Flt. Capt. Karrod Niac - If Burning Sensation Persists...
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Karrod Niac
May 13, 2026, 1:28:38 AM (4 days ago) May 13
to USS Ronin – StarBase 118 Star Trek PBEM RPG
((Bridge, Deck 3, USS Ronin, Nearly Three Hours Later))
Niac: Very well...Mr. Kel...begin active scanning...start with the low power bands...if our friend out there takes offense abort and we'll fall back. Ready on the helm Mr. Raga. Mr. Kessler...if you assess a threat I want those shields up as fast as possible. Lieutenants...you came all this way to see this...hope you're getting a good view because this is...unprecedented.
He could feel the tension in the air as the bridge leaned in at once, deeply aware of the risks they were taking but professional enough to face them head on. It gave him a brief swell of reassurance even as he leaned forward in the Chair.
Raga: Aye, sir. Course steady as we can be along a parallel heading. I recommend we have the external feed put up throughout the ship so everyone can get a look. The more eyes we have on this the better.
Kessler: Aye sir.
Kel: Data's coming back. There's a series of tunnels and chambers inside, not sure what's in them. There seems to be a large chamber on the ventral side with an external opening. ::guessing:: Waste expulsion?
Velis: ::nods:: Given its location, it’s entirely possible.
In spite of everything Karrod found a small dry chuckle at the idea.
Niac: Lets try to give that area a wide berth, Toryn. Lieutenant Venn...any of those chambers catch your interest? I'd like to prioritize anything resembling a power source...give the folks back at Daystrom something to puzzle over.
Venn: Response
Raga: We’re holding steady at five hundred thousand kilometers from the entity. As for getting a full view of this thing, we could use a class 2 probe. ::he turned in the seat to look at Karrod:: We could have the flight deck crew push it out the aft flight deck and activate it remotely once it’s clear from us and the entity.
Kessler: I can have a Class 2 probe ready and transported to the flight deck in just a few minutes, Captain.
Velis: ::pauses:: Would a probe be able to get close enough without alarming the creature? Maybe a shuttle instead?
Karrod turned and shook his head towards their guest.
Niac: Considering how difficult it is for the Ronin to stay on course, I don't want to risk anything smaller until we can compensate for this...::the ship shuddered again around him, small waves of motion passing through his boots::...buffeting.
Venn: Response
Velis: I just think we could get more information firsthand.
He smiled as he turned back towards the viewscreen.
Niac: I appreciate your zeal, Lieutenant, but for now we'll proceed with the manual probe deployment. Bring it online when it falls far enough astern to give us some kind of overview.
Kessler: Aye sir.
Venn/Raga: Response
Velis: If the telemetry degrades too badly, we may still want to consider a shuttle later for closer observation.
Her eyes lifted briefly toward the massive shape dominating the viewscreen before a faint, uneasy smile crossed her face.
Velis: Assuming it keeps tolerating us being here.
Kessler: ::in a lower voice:: Did you ever think you'd see anything this large out here?
Kel: ::chuckling:: You missed it, buddy. The Thor was swallowed by something like this. Watch for any sudden movements.
He turned and gestured over his shoulder towards the viewscreen.
Niac: Hopefully our new friend isn't feeling snacky. But keep your distance all the same, Mr. Raga.
Venn/Raga: Response
Kel: Sir, I'm seeing electrical pulses running the length of the creature, they're increasing in magnitude.
Velis: Captain, if those pulses are connected to the interference spike, we may already be provoking a response…and I’m not sure it’s a good one.
Karrod's beard began itching almost painfully as screens around the bridge flickered and stuttered. The cabin lighting surged to a glare that forced him to squint but there were no explosions, no impacts along the hull or the sizzle of rupturing conduits. For a moment he had the oddest sense of being watched, as if an eye wider than a moon had suddenly decided to focus the whole of its vast attention on him and him alone.
And then it was gone. He gasped as the flickering of their systems began to settle.
Niac: Report...did that cause any damage other than giving me a headache?
Kessler/Venn/Raga: Response
Kel: Aaah! My antennae are burning!
He turned towards V'len just as the man hunched over in obvious pain.
Niac: Mr. Raga, prepare to change course, Mr. Kessler, bring the shields up. Get a medical team up here.
Kessler/Venn/Raga: Response
Consoles around the bridge went from chirping to outright warbling as alerts and cautions began piling up from systems around the ship. V'len gritted his teeth against whatever pain he was experiencing and slapped at his comm badge, still focused on the mission even as his senses were being lashed by something Karrod could only guess at.
Kel: =/\= Kel to Beck! Are you getting anything at all? I think we may have upset it. =/\=
Beck: =/\= You can say that again. I'm not a hundred percent sure exactly what just happened, but we are having a few technical difficulties and are working on clearing those out. The data is coming through, though, absolutely. =/\=
Velis: ::to Niac:: The pulses spiked at the exact same time. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
He turned his attention away from V'len just as the Lieutenant seemed to realize something, shock written on their features.
Velis: Captain, I don’t think it’s upset. I think it might be trying to communicate.
Niac: I suppose a simple "hello" would've been too much to hope for. Do you have anything to base that on, Lieutenant? V'Len...say the word and we'll fall back and figure out another approach.
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::pauses:: The doctor or Commander Kel can likely confirm this, but I believe Commander Kel’s antennae might be functioning as a radio receiver.
Beck: =/\= A radio receiver, huh? That gives me an idea. =/\=
Niac: Make it quick Doctor, I don't want to expose any of the crew to this if there's a risk of long term damage. Steady as she goes Mr. Raga...but kept that escape course updated.
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::nods:: I think if we can figure out the frequency, so to speak, we might be able to program the computers to simulate the creature’s “language” and enable us to communicate with it.
Even with a universal translation system built up from hundreds of thousands of linguistic and communication modalities, something this wholly new could take a huge amount of time to decode...to say nothing of cogent conversation where a single misspoken word or awkward phrase could derail all their efforts.
Niac: Very well, lets see if we can pin down the source of V'len's burning sensation. Mr. Kessler, is anything hitting the shields? Mr. Raga, Lieutenant Venn...can the probe tell us anything useful? I'd like to be able to politely ask this creature to stop shouting at us.
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::shrugs:: It won’t be perfect, but I think it’s the best we’ve got.
Beck: =/\= Perfect is the enemy of good. We are seeing some progress down here - instead of a vague black outline, it's a vague white outline that is starting to show some deeper details. =/\=
A data channel opened and an overlay began building up across the creatures surface, organic shapes coming into clearer contrast against the ever present pulsing energy across it's outer skin.
Niac: =/\= Well done Doctor, get as much data as you can. Mark any spots that strike you as particularly important and our guests will prioritize them for further inspection. =/\=
Karrod felt the buffeting of the ship through his heels once again but this pulse seemed different somehow and the ship rode through it without the same disruption to the inertial dampeners. He looked towards Toryn at the helm.
Niac: Did you find a way to compensate for the turbulence or did that...::he nodded towards the viewscreen and corrected himself::...or did our friend out there decide to give us a break?
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga/Velis: Response
He thought about it for a moment, still concerned about V'len as the creature continued on, seemingly unbothered by their presence.
Niac: Either way I'm going to take it as a good sign. The question now becomes...how much do we want to test our luck today? Mr. Raga, Chief Kessler...based on the data we've recovered so far...do you think we could safely get an away team or two aboard that vessel? Lt. Velis, Lt. Venn...got any good spots picked out yet?
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga/Velis: Response
[Tags/TBC!]
================================
Fleet Captain Karrod Niac
Commanding Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
V239509GT0
Niac: Very well...Mr. Kel...begin active scanning...start with the low power bands...if our friend out there takes offense abort and we'll fall back. Ready on the helm Mr. Raga. Mr. Kessler...if you assess a threat I want those shields up as fast as possible. Lieutenants...you came all this way to see this...hope you're getting a good view because this is...unprecedented.
He could feel the tension in the air as the bridge leaned in at once, deeply aware of the risks they were taking but professional enough to face them head on. It gave him a brief swell of reassurance even as he leaned forward in the Chair.
Raga: Aye, sir. Course steady as we can be along a parallel heading. I recommend we have the external feed put up throughout the ship so everyone can get a look. The more eyes we have on this the better.
Kessler: Aye sir.
Kel: Data's coming back. There's a series of tunnels and chambers inside, not sure what's in them. There seems to be a large chamber on the ventral side with an external opening. ::guessing:: Waste expulsion?
Velis: ::nods:: Given its location, it’s entirely possible.
In spite of everything Karrod found a small dry chuckle at the idea.
Niac: Lets try to give that area a wide berth, Toryn. Lieutenant Venn...any of those chambers catch your interest? I'd like to prioritize anything resembling a power source...give the folks back at Daystrom something to puzzle over.
Venn: Response
Raga: We’re holding steady at five hundred thousand kilometers from the entity. As for getting a full view of this thing, we could use a class 2 probe. ::he turned in the seat to look at Karrod:: We could have the flight deck crew push it out the aft flight deck and activate it remotely once it’s clear from us and the entity.
Kessler: I can have a Class 2 probe ready and transported to the flight deck in just a few minutes, Captain.
Velis: ::pauses:: Would a probe be able to get close enough without alarming the creature? Maybe a shuttle instead?
Karrod turned and shook his head towards their guest.
Niac: Considering how difficult it is for the Ronin to stay on course, I don't want to risk anything smaller until we can compensate for this...::the ship shuddered again around him, small waves of motion passing through his boots::...buffeting.
Venn: Response
Velis: I just think we could get more information firsthand.
He smiled as he turned back towards the viewscreen.
Niac: I appreciate your zeal, Lieutenant, but for now we'll proceed with the manual probe deployment. Bring it online when it falls far enough astern to give us some kind of overview.
Kessler: Aye sir.
Venn/Raga: Response
Velis: If the telemetry degrades too badly, we may still want to consider a shuttle later for closer observation.
Her eyes lifted briefly toward the massive shape dominating the viewscreen before a faint, uneasy smile crossed her face.
Velis: Assuming it keeps tolerating us being here.
Kessler: ::in a lower voice:: Did you ever think you'd see anything this large out here?
Kel: ::chuckling:: You missed it, buddy. The Thor was swallowed by something like this. Watch for any sudden movements.
He turned and gestured over his shoulder towards the viewscreen.
Niac: Hopefully our new friend isn't feeling snacky. But keep your distance all the same, Mr. Raga.
Venn/Raga: Response
Kel: Sir, I'm seeing electrical pulses running the length of the creature, they're increasing in magnitude.
Velis: Captain, if those pulses are connected to the interference spike, we may already be provoking a response…and I’m not sure it’s a good one.
Karrod's beard began itching almost painfully as screens around the bridge flickered and stuttered. The cabin lighting surged to a glare that forced him to squint but there were no explosions, no impacts along the hull or the sizzle of rupturing conduits. For a moment he had the oddest sense of being watched, as if an eye wider than a moon had suddenly decided to focus the whole of its vast attention on him and him alone.
And then it was gone. He gasped as the flickering of their systems began to settle.
Niac: Report...did that cause any damage other than giving me a headache?
Kessler/Venn/Raga: Response
Kel: Aaah! My antennae are burning!
He turned towards V'len just as the man hunched over in obvious pain.
Niac: Mr. Raga, prepare to change course, Mr. Kessler, bring the shields up. Get a medical team up here.
Kessler/Venn/Raga: Response
Consoles around the bridge went from chirping to outright warbling as alerts and cautions began piling up from systems around the ship. V'len gritted his teeth against whatever pain he was experiencing and slapped at his comm badge, still focused on the mission even as his senses were being lashed by something Karrod could only guess at.
Kel: =/\= Kel to Beck! Are you getting anything at all? I think we may have upset it. =/\=
Beck: =/\= You can say that again. I'm not a hundred percent sure exactly what just happened, but we are having a few technical difficulties and are working on clearing those out. The data is coming through, though, absolutely. =/\=
Velis: ::to Niac:: The pulses spiked at the exact same time. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
He turned his attention away from V'len just as the Lieutenant seemed to realize something, shock written on their features.
Velis: Captain, I don’t think it’s upset. I think it might be trying to communicate.
Niac: I suppose a simple "hello" would've been too much to hope for. Do you have anything to base that on, Lieutenant? V'Len...say the word and we'll fall back and figure out another approach.
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::pauses:: The doctor or Commander Kel can likely confirm this, but I believe Commander Kel’s antennae might be functioning as a radio receiver.
Beck: =/\= A radio receiver, huh? That gives me an idea. =/\=
Niac: Make it quick Doctor, I don't want to expose any of the crew to this if there's a risk of long term damage. Steady as she goes Mr. Raga...but kept that escape course updated.
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::nods:: I think if we can figure out the frequency, so to speak, we might be able to program the computers to simulate the creature’s “language” and enable us to communicate with it.
Even with a universal translation system built up from hundreds of thousands of linguistic and communication modalities, something this wholly new could take a huge amount of time to decode...to say nothing of cogent conversation where a single misspoken word or awkward phrase could derail all their efforts.
Niac: Very well, lets see if we can pin down the source of V'len's burning sensation. Mr. Kessler, is anything hitting the shields? Mr. Raga, Lieutenant Venn...can the probe tell us anything useful? I'd like to be able to politely ask this creature to stop shouting at us.
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::shrugs:: It won’t be perfect, but I think it’s the best we’ve got.
Beck: =/\= Perfect is the enemy of good. We are seeing some progress down here - instead of a vague black outline, it's a vague white outline that is starting to show some deeper details. =/\=
A data channel opened and an overlay began building up across the creatures surface, organic shapes coming into clearer contrast against the ever present pulsing energy across it's outer skin.
Niac: =/\= Well done Doctor, get as much data as you can. Mark any spots that strike you as particularly important and our guests will prioritize them for further inspection. =/\=
Karrod felt the buffeting of the ship through his heels once again but this pulse seemed different somehow and the ship rode through it without the same disruption to the inertial dampeners. He looked towards Toryn at the helm.
Niac: Did you find a way to compensate for the turbulence or did that...::he nodded towards the viewscreen and corrected himself::...or did our friend out there decide to give us a break?
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga/Velis: Response
He thought about it for a moment, still concerned about V'len as the creature continued on, seemingly unbothered by their presence.
Niac: Either way I'm going to take it as a good sign. The question now becomes...how much do we want to test our luck today? Mr. Raga, Chief Kessler...based on the data we've recovered so far...do you think we could safely get an away team or two aboard that vessel? Lt. Velis, Lt. Venn...got any good spots picked out yet?
Kessler/Venn/Kel/Raga/Velis: Response
[Tags/TBC!]
================================
Fleet Captain Karrod Niac
Commanding Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
V239509GT0
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