Posted by Gamemaster CockRoach (GM) in Main Sim - Bridge - Arrival To Vok III
[snip]

The Helm NE began to look over the data soon giving a reply, “..Well if it is an asteroid if it maintained its current speed and course without deviation it will enter the local solar body within 5 days and 8 hours or so. But if its not and it course corrects by 3-9 degrees to port in the next 30-40 minutes or so at their current speed they would enter Vok III’s atmosphere over the northern polar ice cap in 2 days and 15 hours or so..” They said.

“Let’s go ahead and assume that it’s not an asteroid,” Kovan snapped back. Whatever good mood he was in before was long gone now. He turned back to his console screen, waiting on the results of his passive scan.

Rand looked over at Ayden, the engineer on duty. “What kind of power source would they need to move an asteroid like that and so quickly? Or is it just camouflaged to look like an asteroid? Can we track where it has been by following the power emissions?”

Yeoman Rand

Passive scan results came back for Kovan, far as anything showed it was just an asteroid. No signs of power emissions were in evidence without a deeper more active scan. Nor was it currently giving off any active engine emissions. Looking back at the data though when it made its sudden maneuver change to avoid the asteroid there was picked up by sensors a low powered thruster like burst using what might be chemical based fuel. Given this it likely WAS some kind of ship using some fancy sensor masking and other means to disguise itself as a normal asteroid. So assuming it WAS a ship manned or not it was seemingly trying to be super stealthy as possible, and as the Helm NE said do so to either A) go burn up in the sun in 5 or so days, or B) if it did alter its course by 3-9 degrees to port in the next 30-40 minutes enter Vok III’s atmosphere over the north pole in 2 days.

GM CockRoach

“Why is it headed towards the polar ice cap? What’s their goal?” Kovan questioned aloud as he mused over their findings. Asteroids don’t glide around each other like ballerinas. Nor do they have chemical fueled thrusters. But who was it? One of the other colonies? Or. . . was it the Orion pirates? “We need to be mindful of what we’re transmitting,” Kovan said to the bridge. “They could be listening in on us.” He frowned, lost in thought. If they were using some kind of sensor mask to hide themselves then it could interfere with their ship’s ability to send, receive or intercept transmissions. Would make sense of theirs was a stealth mission. Sacrificing that capability for camouflage. There was a much bigger question looming in his mind. What should the Sentinel do?

“Don’t worry about the transmissions, I’ll draft them.” Rand told Kovan. He could encrypt them and it would take years if he wad really showing off to decrypt them. But as Captain’s yeoman Rand was privy to the security codes and covert distress phrases if they needed them. Cmdr Alden had them as well. But there was always someone trying to steal those codes. Rand had another way to make sure no one but Alden knew what she was saying. “Right now they are headed toward the sun. They might turn toward the planet. For all we know it is some reclusive alien that just wants to study the system and not make contact.” She shook her head at Kovan, “However I am not nieve enough to bet on it. They are moving slow enough we can afford to keep watching.”

“Helm, theoretically, how long would it take us to intercept if they make the course correction?” Kovan asked.

Ensign ch’Sirhc COMMO/ENGR

”..Depends how quick you want to get to them? If we moved as slowly as them? Give or take a day or so if we did so outside the orbit of Vok III. If we just turned and went to full impulse right now without any attempt at hiding ourselves? A few minutes tops..” He said.

OOC: Ok back from LOA getting caught up and bumping this!

GM CockRoach

“Do we know of any other alien species in this sector? What about ship movements between the colonies?” She turned to look at Frank’s at the science station and Morgan at the tactical station, “What is it composed of if we had to fire on it?” She silently willed the landing team to check in so they could pass on the information. Contacting them now would give away they noticed something.

Yeoman Rand