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: : : : : The initial triangulation would show that the Discovery looked to be roughly between one of the spiral arms of the galaxy. In this region there were not that many stars and what there was had some distance between them. By association, about twice the distance between stars as would be where the Federation was. There had no other ships logged to have been here before.
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: : : : : : : =^= Acknowledged, Captain, on my way. =^=
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: : : : : : : Verraj turned to the cadets in the science lab and said "Stay here, I'll inform you as soon as there are any developments. For now your orders are to remain safely out of harm's way."
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: : : : : : "Q said *So many things to so. Cadets to train.* And something about adding spice to their boring duties. He might have considered bringing us here to witness some unusual astronomical phenomenon or to meet an unknown species. Do we have something on the long sensor array?"
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: : : : : : CNS Lambert
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: OOC : I did eat 'range' from the long range sensors instead of writing it... I was certainly hungry! Q`s fault, like everything bad happening onboard since now on!

OOC: Strange, don't think I noticed <G> .. Gene
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: : : : : On the short range sensors there were those small 'twinkling lights'. The thing that Kel would note - and even with the view screen were twofold. One was that they moved and in places were 'linking' and joining to form more complex structures. One might liken this to be a 'tetris' like series of blocks coming together. The second was that, individually or larger 'blocks' they were coming closer.
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: : : : : MS-GM
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: : : : : OOC: If you google Whirlpool Galaxy it is a pretty spectacular looking galaxy.
: : : : : Gene
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: : : : Verraj turned to Monique and said "Just a second, Commander."
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: : : : He turned back to the console and started an in-depth analysis of the lights, mostly scanning what elements they were made of, if they had any more complex structures inside like cells or something mechanical, and generally scanning for energy signatures, but continued talking "I will make a long range scan, but we have more pressing matters to attend to right now."

Scans would determine that they were in part biological yet had a compound elemental nature that .. varied. The closest approximation might be that of a replicator or so of taking energy and making out of it what you wanted. This was determined with the individual blocks merging and their properties changing. In space the individual 'blocks' (about football sized) had more of an energy component to it with a biological matrix.
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: : : : Verraj turned to CO Sparrow and said "Captain! The lights are converging on our location. I recommend we attempt to distance ourselves from them until my scans give me some results and we know a little more about what they are. However, I also recommend we do so at impulse drive to begin with. This is Q we're talking about. Running might anger him."
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: : : : - Lieutenant Junior Grade Verraj Kel, CSO

Further scans would show that there was a large matrix of said blocks beyond this 'cloud' of smaller individual ones. What might be more pressing, though, were the individual ones drawing closer - and the others combining into something that was, at least in rough, to being shaped similarly to the Discovery, though in 3/4 of the cases (for four groups were doing this) they were about 25% of the size of the Discovery.
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: : : "At this point I don't care what would anger Q. What I want to know is do these lights pose a danger to the ship." Sherman asked without looking towards the Lieutenant's direction.
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: : : Commander Sherman Winchester, XO
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: : Seron confused about what had just happened took his place at tactical. Nothing much of interest to him in the far reaches of space although he was amazed at how far they had traveled. "Nothing on sensors yet Sir." Seron said as he continued to scan the area for any ships or unknown planets.
: :
: : Lt. Seron (Security)

The only 'ships' per se might be those forming out of the shining blocks that looked much like a miniature Discovery .. or 4 of them.
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: IC : "Thank you, Lt Seron. That means there is no danger for us to change position, and also that whatever Q did find interesting in here, it`s in our proximity. I wonder... " Monique continued looking over Verraj`s shoulder on the sci station at the paths the lights were following. It was something vaguely familiar, reminding her of the mathematical models she did study when she looked for a pattern to use in her simulation for the theta waves of the brain. "I wonder if the movements are following some type of a pattern, something logical, mathematical, which can be modeled and though predicted."
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: She felt frustrated, not having a station available nearby, neither the authority to ask the computer to project the trajectory of the lights on the main screen, but she hoped that the scientists within Verraj will get her idea and consider it.
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: CNS Lambert
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: IC : Small suggestion for the cadets. No matter what department you are in, never hesitate to give your ideas, opinions or suggestions on what to do, through direct dialogue or indirect, by thoughts of your character, even if it does not seem to fit with his specialty.

MS-GM