Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Marcus Anders (Chief of Security) in Main Sim - Colonial Communications Contact - Bridge

Posted by Gamemaster CockRoach (GM) in Main Sim - Colonial Communications Contact - Bridge
[snip]

Kovan sat at the communication’s station, studying his console screen while listening to his ear piece. Without having to look, Kovan knew Rand had entered the room. Andorians didn’t have super hearing, but they possessed keen hearing. After sharing a ship with the same people for so long, Kovan began to recognize the sounds of footsteps, and many other quiet sounds that were unique to each individual. As Rand approached him he turned and gave her his full attention as she relayed his orders. “I’ll get it done,” He said, but paused as he noted the way Rand paused to check their surroundings.

Orion pirates. Those two words made Kovan tense up, fingers tight over the buttons of his console. He deliberately took even breaths, and gave Rand a stiff nod before quickly turning back to his console and begin set-up for the three communiques. It took Kovan several moments of pretending to work before he felt calm enough to do his job. Orion pirates were clever and conniving, but not technologically advanced. It was possible to establish communications with each of the three colonies while leaving any unwanted listeners out of the conversation.

Kovan went through his three communiques to each colony. Listing the Sentinel’s name, designation and purpose along with instructions for each communication sent in return. The communiques were sent out at frequency four-eight with a one-stage encryption interrupted by random bursts of static sent as a separate communication on the same frequency at a higher bandwidth. Modern ships and the three colony communications equipment could easily filter out the static, and translate the encryption. Unless the pirates were flying in up-to-date Starfleet ships, their systems would hear intense static over top barely-heard nonsense.

Ensign ch’Sirhc, COMMO/ENGR

Shirley looked back at the communications station from her chair, “Ensign ch’Sirhc, were you able to successfully send the communications out to the colonies?”

• Captain Shirley Rogers

Messages had indeed been sent out, but any reply would take a bit to get back to them for confirmation through the subspace relays.

GM CockRoach

Kovan turned in his chair to answer the captain, “Communications are sent. We’re now awaiting for them to arrive and for the colonies to answer.” It was a waiting game now. Kovan hoped the communication teams back on the colonies followed his instructions for reply messages. As miraculous as subspace communiques were, they were exceedingly vulnerable. They weren’t bottles with a message cast out into sea awaiting the current and waves to carry it off. Subspace messages were more like a shout echoing through a cave system.

Ensign ch’Sirhc COMMO/ENGR

Marcus Anders never wanted to use the Sentinel’s weapon systems on a mission like this one unless he had to. He knew the ship was powerful enough to take on all comers, but was also aware that anyone in Starfleet must always operate on a diplomacy first policy. To that end, the Security Chief watched on as the Bridge crew waited for further communication from the Orions, with a steady hand on the phaser controls.

-Lieutenant Junior Grade Marcus Anders: Chief of Security-

It was about 2 and a half hours later while the Sentinel was still on its several day journey to their missions colonies for their leader health check ups, when a reply comm came through as an audio message. They all said the same thing more or less, =/\= Message received, all leaders needing pysch and health check ups will have their schedules cleared upon your arrival. =/\= the three read, a follow up a few minutes later also said from one of the colonies, =/\= Also whoever is sending these on such a strange encryption pattern, stop being so paranoid. We know there are Orions out here but standard encryptions would have sufficed. Took us an extra half hour to figure these messages were not random static bursts to get out a reply. =/\= Seems one of the colonies did not appreciate doing such extra work/security.

GM CockRoach

Anders shifted in his position slightly, “These colonies are pretty isolated, yet we’re the ones being paranoid? Does that seem suspicious to anyone else?”

-Lieutenant Junior Grade Marcus Anders: Chief of Security-

While waiting on the reply response from the colonies, Kovan tuned his ear piece to the open channel. Not that it was likely for the Sentinel to stumble over someone else’ transmissions but it was something to do. Who knows, maybe he’ll catch some interesting chatter. Eventually the response from the colonies came. Normally he’d just listen and report to the captain but a security NE asked him to put in on speaker which was dumb. Why would he put a routine response on speaker? If the captain and other DHs weren’t around. . . So Kovan put the audio on speaker and pretended to do other work because clearly he wasn’t needed to do his job. And of course the responses were routine and bland as paper. Clearly so important for the security officer. Except the last one.

Kovan bit back the scathing insult on the tip of his tongue. Strange encryption? One-stage encryption was STRANGE? What garbage communications training took this schmucks money while telling him what a good job he’ll do? Their computers would have automatically done three/fourths of the work! All they had to do was look up and read their console screens! Were these cutting-edge colonies or where they several guys waving antennas in the air with a hope and a prayer they’ll catch their signals??

He can’t send his insults verbally. Not when the captain was sitting right over there. No. Kovan will have to be subtle. If one-stage encryption under a static layer was too much for them then how about this. . . Kovan’s return replay was thus. He layered three messages together. A high-band layer that was a shrill audio note over top a simple text file layer with two-stage encryption with the following message: “Do you actually know how to do your job or are you some poor, farmer schmuck who drew the short lot and had to go work the comms station for a while because clearly no one there knows even the basics of comm lines. Enjoy the ringing in your years for the next hour or so because you’re too lazy and incompetent to read a screen and filter your communiques.” And to round out his message on the low-band was the encryption key in morse code. To translate the text file they will need to spell out the message in morse code and align it with a di-lectric alphabet. Something just uncommon enough to be a pain to remember but not impossible. A combination of old-school Earth with alien alphabets.The code phrase? Encrypt This Loser.

Ensign ch’Sirhc COMMO/ENGR