Posted by Lieutenant Hegush Falz (Chief Operations Officer) in Main Sim: Ark Angel Bridge

Posted by Lieutenant Izak Waryn (Chief Engineer) in Main Sim: Ark Angel Bridge

Posted by Gamemaster WHITE TIGER (Gamemaster Trainee) in Main Sim: Ark Angel Bridge
Posted by… suppressed (16) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Lieutenant Commander Soral T’Varan stood at the science station, the familiar cadence of sensor analysis returning with remarkable ease despite the passage of time since he had last occupied the position on a regular basis.

With Captain T’Nara, Commander Kelley, Lieutenant Commander Ezeami, and Ensign Gibbs aboard the listening post, operational command of the Ark Angel rested with Lieutenant Commander Jax Storm at the conn. Soral required no reminder of the chain of command; his responsibility was to provide the acting commanding officer with the clearest scientific picture possible.

His fingers moved methodically across the LCARS interface, refining sensor resolution and comparing the latest telemetry from the listening post with the ship’s own passive scans.

“Sensor telemetry from the away team remains stable,” he reported calmly. “All four commbadges are transmitting normally. Biosigns indicate no physiological abnormalities.”

A series of spectral analyses appeared across his display. He examined them for several moments before making another adjustment.

“I am filtering residual subspace interference surrounding the installation. The refinement has increased sensor resolution by approximately five percent. Should the listening post emit any anomalous energy signatures, detection time will be correspondingly reduced.”

The work felt familiar.

Although his duties had long since shifted from science to diplomacy, scientific methodology remained ingrained. Data was collected, verified, and interpreted without assumption—an approach equally valuable in first contact as it was in astrophysics.

Another stream of telemetry arrived from the listening post.

“No changes to environmental conditions,” Soral continued. “Structural integrity readings remain constant. Communications latency is negligible.”

He turned slightly toward Lieutenant Commander Storm.

“Commander, I will continue monitoring both the away team’s telemetry and the installation. Should any deviation from expected parameters occur, you will be informed immediately.”

Without another word, Soral returned his full attention to the sensor displays. The bridge remained quiet, each officer focused upon their duties while the Ark Angel stood watch over those exploring the mysterious listening post. The silence was not uncomfortable; it was simply the calm that preceded discovery.

Lt Cmdr Soral T’Varan
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Ark Angel

Izak had the comms open with the bridge and was glad Lieutenant Commander T’Varan was handling the other sensor duties so well. It freed him up to focus on the temporal aspect of the anomaly.

The Chief Engineer knew that… if it was really the Pathfinder and there were people still alive… that would be the mission priority. He wouldn’t even argue otherwise. There would always be another anomaly to study. There wouldn’t always be another chance to save a crew.

Other than his personal fascination with temporal mechanics, Izak had learned one thing about chronal distortions: every time scientists thought they understood them, another exception came along and rewrote the rulebook. They were notoriously erratic. The Brekkian smiled as he recalled one particular lesson back at the Academy. I remember old Commander Grabe joking that temporal mechanics wasn’t a science so much as a collection of exceptions pretending to be one.

As long as the Pathfinder was in or around the temporal disruption, the crew of the Ark Angel had to contend with a daunting number of unknowns. Every unknown they eliminated now was one less surprise waiting for the crew when they entered the anomaly.

Lt Izak Waryn - Chief Engineer - U.S.S. Ark Angel

“How are the readings from the area around the Pathfinder, Commander?” Cross asked as his thoughts dwelt on the Pathfinder crew as he hoped they could be in time.

Lieutenant Alex Cross
Chief Counselor
U.S.S. Ark Angel

Lieutenant Commander Soral T’Varan remained focused on the science console as the sensor data continued to update in real time.

“The available readings remain inconclusive, Commander.”

He adjusted the sensor filters, narrowing them to focus on the temporal distortion surrounding the Pathfinder.

“The anomaly continues to interfere with long-range sensor resolution. While we have confirmed the presence of intermittent energy emissions originating from within the distortion, we are unable to determine their precise source or significance.”

A brief pause followed as another scan completed.

“I am continuing to refine the sensor algorithms in an effort to improve penetration of the temporal field. Should additional information become available, I will report it immediately.”

Cross nodded, “Understood.” He said as his brow creased as he cautioned himself to be patient. Star-Fleet sensors were good but they were not omnipotent.

Lieutenant Alex Cross
Chief Counselor
U.S.S. Ark Angel

Without further comment, Soral returned his attention to the science display, methodically monitoring the anomaly as fresh telemetry streamed across his console.

Lt Cmdr Soral T’Varan
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Ark Angel

“That’s what’s bothering me, Commander T’Varan.” The Chief Engineer chimed in through the open comms channel from Main Engineering. “The surge is expected to let our sensors penetrate deeply into the anomaly. Almost any Starfleet captain would jump at the chance to study the inside of a temporal distortion. I can’t help but wonder if that’s how the Pathfinder got trapped in the first place… and if we’re about to make the same mistake they did.”

Izak knew there could be a lot of people still alive aboard the Pathfinder, and it was the Ark Angel’s mission to rescue them if they could. He also knew that the Captain would have to weigh that against the hundreds of lives aboard the Ark Angel that could be ripped from the timestream if something went wrong. Risk came with serving aboard an exploration ship. In truth, it came with serving in Starfleet at all. I suppose working the sensors and interfacing with the bridge like this makes it feel a bit more real this time.

“There are dozens of studies on chroniton manipulation that might give us some insight.” The Chief Engineer’s jaw clenched, annoyed that so much of the information about temporal devices was restricted. He felt like he was fighting with one hand tied behind his back. “I believe there are also mission reports from several starships that constructed rudimentary chroniton devices. I’ll review them and see if any of the findings apply to our situation.”

Lt Izak Waryn - Chief Engineer - U.S.S. Ark Angel

Soral activated the intership communications channel.

“Your assessment is noted, Lieutenant Waryn.”

His eyes remained on the scrolling telemetry.

“Until we better understand the behavior of the anomaly, caution is warranted. I will continue refining the sensor analysis and compare any new readings against the data already received from Listening Post Forty-Seven.”

He entered another sequence of commands, altering the sensor parameters to gather as much information as possible without changing the Ark Angel’s position.

“If the predicted surge produces additional data, we will be in a better position to evaluate the situation. Until then, I recommend continued observation.”

He closed the channel and resumed monitoring the science station, allowing the sensors—and the anomaly itself—to reveal what they would in due course.

Lt Cmdr Soral T’Varan
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Ark Angel

Storm looked up from what he was monitoring on the helm ” lieutenant let me know if i need to make any adjustments to the ships position to help with the scans”

LT Commander Jax Storm
Chief Helmsman/ops
U.S.S Ark Angel

OOC: You’re sopposed to have the conn Jax :-)

Lt Cmdr Soral T’Varan
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Ark Angel

The familiar, comforting hum of the USS Ark Angel’s bridge was abruptly violated by a profound and unsettling shift in the ambient atmospheric pressure, accompanied by a sickening drop in temperature that seemed to seep directly from the tritanium bulkheads.

As the temporal distortion enveloping the trapped USS Pathfinder began to writhe and violently fluctuate, the primary tactical and operations consoles did not simply chime with an incoming alert; instead, they emitted a series of guttural, low-frequency groans that resonated deep within the chest cavities of the bridge crew.

The main viewscreen flickered wildly as the visual telemetry was overwhelmed by a cascading wave of localized subspace interference, painting the bridge in erratic, sickly hues of violet and bruised crimson before a severely degraded, heavily modulated audio signal forcefully hijacked the Ark Angel’s standard hailing frequencies.

When the fragmented voice finally managed to claw its way out of the chaotic void, it carried a horrifyingly unnatural acoustic signature, layered with countless microscopic echoes of itself speaking milliseconds before and after the actual words were formed.

The transmission was laced with the agonizing sound of groaning metal and wet, tearing static, yet the deeply strained, hyperventilating cadence of a Starfleet officer desperately clinging to her sanity managed to pierce the nightmare.

“This is Capt… [a sickening sound of buckling tritanium and a muffled scream] …Amelia Hayes of the Federation… [high-pitched, bone-rattling temporal whine] …Starship Pathfinder. Please… [a heavy, gurgling breath] …Identify yourself immediately… they are in the bulkheads…”

The spectral broadcast did not merely end; it decayed into a loop of agonizing, breathy weeping that slowly dissolved back into the wash of background cosmic radiation, leaving a suffocating shroud of dread draped heavily over the silent bridge.

The telemetry scrolling across the primary science and operations consoles continuously re-wrote itself in contradictory, nonsensical algorithmic loops as the chroniton interference washed over the ship’s sensors. With the transmission lost in the shifting temporal eddies and the anomaly growing increasingly unstable, the Ark Angel was left with a chilling confirmation of survivors, requiring immediate, coordinated action from the crew to re-establish the fragile connection before the Pathfinder was swallowed entirely.

WHITE TIGER
GM • USS ARKANGEL
NCC-98729
“Where Legends Begin”

The bridge fell into a tense silence as the transmission disappeared into static.

Lieutenant Commander Soral T’Varan remained outwardly composed, though his hands moved with deliberate efficiency across the science console.

“Commander,” he reported calmly, “I am preserving the sensor telemetry associated with the transmission for subsequent analysis.”

He entered another series of commands, adjusting the sensor filters to compensate for the chroniton interference surrounding the anomaly.

“I am attempting to isolate the transmission’s carrier frequency and identify any recurring temporal characteristics that may permit further communication.”

His attention never left the scrolling displays.

“The presence of multiple temporal echoes complicates analysis. At present, I cannot determine whether they originate from the anomaly itself or from the signal’s passage through it.”

Soral paused only long enough to review the latest incoming data before continuing his work.

“We have confirmation that the transmission originated from Captain Hayes of the USS Pathfinder. Beyond that, I cannot yet draw additional conclusions.”

He continued refining the sensor parameters, searching for a clearer picture while awaiting the next opportunity to gather additional data.

Lt Cmdr Soral T’Varan
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Ark Angel

“understood commander” storm said ” i suggest we proceed with caution until we can prove that this was a legitimate starfleet message”

LT Commander Jax Storm
Chief Helmsman/ops
U.S.S Ark Angel

The whole transmission was oddly terrifying. And I only got the audio portion of it down here in Engineering. Whatever was going on inside the anomaly, it certainly didn’t sound good.

“We just talked to Captain Hayes… or somebody… but I don’t recall seeing any biological readings on the Pathfinder,” Izak said over the comms channel between the Bridge and Main Engineering.

With contact made, the situation felt much more urgent. If transmissions can escape the anomaly, they can probably penetrate into it as well. That would allow the crew of the Ark Angel to establish reliable comms with the Pathfinder and start getting to the root of the problem. Namely… how do we get them out of there?

Lieutenant Commander T’Varan was working on that signal, though, so Lieutenant Waryn switched to sensor controls he didn’t have a lot of experience using and got down to business. “I’m tuning the sensors to look for life signs. While I do that… does anybody know of any species that could inhabit walls?”

A moment later, another thought occurred to him. “And do you think this warrants an update to the Captain?”

Lt Izak Waryn - Chief Engineer - U.S.S. Ark Angel

OOC: The Pathfinder Transmission & Temporal Phasing

Hey everyone, I want to drop a quick out-of-character update to clarify the exact mechanical and narrative situation we are walking into as the ArkAngel arrives at the PX-941 anomaly and begins processing this impossible distress call.

To increase the immediate dramatic tension of our arrival, the signal we are receiving is not just a blind, automated broadcast drifting mindlessly through the void of space; Captain Amelia Hayes is actively and specifically hailing the ArkAngel through the subspace distortion. Because their chief engineer modified the main deflector array to create a localized temporal shielding bubble to survive the initial spatial collapse, the Pathfinder is currently trapped in a state of extreme temporal flux, rapidly slipping in and out of phase with our current timeline.

This constant phasing effect is exactly why our tactical sensors are only picking up their biological signatures intermittently and why their incoming transmission is heavily fragmented, as their desperate localized existence is violently colliding with the heavy chroniton radiation of our present reality.

This direct line of communication introduces a fascinating psychological and operational challenge for all of your departments to tackle collaboratively in your upcoming posts.

Because the Pathfinder sensors have managed to pierce their temporal bubble just enough to see our ship waiting on the outside, Captain Hayes and her crew are under the complete assumption that the ArkAngel is a contemporary Starfleet vessel responding to their localized emergency in the year 2398. Science, Engineering, and Operations officers should focus your initial reactions on the immediate technical puzzle of attempting to stabilize their temporal phase, clear up the heavily distorted subspace channel, and figure out how to lock onto those flickering life signs through the anomaly. At the same time, our Command, Medical, and Diplomatic staff need to begin preparing for an incredibly delicate first contact scenario, as you will have to carefully manage this fragmented conversation without accidentally inducing catastrophic psychological shock when the lost crew inevitably realizes that a hundred and four years have passed since they sent their distress call.

WHITE TIGER
GM • USS ARKANGEL
NCC-98729
“Where Legends Begin”

After a few furious moments working the sensors, Izak spoke up again. “I am getting life signs… but they’re flickering. Intermittent.” He pulled up the sensor logs from their arrival and filtered the data, looking for patterns. “There might be a correlation between the pulses and our ability to detect them… that’s when I get a partial lock on the biological signatures.” That made sense in a way. Every three minutes and fourteen seconds the pulse seemed to stabilize the anomaly briefly before it grew erratic again.

“Maybe there’s a way to strengthen that pulse somehow,” the Chief Engineer said as he considered and discarded multiple possibilities. “Or maybe… duplicate it?”

Lt Izak Waryn - Chief Engineer - U.S.S. Ark Angel

OOC: Thank you GM

IC: “I think you’re right Lieutenant Waryn,” Hegush responded through the comms, “I’m seeing the same patterns that you are. It could be worth consulting with science, as well. My knowledge of… spacey stuff is limited, at least, they might know more about the structure of the anomaly and pass on some information that could help us find which option would be more effective. Perhaps we can try and strengthen the signals at the same time as well. Two stones one bird is sure to hit.”

Lt. Hegush Falz, Chief of Operations

GM Post — The Next Pulse

Stardate 79012.4 — 2402
USS Ark Angel — Theta Persei Fringe, Sector 419

Three minutes and fourteen seconds pass.

The repeating temporal pulse arrives precisely on schedule, but this time the anomaly does not behave as it has during the previous cycles. The chronometric readings across the Ark Angel spike almost simultaneously as the distortion surrounding the missing Pathfinder contracts inward. For approximately twelve seconds, the unstable temporal region appears to collapse around a single point before expanding again, producing a remarkably coherent sensor return. Where previous scans produced fragments, echoes, and conflicting readings, the vessel now resolves clearly enough for the Ark Angel’s systems to distinguish the unmistakable profile of an Intrepid-class starship.

For those twelve seconds, the USS Pathfinder is no longer merely a temporal echo. The missing vessel is physically detectable within the distortion, its hull battered by what appears to be prolonged exposure to extreme temporal stresses. The vessel remains structurally recognizable, and although numerous systems appear to be operating below normal efficiency, the ship itself does not appear to be in the process of immediate structural failure.

Science sensors receive the strongest temporal readings yet recorded from the anomaly. The chronometric distortion remains concentrated around the Pathfinder, while the surrounding region exhibits fluctuating temporal gradients that appear to correspond with the recurring pulse. The readings indicate that the vessel is not simply drifting through the anomaly. Its temporal position appears to be changing in precise correlation with the three-minute, fourteen-second cycle.

Engineering sensors identify another significant detail. The Pathfinder’s main deflector is producing an unusual energy signature consistent with an active modification to the system. The readings suggest that the deflector is contributing directly to the temporal shielding surrounding the vessel. The exact configuration cannot be completely resolved during the brief window, but the available data indicate that the shielding system remains operational.

Operations receive an equally unusual return. The Pathfinder’s communications system is transmitting a repeating synchronization signal that corresponds almost exactly with the temporal pulse. The relationship between the two signals is too precise to appear random. The communications array is not simply broadcasting into the surrounding region; its transmission timing appears to be locked to the same temporal cycle affecting the vessel.

Then the life-sign sensors finish processing their return.

The initial readings indicate a large number of biological signatures distributed throughout the Pathfinder. The computer continues processing the data, correcting for the temporal distortion and attempting to separate individual readings from the surrounding interference.

The final estimate is considerably higher than expected.

Hundreds of biological signatures are present aboard the Pathfinder.

The readings are not static. Numerous concentrations appear to be moving throughout the vessel. Several of the returns produce an especially unusual result: biological signatures appear to be moving through areas where the ship’s internal configuration should contain solid bulkheads or otherwise inaccessible spaces. The sensor data cannot establish whether the phenomenon is the result of temporal displacement, sensor distortion, or something occurring within the Pathfinder itself.

Before those readings can be fully resolved, the communications console registers an incoming transmission.

The signal is heavily distorted by temporal interference, but unlike the previous fragments, it possesses a recognizable structure. The transmission is a direct hail.

A woman’s voice emerges through the static.

“This is Captain Amelia Hayes, USS Pathfinder. Federation starship—identify yourself. We’ve been trapped in this distortion for approximately four hours. Our temporal shielding is failing. I repeat, our temporal shielding is failing.”

The transmission briefly deteriorates beneath a wash of interference before returning.

“We’re receiving your transponder, but your registry doesn’t match any Starfleet database we have access to.”

There is a sudden burst of static.

For less than a second, another voice breaks through the channel. The speaker sounds like a member of the Pathfinder’s crew, but the temporal distortion makes identification impossible.

The transmission terminates.

At almost exactly the same moment, the temporal window collapses.

The Pathfinder disappears from every sensor.

The anomaly contracts sharply before returning to its previous unstable state, leaving behind a rapidly dissipating field of chroniton radiation and residual temporal distortions. The coherent sensor return is gone, and the hundreds of biological signatures vanish with it.

The remaining data, however, tell a different story.

The Pathfinder’s temporal shielding is not merely preventing the vessel from being destroyed by the anomaly. The relationship between the deflector modification, the temporal field, and the repeating pulse suggests that the shielding may be directly connected to the vessel’s continued existence within the distortion.

The three-minute, fourteen-second cycle has therefore revealed something considerably more significant than a repeating anomaly.

The Pathfinder is still there.

Its crew is still alive.

Its temporal shielding is failing.

And something aboard the missing starship is apparently capable of moving through parts of the vessel that should not be physically traversable.

The chronometric sensors begin registering the next cycle.

03:14.

WHITE TIGER
GM • USS ARKANGEL
NCC-98729
“Where Legends Begin”