Posted by Lieutenant Miriam Cross (Chief Medical Officer) in Main Sim - Bridge - Unknown System Arrival!

Posted by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) in Main Sim - Bridge - Unknown System Arrival!
[snip]

=/\= Sadly the measure you use for contacting other races being able to go faster than light speeds is beyond us. While it is true many other species to this region have shown such ability and we have studied the matter in depth to decide if we wanted to put the resources into making it happen ourselves, the end result of our people’s mass vote is that we did not wish to do so at this time. Of course we have faced some races who see our lives here as too peaceful, and that we might have resources or supplies, or even or own selves to be used as slaves. While our habitat is only lightly defended from passing stellar fragments, I should politely warn and inform you Captain that one of our main defensives is a destructive broadcast signal to a hidden series of large scale explosives in the system. If activated it would destroy utterly anything within the system within seconds. This information and in some cases when needed, threat, has served us well in keeping us safe from those who would cause us harm. I suspect however, this threat will not be needed in your case as you seem so far a friendly enough people..=/\= He said while adjusting his shiny tinfoil like pointy hat on his head.

=/\= No that won’t be necessary. We come in peace and in the spirit of peaceful co-operation. I’m glad that you are able to defend yourselves. Without peace and security there can be no development or scientific advancement. Also, I did say that I had some leeway over the application of the non-interference rule, and it isn’t as strict as a simple test of being able to travel faster than light speed. I could decide that your subspace communication technology had reached a comparable level, or that you were on the verge of faster -than-light travel, or that you were simply a highly advanced civilisation that hadn’t ventured into space yet. =/\=

=/\= As we approached your system we detected a small decaying nebula about 900kms across from end to end, and barely 300km high from top to bottom, and which we calculated that if it continued at its current rate of decay, it would fully dissipate within the next 17 years or so. It looked like it was the remnant of some huge explosion. What can you tell us about that? =/\=

William cocked his head in confusion at the look Cross gave him and the other senior staff. He put aside a portion of his brainpower to form the arguments in favor of proper first contact, still focusing primarily on his work.

On hearing what was said it was Cross herself who approached William and whispered ‘’Do you trust them or is this some kind of trap?’‘. The doctor thought maybe she was being paranoid and overly suspicious .

There had been a time when she would have describe herself as carefree and optimistic but a set of circumstances had changed all that.

William blinked at her question, spinning around in his chair to face her “Neither” He said back in a whisper “This is barely first contact but there doesn’t seem to be anything indicating a trap” He said with a frown “They are very interesting from an anthropological viewpoint, voting against FTL is practically unheard of for the natural evolution of a species”

’‘ They seem to want the Federation advance technology especially the warp -drive ‘’ Cross whispered back ‘’ Did you hear him saying about their main defensive system a hidden series of large scale explosives in the system and If activated it would destroy utterly anything within the system in seconds,they are not so back forward as they want us to believe ,we may not even have the option of just leaving ‘’ at this point Cross pretended to assist William in what ever he was doing so as not to raise any suspicion ‘’What if the pod was send to lure any ship here?’‘.

At that very thought the doctor could feel her heart pounding in her chest ,

Joe caught some of the conversation that Cross was having with the science officer, and he smiled. “And sometimes Doctor a fellow is betting like he has aces when all he has is twos. ” He chuckled then as he silently nodded toward the captain. “Leave the rest to the Cap, he’s talking a pretty good game. I think he can pull us out of whatever we might get into .”

Cross replied back ‘’Maybe you can help the Captain about the various options to consider and if plan A fails ,he would have plane B to fall on too’‘’ Cross was know as someone who rarely minced her words ‘’Cmdr I’m sure you know what one of the perks of being in your rank is....so how about giving him your own view points and opinions ?’‘ the doctor looked at Glen ,after all she knew him well and he could very well be missing his previous first officer having been on the bridge with him for so long.

William had meant to speak up but the Commander’s interruption quieted him. He looked back at the viewscreen and followed the conversation, was this really Miriam? He remembered her as a more hopeful person, not so paranoid and worried. He frowned at his own thoughts, dismissing them for now.

As Glen waited for the intermittent replies from Dol, he could hear the incessant chatter behind him on the Bridge, but concentrating on how he might reply to Dol, so that he could gain sufficient knowledge of their technological level, while not giving away any indication of their own, meant that he didn’t follow what was being said. For the first time since he had left the ship, Glen wondered what Kord might have said. Probably very little, Glen thought. Glen felt that Dol would naturally ‘big up’ their technological level to him, but there was no indication of that being the case. In fact, he thought that Dol was being incredibly honest when he described the function of the ‘seed pod’ ship. He still saw it a Cuckoo fledging rather than an angling lure. To be honest, he believed that by picking up the stasis capsule, the Merrimack now had an obligation to fulfil. Glen didn’t think they could morally hand the child back and then run away home. That just wasn’t a viable option. They had instead, set in motion a course of action that they were required to see through to its conclusion. These people could make very good allies in a region of space where the Federation currently had no friends. His first priority must be not to create any more enemies.

Cross could imagine Kord always behind the Captain’s chair ,never sitting down even when he was in charge of the ship.There was a time when she herself would go next to Glen without thinking twice but that now seemed it was in another life time..........Cross had changed.

=/\= Hmm, an old nebular? One moment let me check with one of our stellar scientists, she would likely, know more then I..=/\= He said turning to walk off screen. That said more tinfoil like hat crew behind where Dol had sat in a chair were still busy working away at little consoles of lights, buttons, and small levers. Again showing the level of quite primitive technology that Dol’s people had at hand in general use.

Glen decided that this technology looked very primitive. He would ask for the thoughts of Joe and William on this once the Com call had ended, but he was sure they would agree. This was a civilisation that was punching way above its weight class, and he could see now that it wouldn’t be a candidate to join the Federation.

After a moment Dol returned, with a female of his species. This one was about the same height as Dol, but was a bit slimmer. Her dress was also more like a tight fitting robe, topped with the common place tin foil like hats. =/\= Hello. I am Stellar Scientist Chief Sal. Habitat Master Dol here informed me you had a question about a nearby old nebular? =/\= she inquired for confirmation.

=/\= Yes, Chief Sal, that’s correct. I was enquiring about that nebular as it appeared to be recent to us, dissipating with in the next 17 years or so.”

She nodded a bit flipping a large paper bound book up for reference, =/\= Ah hmm....let me see here. Ah! We call that ‘Old Gassy’. It’s a common term used too by many other races we met in this region. From what we have been told, given in scans, and our own observations, since it was first recorded over 600 some local years ago here. There is no record of it having exploded in that time, so if an explosion did cause it, it happened long before we became aware of it or anyone else who gave us information on it. Though you are right it has degraded ever since we first came to know of it. I would hazard your calculations are correct on its time frame until it vanishes. Sad really, something so old and wondrous to be forever gone from sight! =/\= She sighed wistfully. =/\= But it is what it is I guess. One can not control the fabric of nature or the cosmos. Anyhow I hope that somewhat answered your question? =/\= She finished up with inquiring.

Glen was convinced that Sal wasn’t telling the truth, but he’d need William to make more detailed scans to be sure. It was the first time he had got this impression from Sal or Dol, and that was strange. Why lie about something as inconsequential as a fading nebula, unless it was evidence of something else they wanted to hide? thought Glen. Was it an inter-planetary war? Glen wouldn’t call her out. Best to keep up the pretence that everything was going swell.

=Yes, that potted history of ‘old gassy’ helps enormously. Thank you. =/\=

Glen found that he really didn’t have very much more to say. Dol was going to ask him what would happen next, and Glen really hadn’t given thought to that. He had never considered the idea that they wouldn’t be capable of Warp speed travel, given that they already had stasis technology. He needed an update on the investigations into the child and the silver spheres before making any decisions, but he needed some way of stalling for more time. The other concern was this threat of a destructive broadcast signal being made to a hidden series of large scale explosive space-based dumps. If this discussion didn’t go well, they might have to deal with those, and that nebula might be the remains of the last ship that visited. He really needed some reason to postpone the conversation, but he was all out of ideas.

“William,” Glen asked, “Please launch a probe to get some more detailed scans of the nebula and see if it tallies with what their scientist said about it being 600 years old. For some reason, I don’t trust what she said, but I want to be sure. I also think we should take a small landing party to meet them at the habitat in person. I’m starting to doubt that they are candidates to join the Federation just yet, but if they have had a technological society spanning nearly 600 years, then General Order Number One still allows us to make contact with them and to share cultural values. Would anyone disagree with my analysis? I’m keen to know!”

-Glen, CO

With hands behind her back Cross took a few steps forward ‘’Aye Captain I agree but could we decide here and now how much of our technology should we give away,if they do ask?’‘ .

Cross Dr.

William quickly prepared a probe and launched it then turned around “None” He said to Cross’s question “We can assist them with their own technology but giving away our own technology is not something I could recommend” He crossed his legs “A cultural exchange, however, seems plausible. Whilst they are not a warp travelling species they are in contact with several other alien races which means cultural contamination is unlikely.” He continued “For the plausibility of their having seen the nebula six hundred years ago I’d need access to historical records, observing a nebula isn’t hard with the right technology, humans discovered their first nebula in the mid-eighteenth century”

CSO