Karrod Niac
unread,Feb 27, 2026, 12:29:40 AMFeb 27Sign in to reply to author
Sign in to forward
You do not have permission to delete messages in this group
Either email addresses are anonymous for this group or you need the view member email addresses permission to view the original message
to USS Ronin – StarBase 118 Star Trek PBEM RPG
((Bridge, Deck 3, USS Ronin))
Kel: Good thinking. =/\= Kel to Lieutenant Morrow, I'm in need of some legal advice. =/\=
Wren: ::reluctantly:: It’s possible that, since they’re precision….based, they’re giving us such a short window as a mere formality. Perhaps they know that it isn’t enough time, but have offered it to us regardless just so that they can say they did? oO That’s not a kind thought to have, but we should prepare ourselves for the worst while hoping for the best Oo
Morrow: =/\= Sure thing, Captain. Just remember, I charge by the hour, so please take your time. =/\=
Maddy had no idea how the Acting Captain...or anybody...was so calm considering what they were staring at. On one level it made her feel a little better. On several other levels it made her feel like the only sane woman left in the galaxy. Her voice cracked a little as she tried not to sweat on the helm controls.
Nicolau: Do you really think we can...uh...litigate our way out of this, sir?
T'Fearne: If they value the base or its research, they won’t risk destroying it outright. They would have to send a force to the surface to eliminate or capture our people and secure any projects or data. ::highlighting an area above the base one the screen:: If we position ourselves tactically between their ship and the moon base, they may hesitate to fire on us for caution of hitting the moon base.
She looked at the plot on the viewscreen and her eye twitched slightly. While it was certainly possible to park a starship which massed several million metric tons in low orbit over an unstable moonlet which was spewing radiation like some kind of lethal lawn sprinkler, it certainly wasn't something an even remotely sane officer would want to do.
Kel: Move us to 100km above the habitat module. Keep us clear of the radiation stream coming from the lid.
Wren: We’re almost in position, sir.
Sighing to herself as her eye twitched slightly, she gingerly nudged the vast bulk of the Ronin into position, all while trying to track the spew of radiation with one eye and the shifting track of the Alliance ship with the other.
Nicolau: We'll be at station keeping in ten seconds, sir, but I'm going to need to keep a hand on the controls. That radiation could fry us in an instant if we drift even a little.
She was so focused on threading the needle between hazards that the jarring comm call to the bridge nearly made her spring vertically out of her chair.
tr’Kharis: ::clipped, cool tone, almost matter-of-fact:: =/\= This is Administrator tr’Kharis to this vessel's security! You are about to have a Tholian intruder onboard at my present location. Reinforcements would be… prudent. =/\=
Kel: =/\= Security! Intruder alert in the transporter room ::glancing at his data screen:: Deck 6. =/\=
T'Fearne: Internal sensors confirm unauthorized transport signature. I’m remotely sealing the Transporter room now until armed security teams can arrive.
She resettled herself in the helmsmans chair and gingerly settled the ship into position.
Nicolau: One hundred kilometers, sir, and holding steady. The Alliance vessel is maintaining its distance but moving towards our aft port-quarter. They really seem to enjoy looming...sir.
Kel: Ensign Wren any new information from our probe?
Wren: I’m not- ::noticing a change:: Yes, they’ve activated their transporter, we might want to tell our team on the ground to expect visitors soon.
Morrow: =/\= You called me Cap… =/\=
T’Fearne: =/\= Lieutenant Morrow, stand by. =/\=
The voice of the ships legal council over the commline sounded downright bemused. Maddy wished for half a measure of his composure...or a large bottle of the spirits the lower decks were convinced he was producing aboard somewhere. The helm chirped an update and she tapped a few commands in, firing their attitude jets and shifting their track just slightly.
Nicolau: Adjusting course to starboard...that radiation appears to be intensifying, sir.
Kel: Ok. Let's open a channel. ::waiting:: =/\= Alliance vessel. As this is unclaimed territory, I require an additional 20 minutes to determine our legal requirements in this situation. Please stand by. =/\=
Wren: Sir, regarding that data…. I actually do have a copy of it. It’s a little incomplete, but I downloaded a copy of it while we were on the surface. I can upload it to our ship’s computer so that we have a more permanent copy.
Morrow: =/\= Captain, I suggest, having them one, produce the proper paddwork, and two show you a deed or something that ties them to the station below. Usually, they have those papers on demand, but I’m betting they’ll have to take time to dig them up; they're not here for a parlay. Might not be much time, but every little bit counts. =/\=
Kel: Good thinking Mr. Morrow. Ensign Wren, check the data from the outpost down there. If there are any items of Federation technology make a note. T'Fearne let the surface know they may have more company soon.
T'Fearne: =/\= Ronin to all landfall teams. Be advised. Transport signatures detected from hostile vessel in orbit. Prepare for possible Lattice Alliance incursion. Ronin is standing by to assist. =/\=
Maddy wracked her brain for any tidbit of legalese she'd ever picked up in a holonovel and came up largely blank. She didn't believe this was a situation where someone could dramatically stand up, point, and shout 'objection' at the top of their lungs. Sensors updated and her fingers flew on instinct.
Nicolau: Adjusting back to port, sir...we're picking up some weird gravimetric fluctuations forming around the moon itself, it's making it tougher and tougher to maintain position.
Wren: Of course, I can do that now ::starts making a copy::. It’s surprisingly informative considering the state of the base when we found it, but-
Wren: ::quickly:: They’ve powered their weapons back down, but the probe is destroyed. We’re close enough now that normal communication is possible, but we’ve lost any ability to see what’s going on inside the other ship. ::allows herself a small moment of sadness for the loss of the probe, before continuing her work::
Morrow: =/\= Well, at least we know they mean business. Do you need me to come up there? =/\=
Kel: Affirmative Mr. Morrow. Bring you biggest law padds.
She felt a small shudder in the ship transmitted up through her boots a moment before the short range sensors chirped another alarming update.
Nicolau: We're hitting random pockets of gravimetric shear, sir. Inertial dampeners are compensating...barely. The ride is going to get worse the longer we stay in this close to the moon.
Wren: I’ve almost finished downloading the information to our main memory system. No response from the other ship thus far. I think that was more of a warning shot than anything else oO And a passive-aggressive one at that Oo.
Morrow: =/\= All right, I’ll be up in a minute, let me grab a couple of things.=/\=
Kel: Alright, now we wait for our legal department.
T'Fearne: ::quietly:: I suspect they’re watching to see whether we panic.
Maybe it was her nerves and maybe she needed a distraction from the fact an armed Alliance ship was lurking just behind them but Maddy had a silly thought that made her let out the smallest of giggles.
Nicolau: I wonder if he'll charge you a travel rate for his time in the turbolift. ::She rotated in the helm chair and looked towards Commander Kel:: Might be cheaper to transport him, sir.
The tension shifted slightly as she turned her attention back to the helm, trying to keep ahead of the constant course changes and minor alterations in their orbit needed to keep their position more or less fixed. The everpresent threat of the Alliance vessel still loomed large on the viewscreen but, finally busy with something more immediately urgent, she found it easier to push that deadly threat to the back of her mind. While she managed the deadly threat she could at least do something about.
Morrow: You order a lawyer?
Kel: ::chuckling:: Apparently. ::indicating the chair next to him:: Thankfully not for medical malpractice.
T'Fearne: Not yet. Though if this escalates, I would very much prefer it if you can help prevent orbital bombardment.
Wren: I’m guessing a ‘cease and desist’ wouldn’t do much good here, though.
Maddy shrugged and offered the one suggestion she had.
Nicolau: You could try yelling objection...uh...sir.
The viewscreen blinked and the view of the Alliance bridge and their goopy commanding officer sprang into view. His voice made her teeth hurt.
B’hab: =/\= Speak carefully, or your own words may doom you, Commander Kel…. =/\=
Kel: =/\= I'm afraid you have me at a loss Commander. I think perhaps formal introductions are in order. =/\=
B’hab: =/\= ::he waved a cloaked hand dismissively:: I simply do not care for your excuses, Commander. =/\=
Kel: ::giving Morrow an uncertain look. =/\= I'm afraid they are not excuses. We are accounting for Federation items on the surface. If there is any patent infringement we are required to rais those issues.=/\=
T'Fearne: =/\= As the installation below contains equipment of disputed origin, Romulan Free State, we must verify ownership before relinquishing jurisdiction.
Wren: Excuse me, sir, the record from about six months ago makes mention of an abandoned Andorian vessel that was found in nearby space. The ship was downed and stripped for parts. I’d imagine that the Andorians would want that returned, as there’s no record as to why it was abandoned in the first place.
Nicolau: I've heard the Andorian Mining Consortium runs from no one, sir. They're not to be taken lightly. I'm sure the Sheliak wouldn't want that kind of headache. Or..uh..::She gestured vaguely towards the image on the screen::...goopache.
Morrow: Response
Kel: T'Fearne what's our shield status? =/\= I object to your rushing my work here. The more you interfere the longer this will take. Now could we see the documents confirming your claim to this system. ::beat:: I'll need that in triplicate of course. =/\=
T'Fearne: Shields at full integrity, Captain. No active targeting solutions detected yet. Just scans. ::slight narrowing of eyes:: They may be attempting to intimidate... ::quietly, off comms:: They are lined up nicely with our rear torpedo launchers.
Wren: ::to Kel:: While the records never outright state that the cannibalized Andorian ship was used to construct the Lid, they do appear to have a significant time jump of two weeks in their records, and seem to have somehow found an ‘answer’ to a previous problem. It’s more than likely they used the Andorian parts to complete the project.
The sensors went from an urgent chime to a shrill triple blatt and she her fingers flew over the helm controls once again.
Nicolau: Shear is increasing sir, that pocket was class six. If we'd hit it straight on they'd be picking up plates in the messhall for the next week.
Kel/Morrow: Response
The painfully attenuated voice, which seemed loud enough to be felt in her eyes, returned to the comm line.
B’hab: =/\= You’re lucky we’re not boarding you right now, Captain. From what I can tell is you have an internal problem; it must be my Tholian counterparts. =/\=
Kel: =/\= I have people to deal with that and let me assure you any damage done will be considered an infarction. =/\=
T'Fearne: ::quietly:: Sir—They’re shifting power from auxiliary to tactical. They’ve powered weapons back to standby. Not fully charged yet, but I'm detecting a buildup in Sencha radiation. No targeting lock on us yet. ::dark eyes fixed on the threat:: Permission matches their tactical level?
She considered their position, sandwiched between the moon and the ship, surrounded on all sides by space that seemed intent on tearing itself and them apart, and began sweating under her uniform collar in earnest.
Nicolau: We're not in a good position to engage here sir, we don't have enough space to maneuver effectively. Uh...maybe...well...if we could...somehow convince them to get a little closer...they might have an even harder time navigating then we are. Might give us a little extra breathing room if they were...otherwise busy trying to keep their hull attached.
Morrow: Response
B'hab: Response
T'Fearne: Energy spike at their forward weapons array. It’s not clear where they are targeting.
Maddy's hands darted to the helm controls but the short range sensors were a jumble of increasingly intense spatial anomalies.
Nicolau: I don't see a targeting lock anywhere sir! Request permission to take evasive action?
Morrow/Kel: Response
Wren: They’re firing weapons!
Madeline had gotten so distracted by the idea that they were about to get shot at that she nearly missed another set of anomalies directly in the ships path. She threw the helm hard over at the last moment, the trailing edge of the nacelle clipping the anomaly and igniting some atmospheric gasses which had become trapped in the strange deformation.
Nicolau: Sorry sorry sorry! Getting us back onto our original heading but space out there is getting...really, really weird...sir.
Morrow/Kel/B'hab: Response
Wren: They’ve figured out we aren’t damaged, they’re preparing to fire again.
Maddie squeaked a bit and threw the ship to starboard, hoping to use the increasingly difficult spatial conditions to at least make the Alliance's targeting job just a little bit harder. Unfortunately she dodged so hard the inertial dampeners barely caught up in time to keep them all from getting flung out of their chairs and down to the deck.
Nicolau: Sorry sorry....it's like...trying to ride rapids, sir...and it just keeps getting worse. I think whatever is happening on the moon is getting critical sir. It's distorting all our sensor readings, I can barely see five hundred meters ahead at this point.
Morrow/Kel/B'hab: Response
The ship rocked again as they passed within a dozen meters of another pocket of anomalous space intense enough to rip the plates right off their hull.
Nicolau: Sir I'm not sure how much longer I can keep us in position!
Morrow/Kel/B'hab/Wren: Response
Tags/TBC
((OOC: Fair pile of tags already so I don't want to push this ahead too much since I'm playing catchup, did a bit of Marrow/Morrow cleanup and amended the end as discussed in the ship chat since we haven't gotten fired at...yet.))
==================
Lieutenant JG Madalain Nicolau
Beta Shift Helmsman
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
V239509GT0