STF

Bridge (2021 Sim)

Posted May 8, 2021, 1:34 a.m. by Ensign Kesh (Engineer) (Daniel Bupp)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Reia Shandy (CIO) in Bridge (2021 Sim)

Posted by Ensign Kesh (Engineer) in Bridge (2021 Sim)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Tom Jarvis (Internal Security) in Bridge (2021 Sim)
Posted by… suppressed (23) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Snip

Nervous? Yes. But adjusting.

-> Kesh, Engineering

=^= Another one. Not too long ago we had a positive contact with a warp civilization. Their warp tech was based on nuclear power. Quite the thing. Messy politics with colonies and pirates and the like. Left them in the hands of diplomats. See what you can get on a long range scan to the system looking for any warp trails based on our computer library of known warp trail types from the races we’ve encountered. See if we get a hit. Power sources outside of their own world? Other planets in the system colonized? Stellar spectroscopy that may hint at dilithium as a resource? =^=
- Dagen, CE

Reia was studying readings when she heard her husband’s voice but, of course, the message wouldn’t have been for her in the first place. Smiling, she looked down again as a strand of white hair fell across her eyes and cheek.

  • Reia

A text note bleeped on Reia’s console from Dagen. =^= Walk in the woods after shift? Holodeck 2? Picnic. =^=
- Dagen

Reia smiled and sent a quick reply. =^=Yes, that sounds wonderful. You pick the planet, I’ll bring the food. I may be a little late though. I have to send those wedding pictures to my grandparents and I’ve been putting it off for far too long. Meet you there=^=

  • Reia

“Mnnn, a sufficiently tuned warp field emitter could run on the power output of a nuclear reactor, if it, too, were particularly efficient. Rrrnth.” The nervous energy subsided as Kesh’s commanding officer rolled her focus into something she is quite adept at: starship engines. A few swift taps on her console brings up the mission data on these nuclear warp engines encountered by the Genesis recently, for the sake of casual reading while continuing to address the matter of monitoring the ship. A third window is created when Dagen requests she start getting actively involved in the current matter, with a few deft adjustments to size and position to ensure she can still monitor the ship and nibble on the nuclear engine sensor data while checking current sensor data. While she may not have the augmented intellect of Julian Bashir, multi-tasking has never been a problem for her.

“Mmnnrrr, I am not detecting the kind of elevated dilithium levels typically associated with warp-capable species, but that is not necessarily.. ah… telling. We will not be able to pick up definitive information if they are using Romulan or Tholian-type reactors until we get closer. Rrrrnth. I have requested a subspace disruption scan to pick up signs of lesser-used styles of warp engine.” Without senior officer approval, it may take a few minutes to get through the queue of scans being conducted, of course.

Merry little sways of the felinoid’s shoulders, tail, and head give her the appearance of someone listening to music that isn’t there, as her eyes and fingers dance between the three different task windows on her console. A groove is on.

->Kesh, Engineering

From all the scans they had made, the Genesis crew found the following:

There were subspace fields being generated on the surface of the planet at two different locations.
There was the detection of artificial singularities at one location and antimatter containment at the other location.
There were no warp trails detectable in the space surround the planets.
There was evidence that fusion energy generation was being used at the planet; fossil fuels did not seem to be used although there was a small part of the planet that showed evidence of nuclear energy having been used.

GM

As sensor data rolled in, Ensign Kesh worked at compiling what was significant for the sake of ship systems with another list for what would serve as a response for the chief’s requests. This quickly cluttered her work surface, to which the study of the nuclear warp engines go tucked off into her ‘to peep’ folder for later reading.

Once the pace of new sensor data slowed, like the rate of kernels bursting in a popcorn machine, a raw list of information that may concern ship function is annotated and sent off to the current crewmember at the ‘podium’ in engineering, to be considered for any possible modification of ship field outputs to prevent possible detection and/or interference. This included everything regarding the subspace fields and the singularities, as both had the potential to clash with the warp and deflector fields once within range. Then she gave her comm badge a tap.

=^= Kesh to Thor. No signs of warp trails in the system at all, nor any power signals on other planets, rrrrnth. It appears to be a singular-planetary civilization currently. Curiously, they appear to have developed fusion, antimatter, and singularity-based energy production, though all seem to be in a proto-state of development, possibly developed by different.. ah… factions? Mnnn. There is also signs of subspace utilization, though I cannot explain the purpose of it beyond inter-planetary communication. Rrrnth. =^=

Kesh was quite tempted to start firing off theories, particularly in regard to how there was little sign of hydrocarbon utilization, but that was Science’s role and keeping theory-making to a minimum is usually best. Particularly when currently on-duty maintaining the ship. Still, ideas continue to bubble about as her bright golden eyes watch the slow trickle of new sensor data for anything note-worthy. That golden brown tuft on the end of her tail may well brush against someone’s leg walking behind her thanks to the fascination distraction.

->Kesh, Engineering

Marius

Tom, standing in his nook, listened to the goings on around the bridge before saying anything.

“Science, I want detailed scans of the system. If you wish, use four covert recon probes, in a pyramid formation, centered on what seems to be the main focus of our reason for investigating.”

OOC: As there was no one who answered …

IC: The Science NE prepared and launched the probes.

“Sir,” the NE reported, “there are several satellites orbiting the planet. Should I guide them to avoid them?”

GM

Tom wondered why the question had to be asked.

“The probes should be advanced enough that they could be stationed well outside the orbits of the satellites even if you don’t use covert probes.”

“Aye sir,” replied the NE.

Tom shifted his gaze to Tactical.

“Tactical, as the data comes in I want a threat evaluation, tactical analysis, and an overlay updating in real time.”

Lastly he spoke to Helm.

“Helm, once in system drop us to impulse and maintain navigation deflectors at minimum necessary power then hide us in the polar magnetic field over the uninhabitable planet nearest the the main world.”

Maybe Tom was being over cautious, but it had become ingrained in his nature due to what he was.

“We don’t need to be tipping our hand till we are ready to do so.” he said to no-one in particular.

  • Tom, IntSec (edited)

Reia had been watching all the sensor data on her console and trying to pay attention to the IntSec officer. Finally she stopped what she was doing and looked at him directly as he gave his last few commands. Satisfied, she nodded and looked back down. She could never remember who the hell this man was but she probably would have done about the same thing.

  • Reia, CIO

One fuzzy ear twisted toward Tom as he spoke while three-fingered hands tapped away at the ship power systems display. Engine power dropped down to the minimum to maintain current velocity, while all secondary systems were set to only utilize necessary levels. Thus, long-range sensors had full capacity, freeing Science to perform all requested tasks. Left-over power was flagged for use by Tactical as needed, with priority for deflector systems so they could be spooled up prior to dropping out of warp, ensuring a smooth transition to having full warp engine power available.

Ensign Kesh kept her focus on power levels for the moment, to ensure any fine tuning would be done immediately, letting the scan data flow past into someone else’s gaze for now.

Whew. Busy first day. Celebratory self-care will be well deserved this evening.

-> Kesh, Engineering

=^= Very interesting. Is there anything in orbit such as a platform or station that might suggest experimentation? =^= came the reply after a time.
- Dagen

The probes were effective in getting more information:

The satellites were more communications satellites, although there was a satellite that resembled the old Hubble telescope of centuries past. That would the only piece of equipment which could detect the Genesis. However, it was on the other side of the planet and according to calculations, it revolved round the planet every 45 rotations of the planet. The rotation of the planet was slower than that of Earth, at about 30 standard Earth hours. It was revolving round a K class star about 1.2 au from its corona. It took their equivalent of 700 days to revolve round their star. The planet had tilt of about 5 degrees, resulting in almost no polar ice masses. There were three continents, one large one in the top hemisphere and two in the bottom hemisphere. The settlement of their more advanced life forms were concentrated on the ‘temperate’ regions. The equatorial lands were densely vegetated but did not show any evidence of settlements of advanced life forms. However, there were many plants and animals detected in those regions.

Tactically, the weapons found in the planet were not a threat to the Genesis. They were still using projectile weapons and explosives. There was a region in the smallest continent (about a tenth) that had evidence of a nuclear attack, resulting in the region being irradiated. Among the three continents, the most powerful was the middle sized continent. The smallest continent was next in weaponry and the weakest was the northern continent. The three continents were separated by oceans and seas. The most destructive weapon that was currently present was a bomb very similar to the hydrogen bomb in 20th century Earth. This was held by the middle sized continent. The most advanced weapon they had were large cumbersome lasers that were able to penetrate 10 centimetre armoured steel plates in one minute. This was held by the smallest continent but whilst destructive, the time it took to power up the weapons between discharges made them not as practical in battle.

With regard to activity, the biggest continent seemed to be the most productive. It was not as mineral rich as the more powerful continents but they seemed to be very much into food production and they used sustainable energy sources more than the other two continents. Population wise, they were three times as numerous as the middle sized continent. However, the other continents were mining their minerals and at their present rate, would deplete their resources within the next 20 standard Earth years.

From initial scans of their communications, it was not possible to decipher their language. However, the computers were able to distinguish three different languages used by the three continents. The computer needed time to decipher their languages before being able to tune the universal translators to make communications understandable.

GM

Tom waited for the various stations to report their findings.

  • Tom, IntSec

While there was enough xenoanthropological data present here to keep a team of scientists busy for years, all the sensor data that Ensign Kesh did get a look at did not much pertain to engineering. Nuclear weaponry radiation is well understood, the orbital satellite would be easily avoided by navigation, and the rest was all stuff for Sciences to disseminate. Just as well, really, as both of her heart valves were thumping quite loudly along her spine, so a lul in her duties is welcome.

A bit of power systems routing back and forth between Sciences and Navigation to account any needed course corrections, and otherwise she stands quietly at her station, chewing on all of the thoughts she was sure to feast on after her shift was over.

-> Kesh, Engineering

Tired of waiting…

“Stations report.” Tom ordered.

  • Tom, IntSec

“As ship systems normal, rrrrnth, sir.” Short pang of self-consciousness for her vocal tick, but no one has shown any reaction to it so far.

-> Kesh, Engineering

=^= Kesh, scan about for any shipyards or, what did they call them. Launch pads for rockets. We see satellites and a telescope but no station? They’re building the big engine, or at least experimenting, but they’re not going to put them on a ground car. Which may imply they are looking at this as an energy form or even weapon rather than space flight. See if you can pick up any passive comms from those satellites - news, information, that sort of thing. =^=
- Dagen

According to the visuals of the satellites, the satellites had different logos. All communications were encrypted but the Genesis was able to decrypt the comms as the encryption was rather primitive.

GM

Reia had been watching the main sensor feeds and took special notation of all the satellite logos in case they became useful to intel later.

  • Reia

As the data was being analysed by the computer, the political situation was complex. There were three different continents with different governments. The different logos were that of different organisations from the different continents. Due to the political complications, the advancement of scientific knowledge was slow.

GM

As to be expected of the technological level of this civilization, lacking the quantum computational abilities of modern computer cores, the encryption had been deciphered and deconstructed in a matter of minutes starting when the signals had first been detected. By now the computer was already cataloguing the hundreds of channels of video and audio. Attempting to delve into such things was not exactly one of Kesh’s major skillsets, but she’d done it enough to have a moderate idea of what to look for. New stories, government communication channels, anachronistic keywords used in conjunction with terms referring to rocketry, power production, and similar concepts. With so little data collected so far, the offerings were small, and after a scan through them by the felinoid’s gaze, also rather disappointing.

=^=Mmmnnn=^=, she utters to keep the channel with Dagen from closing, =^=I am seeing potential for both, though we will either need an extended period of monitoring or some form of direct data-storage scan to be certain. Rrrrnth. I will keep monitoring it, however. Mmmmnrf. These people like to mention a word pertaining to consuming dirty water a lot.=^= Not exactly pertinent information, but it does stand out.

-> Kesh, Engineering

=^= Data mining is not our forte, true, unless it relates to engineering. Try to filter it out to seek key words .. relating to their energy and space programs. See if there is a kind of world net that you can tap into to search. =^= There was a pause. =^= Lt Shandy is on the bridge. This is her bread and butter and she eats this stuff up. Work with her on this. =^=
- Dagen, CE

Tom’s voice came from behind her right shoulder, she hadn’t heard him move.

“Ensign Kesh, I hear a lot of mumbling coming from over here. Anything to report?” Tom asked.

  • Tom, IntSec

A couple bobs of Kesh’s head stall when the felinoid realizes that gestures are not expressed over the comms, prompting her to state, simply, “Aye, sir. Rrrnth.” The computer should then close the channel based on this dialogue, unless the chief engineer had more to say, particularly due to the likelihood of a separate conversation about to start with Tom approaching the engineering station.

A few tufts of golden fur visibly lift in a moment of jolted surprise when Tom’s voice comes from closer than expected, while Kesh’s head turns quickly, irises widened for a split second. All is back to a calm state less than a second later as she draws a quick breath to cool herself and make a reply.

“Ah, uhrrr… nothing conclusive yet, sir. Rrrrnnnth. There appears to be a large power signature on the surface that could.. ah… be some manner of experimental engine or power generator. Currently gathering infomation from the civilization’s broadcasts to try to determine its purpose. Mmmnrrr. Nothing suggests it is a weapon of any manner that is a threat to us.” A quick addition to address the security officer’s likely concerns. A long, firm blink of those rather large, shimmering gold cat eyes conveys additional pleasantness, while she also takes a moment to straighten her posture and fold her arms in a calm, respectful posture.

Once Tom was satisfied, she’d address Lt Shandy, for sure.

-> Kesh, Engineering.

The probes detected two satellites that seemed to be very much more advanced than what the planet was capable of. Each was only half the average size of the other satellites. Each was in orbit behind one of the large satellites, so that the planet would not detect them. Suddenly, both the probes and the Genesis’s sensors detected a subspace communication that lasted about 4 seconds. Then the comms was cut.

GM

Tom’s back slightly hunched as his shoulders moved slightly higher and more forward for normal. He gave her a moderately long half blink hoping to convey that even though he was displeased at having to have approached her directly after an order to report, he approved of what she was doing. The postures were momentary.

“Get Lieutenant Shandy’s assistance if you need to refine scanning their communications transmissions and keep her informed of what you find in regard to them.”

Tom moved silently over to Reia.

“Lieutenant, do we have anything on military or governmental channels yet?”

It was obvious to anyone with intelligence or covert ops training that Tom was approaching this with an infiltrator mindset.

  • Tom, IntSec

Reia wasn’t startled by Tom’s approach, the raised eyebrow was because of what she had just noticed on the sensors.

“Actually I was just in the process of gathering that information when I noticed this Commander.”

Reia replayed the five seconds of sensor data for Tom.

“I don’t know how you would interpret that sir but, to me, those small satellites, behind the larger ones, seem to be of such different technology that I think this place is already being observed. That four second subspace comms burst was a report.”

  • Reia, CIO

The Genesis was observing for 6 hours so far before the subspace signal was detected. All sensor information did not show any technology that would utilise subspace signals on the planet. However, a scan of the smaller satellites behind the large satellites showed that the technology for energy was far superior than that of the people on the planet below. The power source was similar (but not the same) to the power sources that power the weapons that the Klingons used.

GM

“Aye, sir. Rrrnth.”

Seems everyone wants Kesh to work with Lieutenant Reia Shandy. Very well. She seems friendly, if first impressions are to be believed. Kesh did not particularly prescribe to that sort of thing, but she knew to listen closely when someone unfamiliar presents themselves for the first time. Like herself to everyone else.

No. Nope. Not going to ponder how badly she managed to screw that one up. Anyone with any familiarity with Starfleet service would know that the first time at bridge duty was stressful and would be giving her some slack. Except maybe those that knew this was very far from her first time on a bridge, just the first time in over a decade. Ugh.

Rather than embrace anxiety stress, Kesh took a moment to twist her neck side to side, pressing the coarse pads of two digits into a pressure spot along the underside of her jaw, and massaged it for a moment while blurredily staring at the console she had returned attention to. Time to be selective about what items to focus on before presenting them to the lieutenant. A few taps later the top PADD in the nearest storage drawer was activated and selected at storage medium, then a few flicks of major news outlets, secure government channels, and a few miscellaneous that appears to contain some noteworthy keywords.

By the time Tom was done speaking with Reia she’d have a reasonable collection of sources to work with. Kesh just hoped she didn’t miss an obvious one. She definitely did not notice the matter of the satellites yet.

-> Kesh, Engineering.

Tom was back at Kesh’s shoulder.

“I need you to look at something. Those two satellites behind the bigger ones here and here.” he said pointing them out on a tactical display, “See what you can find out about them. They seem to be tech from a different species.”

  • Tom, IntSec

The face of Tom Paris came to Kesh’s mind just then, with that insufferable smirk prior to commending something about opening her big mouth. Something from one of the holonovels that infamous pilot created in the wake of the USS Voyager‘s return from its historic visit to the Delta Quadrant. Perhaps it was the fact that the names were the same, or maybe just because she had affirmed herself that her bridge shift was going to be calm and quiet and she had no reason to be stressed.

Yeah, way to open your big mouth, genius.

A slight rattle of the felinoid’s head is the only hint of this thought process when the Tom of this ship comes up behind and gives her even more to focus on. A quick tap pauses her current task on the console in order to turn back to Tom and listen, fuzzy ears lifted high and large eyes wide. His gesture to the tactical display prompts a stride to get closer and see the satelittes in question, head tilting slightly at the sight. “Are those Klingon?” Another step and a reach to tap at the tactical panel, enlarging the power signature. “....mnnn, no. Rrrnth. But that is quite a bit beyond the technological capacity of this planet. Rrrrn. See the even curves of the power signature? It could be modified, or of an older design.”

Ah, a nice slice of that ‘I know what I’m doing’ pie, tingling in Kesh’s stomach, giving her a boost of confidence.

A couple steps take her back to her console, flicking the matter of the communication channels aside to bring up a detailed scan of the strange satelites.

“Computer, run a database search for this power signal. Include all known and theorized Klingon power systems. Rrrrnth.”

->Kesh, Engineering

Reia had one ear on the bridge as she was paying attention to her own console. Part of her job, by nature, was eave’s dropping. It helped when she heard her husband’s voice a few hours ago said this was her bread and butter. Since then, she had been keeping an ear on Kesh without disturbing the Ensign at her post. Bridge shifts could be notoriously nerve wracking but, now, it was time to step in. Smiling and using gestures that a Caitian would find friendly and comforting she aproached.

“Ensign. Can I get that comms data from you now? I’d like to look over some of those key words and I’m really interested in those satellites. You seem to have your paws quite full. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” she said calmly.

  • Reia, CIO

YeeEEeeEEEgh!

There’s Tom Eugene Paris’ smug grin again, growing larger as his arm fold in an ‘I told you so’ manner. Dammit Tom! Uh.... other Tom. Not the Tom that’s going to write a performance report to her CO at the end of her shift.

Kesh’s eyes squint shut tightly for a second, blink back open, then hold as she draws a deep breath and lets it slide out slowly. Time to calm down. Slow down. This wasn’t life-or-death. Yet.

“Aye, ma’am. One-.. ah…” Once more the console display rotates, with the comm channels data screen gliding ontop of the power signal analysis screen, letting her toss the first two additional items that looked even slightly relivant onto the awaiting PADD, before closing the file listing and undocking it. One swift sway toward the drawer lets her tug the storage device out and turn turn to present it to Reia, meeting her face-to-face at last, “.. moment, there we are. Rrrnth. Those seem to be the most likely source of…” stop talking so fast!.. slow down.”… ah… source of data relivant to the power sources on the planet. I made note of the… the most likely keywords.”

The three-fingered, fuzzy hand that delivered the PADD waggles one digit at it after Reia takes it, as if that helps at all, before then turning eyes back to her console to fling that project into storage and check on the computer’s progress with power signature analysis.

->Kesh, Engineering


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