Captain Isara Aleron: Blockade
Serala
As the ship moved away from the planet, Isara began to breathe a bit easier. With their new stealth technology, she had begun to wonder what other new technologies did they possess and how much of a disadvantage would the Valkyrie be against them.
Aleron: They seem to be letting us depart. Maybe they just don’t want us here. :: she decided to play a hunch, as the humans called it, although she was certain one or more of her officers would say something about it later. :: Helm, set a course for deeper into the sector. Let’s see if they’re really letting us leave or not.
Lennai: Response
T’Ama: Captain?
She looked over at the First Officer.
Aleron: As the humans say, T’Ama, I am playing a hunch.
T’Ama: I thought humans followed hunches.
Lennai: Response
Aleron: I want to see if they’re really letting us go, or if they just want us to go back where we came from.
T’Ama: It is possible they don’t realize we’ve spotted them.
Lennai: Response
But even as the ship turned to go deeper into the sector, another ship seemed to manifest out of the stars in their flight path.
oO Damn. Oo
Aleron: Helm, alter course zero-zero-six mark zero relative.
Lennai: Response
The ship turned with ease and continued forward, but they hadn’t gone far when yet another ship appeared in their path.
oO How many of these things are there? Oo
Given their general shape, she was almost tempted to call them a hive or a swarm, but they’d only seen three so far. Yet, given their technology, there could be plenty more. And it didn’t help that she was starting to get a headache from all of this.
Aleron: Alter course again, Ensign. Continue trying to take us deeper in.
Lennai: Response
T’Ama: They are definitely revealing themselves to us now, and even if they thought they were still invisible the way we are changing headings would lead them to conclude we can detect them.
Is’Kah: Captain, I still cannot cut through whatever interference is preventing us from detecting those cloaked ships. However, using the navigation sensors, I believe I have found a way to estimate a location.
Isara looked up at the viewscreen as Is’Kah put up the display and zoomed in on their location.
T’Ama: At this rate we just need to point the ship in a direction and one will appear.
Aleron: So, they are trying to herd us, then.
It was as she had suspected.
Lennai: Response
Is’Kah: Every star emits a high speed stream of charged particles from its corona. Where this ends marks the boundary of a solar system. However, we can detect the charged electrons and protons, allowing us to detect where they do not behave in a straight line, much like the wake of an ocean-going vessel.
T’Ama: Right…
Lennai: Response
Is’Kah: As you can see, the ionized electrons are not behaving in a straight line, mixing instead. If we add in the disturbances of the heavier ions, such as helium and oxygen, it appears to confirm my theory. If someone could please confirm my work, I’ve been known to make math errors lately.
T’Ama: Computer, please double check Lieutenant Is’Kah’s work.
Lennai: Response
Computer: Lieutenant Is’Kah’s work is theoretically sound.
T’Ama: Implement the solar wake algorithm on the sensors.
Aleron: Good work, Is’Kah. My only question is this. Are these readings being affected by whatever is affecting our sensors, or have you managed to compensate for the effect?
Lennai / Is’Kah: Responses
On the viewscreen, there were multiple contacts, some larger than the others. They’d given Stillwater a wide berth, but the ships seemed to be moving to try and blockade them.
T’Ama: They do seem intent on blockading us from proceeding.
Aleron: Indeed, Number One. I suppose we should try hailing them and seeing if we can’t come to some sort of agreement.
Lennai / Is’Kah: Responses
T’Ama: Perhaps we should do some maneuvers to see how responsive they are?
Lennai / Is’Kah: Responses
She sat back and considered that recommendation. It would give them a bit more insight and so far she’d seen or heard nothing that would give her any reason to believe they would respond to her hails.
Aleron: Agree, Number One. Ensign Lennai, exercise tactical maneuvers at your discretion. Is’Kah, monitor their responses and report.
Lennai / Is’Kah: Responses
The Orion executed several maneuvers and it seemed a pattern was indeed starting to take shape. Her original hunch had been correct, or so it seemed.
Aleron: Number One, does it appear to you that they are blocking our progress deeper into the sector, but not toward Stillwater or the Par’tha Expanse?
T’Ama: Response
Lennai / Is’Kah: Responses
Aleron: Recommendations?
T’Ama: Response
Lennai / Is’Kah: Responses