Captain Isara Aleron: No other options
Serala
T’Ama: Perhaps we should do some maneuvers to see how responsive they are?
Lennai: I could do that, certainly.
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.
Is’Kah: Roger that, Captain.
Lennai: Entering limited manual-assisted controls.
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: Yes. That would be a logical conclusion.
Lennai: Leaving manual controls, resuming previous course and making small adjustments to avoid collision with unidentified vessels.
Aleron: Recommendations?
T’Ama seemed to take a deep breath before making her recommendation.
T’Ama: Leave.
Isara looked over at the First Officer. It was a most logical recommendation and one she’d been considering as well. Isara was not one for pushing a confrontation, especially when it was clear they would lose. But they’d come all this way and she didn’t want to be turned back just yet. There had to be other options.
Lennai: Captain, if I may. The sensor readings on the new algorithm we implemented are showing additional datasets. ::Typing on console.:: If you look at this isolated scan I pulled up, you can clearly see that the energy runoff from the cloaking device they are using is using an incredible amount of energy. I don't think it's possible for them to stay in pursuit of us and stay cloaked for as long as they have been.
Is’Kah: Captain, it appears Ensign Lennai is correct.
Isara studied the readings for a moment, considering what she was seeing.
Aleron: With the sensors glitching, and at this point I have to assume it’s something they are doing, are we sure there are as many of them as we’re seeing?
Lennai: Yes, of course. That is to say, I think it is right to assume that every ship we have seen up until this point has been a completely unique and different vessel. We already know we've been outnumbered, but to this extent is.. ::Trailing off.:: Intense.
Is’Kah: I concur with Ensign Lennai.
Aleron: Okay, then I want to get as much sensor data as we can on each of them.
Lennai: Understood. I will commit to that now.
She looked around the bridge, her demeanor meant to indicate that she was still soliciting options.
Aleron: Anything else?
Is’Kah: ::whispered:: Fascinating. ::Beat:: Captain, it is my belief that smaller vessels are unable to sustain cloaking for prolonged durations, whereas larger ships are capable of maintaining concealment for significantly longer periods. An analogy can be drawn to 20th-century Earth diesel submarines. Instead of expelling air, they must vent heat. Such thermal signatures would be detectable if heat were released while cloaked. I hypothesize that, ultimately, they will need to “surface,” so to speak.
T’Ama: Well at least they have a weakness.
Is’Kah: It is conceivable to await the natural resolution of the situation and to monitor subsequent developments.
T’Ama: They are already revealing themselves to us, I’m not sure what there is to gain by just waiting for all of them to need to do so.
Aleron: No, I agree, Number One. And I certainly don’t want to wait around until we’re caught in the Tholians Web, if you know what I mean.
Lennai: Response
Is’Kah: I wonder what they are trying to hide from us. There has to be a reason for the blockade.
T’Ama: Could be anything. Could be nothing and they just don’t want us in their territory.
Lennai: Response
Is’Kah: Captain, is there a reason why we must traverse this system to go deeper into the sector? Space is vast, meaning we could just go around. We also have the Quantum Slipstream Drive, which can easily bypass this place. Regardless of whether we use distance or the QSD, it would be impossible to blockade the sector.
T’Ama: That is why my recommendation is to leave. Running the blockade at this point would be an escalation, and there is no emergent matter that would compel us to do so at this time. As the Lieutenant said, we could go around at a later date. Once their guard has dropped.
Aleron: That is a valid assertion, and definitely an option. Especially with the QSD. We could always make it appear that we’re leaving, and then slip around once we’re confident they’re not looking.
Is’Kah / Lennai: Responses
T’Ama: If they are not speaking to us, and they do not want the people we rescued from the containers back, we could claim ignorance if we met them again further in.
Is’Kah / Lennai: Responses
T’Ama: Logically just because there is this show of force in this location does not mean there are this many ships all the way through. This is the only way through for most ships so it is a natural choke point to amass forces. It is highly likely further in would be less well defended.
Aleron: True. But what are they trying to prevent us from seeing? A blockade of this nature is usually meant as a protective measure. A line in the sand, if you will. This far, and no further. So, why?
Is’Kah / Lennai: Response
T’Ama: Response
She nodded and sat back in her seat. It was not likely that they were going to get their answers today. They just needed to get away from these ships and reevaluate their position. But Isara was too curious for her own good. She was going to find out what was behind that silent wall that they were erecting. Which brought her to another point.
Aleron: Very well. Ensign Lennai, set a reverse course back toward the Par’tha Expanse along the Kenarthi Bypass. Let’s see how far we have to go before they lose interest in us.
Lennai: Response
Aleron: Meanwhile, something’s been nagging at me. We’ve been calling this a cloaking effect, but this doesn’t seem to work like any cloaking device I’ve ever heard of. The end result seems to be the same, but I’m wondering if they are just tricking our sensors with this … :: waves hand toward the viewscreen :: whatever this is that is affecting our sensors. It’s almost like a suppression field of some kind. Like they’re suppressing our sensors long enough to sneak around.
T’Ama / Is’Kah / Lennai: Response
She considered that. However they were doing it, the end result was essentially the same. She’d just said so herself. What did it matter what they called it?
Aleron: Okay, cloaking device works for now, but I think we need to be clear this isn’t a standard cloaking device that works by bending light. Otherwise, we might start leading ourselves down some false rabbit trails.
T’Ama / Is’Kah / Lennai: Response
Aleron: For one thing, I think we need to know more about this technology they’re using. It’s very advanced and I’ve never heard of anything like it. And all the intel I’ve read seemed to indicate nobody out this way should have that level of tech. So, where did they get it, and how does it work? At the very least, we need to know how to counteract its effects.
T’Ama / Is’Kah / Lennai: Response