanging from the mountain with no handholds.
As Karrod looked out the window Toryn regarded his friend and Captain a moment and could sense that something was bothering him more than what he’d said.
Raga: You know, I’m always here to talk. And I can run things from the bridge if you need some time to clear your head.
Niac: Thanks Toryn, it's just that I...
The comm chirped and both men paused.
Nicolau: =/\= Bridge to Captain, sir...sorry to interrupt you but...we may have a problem...=/\=
Karrod's eye twitched as his hand went to his comm badge.
Niac: =/\= Can you elaborate on that Lieutenant? We don't have a shortage of those at the moment. =/\=
Raga: =/\= Is it a problem with our course? =/\=
Nicolau: =/\= Sorry sir the sensor readings are a little confused...we began detecting a large bioelectric field from the intercept coordinates a few minutes ago...it's still quite a distance but it's already impacting ship systems and our warp field is starting to fluctuate. =/\=
The concern in Maddy’s voice was palpable and reflective of their own concerns.
Niac: =/\= Understood, maintain your course but reduce speed at your discretion. We still have to make that intercept Lieutenant. I'll join you in a few minutes. =/\=
Nicolau: =/\= Aye sir. =/\=
When the comm closed those teal glowing eyes of his met Karrod’s.
Niac: We're still more than a light year away...I'm starting to see why Starfleet had such a hard time getting any sensor readings of our new friend out there.
Raga: Agreed. Which gives us a little data and also more reason for concern if it can impact things this far away from it.
Karrod nodded towards the doors and began walking.
Niac: Looks like I'm heading to the bridge...keep digging through those files, see if there's anything else in there that might help. Looks like we're going to need anything we can get, Toryn.
Raga: We’ll figure this out, Karrod. We always do.
Toryn stared at the doors when they closed once Karrod had left the room for a moment. They were both worried, about the crew and the ship and he suspected, for what they may have to do should the worst case scenario befall them. He turned his attention back to the padds on the table and dug in. They would arrive at their destination soon enough.
[End scene for Raga]
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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