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Main Sim - Away Team - Find that Ferengi! (TAG Idari, Tate, GM)

Posted July 26, 2020, 11:06 p.m. by Commander Idari Solit (Chief Science Officer) (Nicholas Villarreal)

Posted by Gamemaster Janus (Gamemaster) in Main Sim - Away Team - Find that Ferengi! (TAG Idari, Tate, GM)

Posted by Gamemaster Janus (Gamemaster) in Main Sim - Away Team - Find that Ferengi! (TAG Idari, Tate, GM)

Posted by Commander Idari Solit (Chief Science Officer) in Main Sim - Away Team - Find that Ferengi! (TAG Idari, Tate, GM)
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
– Outside the ship –
With nothing to do on the ship but re-analyze the sensor data ad nauseum and wait for their digging equipment to be repaired, Solit’s choice to accept an assignment to go visit Zank was a matter of practicality more than anything. He asked Lieutenant Cewa to join him specifically because neither of them were going to be leaving the island any time soon unless it was to make use of hand-held subspace devices in the middle of the sea (or gulf, or ocean, or whatever sized body of water surrounded the island), given that their distinctive physical traits would be difficult to conceal from the villagers. Instead, here he was, off to barter with the Ferengi who had been just as regrettably detoured as the Asimov.

“Well, Lieutenant, my father was raised in the Ferengi Alliance, so I’ve had plenty of experience with them,” Commander Idari said, trying to break the monotony of the walk. “How much have you been around them and their particularly aggressive version of capitalism?”

(Commander Idari, CSO)

OOC: Bump

GM

OOC: Ben Z. has left the Asimov, so I’ll assume nobody else is tagging along.
IC:
Commander Idari finally reached the downed Ferengi vessel, and began to look around for Zank or his wife.

“Hello? I’m looking for Mister Zank. My Captain mentioned that you were willing to provide assistance in return for aid in departing this planet.”

Solit was a little uneasy about this plan. He was certain that, had he been able to determine what material was causing the diamagnetic field, he may have been able to determine how to create a reverse polarity field without the Asimov operating a full power.

(Commander Idari, CSO)

A beautiful woman appeared at the entrance to the ship. “Ah, you must be looking for my husband. I will go get him,” said the woman. She looked part Deltan, part Risian.

Moments later, Zank appeared. “What can I do for you, Commander?” asked Zank.

GM

A shift in the timeline occurred and the fabric of reality warped. Idari could have sworn he was with a Lt. Cewa a moment ago but the name was starting to fade, as history overwritten, and a Lt. Cmdr. Wessley Tate took the place of the young Lieutenant Cewa.

“Excuse me, I meant to say, Commanders,” said Zank, “I failed to notice the Lieutenant Commander’s correct rank. I thought it was Lieutenant.”

GM

Tate was slightly confused be the feeling was starting to fade. He realized Idari was probably in charge of this particular mission, but spoke anyone. “It seems we have a business opportunity in front of us Mr. Zank. One that might be profitable for all parties.” He knew how to talk to Ferengis but he wasn’t sure how much of his own end was a bluff.

-Lt. Cmdr. Tate

OOC: If I could get a brief bit of info regarding our objective here, that would be great.

-Harley

OOC: The short of it is that you crashed on the planet and the ship is broken without power. Zank’s ship saved the Asimov from being damaged completely, and his driving motivation is to get off the planet. He has already told the crew he’s been here a couple months before you guys, and that using his tractor beam on the Asimov pretty much used all of the remaining emergency power he had. The end goal is to see if any parts of Zank’s ship can be used to repair the ship, or whether he’s willing to sell it to you, or sell you more information about the planet. Obviously, he told the Captain that he plans to bill the Federation for saving your lives but Solit feels something doesn’t exactly add up.

GM
OOC: Sorry for the long absence. I could have sworn I had posted last week.

IC:
Solit decided to get right to the point. He couldn’t actually analyze the metal that made the base of the island, and which was disrupting subspace fields, in a timely fashion due to equipment breakdown. The star chart on his hand held device was, to say the least, incomplete, mostly due to the sensor disruptions which happened during the rapid exit and descent from the anomaly.

“We need a complete star map, if you have one available,” Solit said. “Also, have you seen any indications that this island might not be a wholly natural formation?”

It was the old bait-and-switch - ask for something relatively innocuous, then throw out a whammy to get the other man off guard. He wasn’t sure if Zank would fall for it or not, but he was hedging his bets. A Ferengi who had a wife like that clearly had more lobes than he was showing.

(Commander Idari, CSO)

“A star map? I’m sorry Commander, I don’t have a complete star map. Though, I have been making a study of the stars in the sky through my stay here, and nothing seems identifiable. Whatever sensor log data I have in my computer is certainly available to you, for a price, obviously. What impression gives you that this island is not a natural formation, Commander?” asked Zank, “Look, Commander, let’s be frank with each other. We all want to get off this planet. And frankly, in my current situation, Rule of Acquisition 125 seems to apply: ‘You can’t make a deal if you’re dead.’ I realize that might weaken my current bargaining position, however you Starfleet types tend to take us Ferengi with a little too much mistrust. Frankly, I’m quite insulted – I have not much to gain other than my freedom at this point, and neither do you.”

GM

OOC: Bump

GM

Of course he wouldn’t be able to identify the stars around here; he probably hasn’t a clue what relative luminosity, radio wavelengths, or stellar size mean when it comes to charting stellar bodies, or at least not like I do, Commander Idari thought to himself. Still, he’s more canny than he seemed when we met. I wonder how canny…

“Feelings are best left where they don’t interfere with the end goal, Mister Zank. Still, any stellar data you have on hand will be useful. We’ll negotiate on price after I’ve seen what data you have - without scanning it or taking it with me, just to be completely above board. Lieutenant Commander Tate and your wife can keep both of us more honest in that regard, I am sure.”

Solit paused, considering how much he wanted to share about his supsicions. If Zank hadn’t had them, he clearly had become comfortable with his island abode, protests to the contrary nonwithstanding.

“As for why I think this island is artificial, the nature of the island would be enough to cause that impression. The subgrade is of an unknown metal that creates a field which interferes with subspace equipment, but the field ends the moment that the island does - or at least its subaquatic shelf. Beyond that, two space faring vessels crashed on this exact island after encountering an anomaly that brought them to this planet, contrary to the statistical unlikelihood of such a scenario - admittedly in part because you lessened our angle of descent, but still, we both would have landed in the same general area of the planet even without your aid. Coincidences such as this are rarely due to random possibilities, meaning that such events must have been engineered somehow. Hence, I ask again, since you did not actually answer the question - have you seen any indications that this island is, in whole or in part, artificial?”

(Commander Idari, CSO)


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