Posted by Lieutenant Hal “Hannibal” Brown (Chief Of Security) in Main Sim - Alstair Prime - Landing Party Arrival

Posted by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) in Main Sim - Alstair Prime - Landing Party Arrival

[snip]

=/\= If this is one of our returning sleeper ships their fuel supplies would be near or past exhaustion by now. They may not have the means to maneuver safely into the system through our cometary belt. Docking with the ship to maneuver by hard dock would be risky but our only option. I was hoping you with your superior technologies might offer a safer alternative. =/\= Falee said. =/\= If not Captain Glen I understand. =/\=

=/\= That’s correct! We have something that we call a Tractor Beam that could tow the ship if it was unable to manoeuvre itself safely through the cometary belt, but if it is not one of your returning sleeper ships, then what else might it be? =/\=

=/\= Nothing else to my knowledge Captain Glen? =/\= Falee replied.

That pit in Glen’s stomach was still warning him that something was off here, and yet he had no real reason to turn down this request. As Kord said, this was the ideal opportunity to show how many different species work together on Federation star ships, but as Inola implied, the timing was a huge coincidence, and coincidences were rarely accidents. Glen was clearly going to get no more answers from Falee.

=/\= In that case, I’ll instruct my ship to assist your transport ship =/\= Glen told Falee.

Glen immediately flipped open his communicator again and contacted William. =/\= Glen to Merrimack. Come in, please. =/\=

Tia stepped up to the XO and kept her voice low as she put her back to their hosts for a moment of privacy. “We have been offered a tour. Perhaps if I can get someone to show me the specs for their sleeper ships, with the idea being it is easier to help if we know what we are dealing with, then I can help find out if what is coming really is one of their ships. Giving the specs to the Merrimack will allow her to tell at the soonest possible moment if the ship coming is theirs or not.” She didn’t like ‘cripple’ ships coming up on her Merry. As Chief Engineer, the request wasn’t out of the realm of believable and would certainly gain them an advantage either way.

Kord nodded.

“Remain cautiously diplomatic. We don’t want to start an incident over well intentioned curiosity being mistaken for intelligence gathering.” Kord said quietly.

The Captain continued to get more static. Maybe that ship didn’t have a damaged Comms system, maybe this sector just had bad Comms. He tried his communicator again.

=/\= Glen to Merrimack. Come in, please. Captain Glen here! =/\=

=^=Merrimack here=^= William responded.

Glen turned off the UT.

=/\= I’ve reluctantly agreed for you to help one of their maintenance vessels to rescue this ship. The Alstaireans can’t actually confirm that it is a returning sleeper ship, but if it is then it will shortly be out of fuel and so unable to manoeuvre into an orbit. Tia thinks that she might be able to match engine configurations and confirm better if you would like her to come up and help you.... Listen, my gut gives me a strong feeling that something is wrong here, so be careful, don’t take any chances. We’ve learnt next to nothing about these Alstaireans so far - nothing about their culture, their values, their enemies! So be prepared for something unexpected like a ship that’s disguised, or another cloaked ship following. Defend yourself if necessary, but don’t do anything that could be construed as instigating a conflict. I sure hope that I’m overacting here but send a shuttlecraft down for us anyway with a good pilot. I don’t want to be left stranded here while the Merrimack is off on some fool’s errand. Do you have any questions? =/\=

The reply from the Bridge was =^=No sir, I’ll get underway immediately. Merrimack out=^=

Glen turned to Hal, “There is a shuttle coming down from the Merrimack for us. Please liaison where it should set down.”

Glen, spoke to Saark, “Maybe you can tell the Alstaireans more about our policy of non-interference since it was originally a series of Vulcan protocols.”

Glen switched the UT back on and turned back to Falee, “The Merrimack is preparing to leave orbit to assist your second ship. If you have a transport vessel going too, you can tell them that they can arrange the rescue directly with the Merrimack. I’m bringing one of our own transport vessels down here for us. If you could let us know a suitable place to put down.”

-Glen, CO

“Yes, Sir,” Hal said.

“I’m still rather interested in the fact that these people are primarily dominated by women. I know that i shouldn’t have been surprised to eventually see a planet where the women rule. But I want to see how their cultural history had committed this hegemony.”

CoS

Tia paused a moment and took Kord’s advice to heart. Honesty usually was the best policy so she decided to be blunt. She stepped up to stand beside Kord and smiled to their hosts. “I am the Chief Engineer of the Merrimack and I would love schematics for the ship you believe is arriving. On one hand, if it isn’t the ship that is arriving, we will know much sooner and be able to deal with it. On the other hand, if it is the ship that’s arriving, I will know the best way we can assist bringing her home safe and sound.” It was a long shot, being this blunt, but it was the quickest way. And she hoped, in giving her position, they would forgive her bluntness as she wasn’t a Command Officer or knowledgeable diplomat.

Tia
CE