Posted by Lieutenant Commander Madison Sullivan (Chief Engineer) in Main Sim: Europa Arrives

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Clodagh Donnely (Security Officer) in Main Sim: Europa Arrives

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Clodagh Donnely (Security Officer) in Main Sim: Europa Arrives
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

[SNIP]

“Let’s make sure we know what we’re getting into before we actually contact someone,” the Captain said. “I mean… we don’t have enough information yet to determine that they did or didn’t make it themselves. I would expect that if they didn’t make it themselves, then they’d have skipped past a design like this that uses fusion power entirely in favor of some kind of anti-matter based system, which is vastly more common for warp drives given the high power requirements.”

“Can we get a sense of that ship’s capabilities? I can’t imagine they can sustain warp speed for that long if they’re using a fusion plant? I mean, that’d be like trying to run our warp engines with our impulse reactor.”

“Also, are there any communications between that ship and anyone else in the system that we could potentially listen in on?” He wanted to have someone trying to listen in to media broadcasts on the planet, also, which was what he was about to order before the ship stole everyone’s attention.

– Johann Dvorak, CO

OOC: Fix the thread split by adding in and replying to the CE above.

“I’ve seen small ships cruse at warp six on a fusion drive. I wouldn’t fly in one of them… but I know better.”

Well, yeah the Captain thought without actually saying. He smirked slightly before the next report came in.

“Well, leading up to their small jump to warp there was a build up of power that has been seemingly consumed. It might hint to a large capacitance reservoir, but they definitely don’t seem to have the ability for any longer distance travelling capabilities. The 20 AU they traversed might be the upper limit, but it’s hard to say for sure without knowing energy transfer rate efficiency or how much power their warp drive consumes.” The ever knowledgeable NE replied. “I’m only picking up transmissions from the planet to the warp craft but can’t detect the warp craft transmitting anything, though that may be due to a directional transmission.”

GM Dread

The Captain just looked at the NE as if he were expecting something more than this for a minute.

“Are you able to get the content of the transmissions or not?” he asked somewhat impatiently.

– Johann Dvorak, CO

“Well…” Began the NE in hesitation. “It just looks like telemetry data and guidance instructions from the planet. There are some background signals from their communication network radiating into space though. A lot of it seems to be weather forecasts with radiation spot predictions for several regions on the planet. What seems to be a consistent transmission across the planet seems to be maybe some sort of propaganda? The computer hasn’t been able to translate the language yet.”

GM Dread

“Well, the computer better figure that out before we actually try to talk to these people, or else this is going to be an extremely awkward First Contact,” the Captain quipped.

Zorell opened a channel. =/\=Astrometrics to Bridge.=/\=

=/\= Bridge here. Go ahead. =/\=

=/\=I’ve been investigating the planet’s technology in relation to its climate and possible societal evolution and I’ve picked up some unmanned suborbital craft. They each contain a powerful receiver that seems to be the focus for some of the large amounts of energy the capital city is generating. It is noteworthy also that a significant portion of resources from other outlying centres are redirected to this capital as well. As of yet I’ve been unable to determine a purpose for these craft, but I thought I would mention it as it seemed… unusual.=/\= Of course there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation, but Vora was mid-investigation so far.

Lt. (j.g.) Zorell, Sciences (cross-posted from Astrometrics)

“It could be a power relay system. Small ship gets it power from a larger base.. ie. a planet. When away from the planet they have to charge up to go to warp.”

Marsh

“Possibly, though it still is a bit weird,” the Captain observed. The idea that all of this was centered in exactly one place didn’t quite sit well with him, but he couldn’t exactly articulate a specific reason why. He had a bad feeling about that.

Avik stood still in place. Her ears caught every bit of conversation. After both Zorell and Marsh spoke, adding in more information, Avik decided to voice her thoughts.

“I do not think observing will yield all the answers we want. The prime directive applies to pre-warp civilizations, and we just witnessed a successful warp. With that evidence, they are no longer a pre-warp civilization.” She let the facts sink in before she continued, hoping it might ease any worry about breaking protocol.

That’s not the problem here, the Captain thought, but didn’t have time to say before Avik kept speaking.

“I believe our next objective is to discover how they obtained the warp knowledge and if it was from someone within the Federation.” She remained calm while she made her points.

Pausing only to take a breath, she then shared the things in her head.

“I can theorize many ways they could have achieved warp technology. A gift from a warp-capable race not apart of the Federation. Studying artifacts on the planet lost by a more advanced culture. A rare probability of hitting certain stages earlier than others. Which the information from Astrometics does not support the last one. Until any facts are confirmed by the individuals using it, we can continue to theorize and still have no solid answers.”

Her eyes looked to the CO and waited for his response.

–XO, Avik, Lt. Cmdr

Marsh made a slight face, that wasn’t exactly what he thought was the correct interpretation of the ‘warp’ capable civilization clause of the Prime Directive. He believed that the that referred to races that discovered warp on their own, not given a warp drive. Several humans from Earth had been whisked away by warp drive capable races. In many cases the human captured the ship in the far reaches of the universe… that didn’t make them warp capable and eligible for first contact..

Marsh

Dvorak was about to say something when…

An NE rebutted, “But Earth’s first contact was after the Vulcans detected warp signatures in the Sol system. With the time between Cochrane’s successful flight and first contact, there wasn’t time to determine if the warp technology was given or developed. I don’t mean to split hairs, but they have warp technology. Why not ask them how they got it?”

GM Dread

“Because of the main rationale of the prime directive, they might not even be ready for the question, much less contact with another race.” Marsh looked at the ensign, “And having power doesn’t mean they know how to properly and ethically use it, that goes equally to the conventions of telepathy, my internal thoughts are my own ensign.” He looked at the junior officer with annoyance. Bad enough the telepaths look and keep the little secrets to themselves to spill it all over the bridge was too much to let go unchecked.

OOC: :p

The ensign looked suitably chastised, though they wondered why the CSO was so aggressive on that point. The whole point of first contact was to help direct those who might misuse warp tech in the first place. And the ensign didn’t look for people’s thoughts or keep little secrets, but strong thoughts had a way of slipping in past their guard and Marsh felt strongly about this it seemed.

OOC: Just noticed those were internal thought by Marsh. Just imagine the NE was a telepath.

“It doesn’t really matter, the decision isn’t mine, and there is plenty of room for debate on either side…” Marsh turned to the captain.

Avik waited, her eye pinned on the CO. At this point, she wanted something beyond simple observation. Nothing new could be learned, and she hoped he would see that. Else, using a human saying, they would be chasing their tails. Not completing the mission.

Despite this result, this wasn’t her ship. She would back down when the CO made his decision and accept it despite how it felt to her. He was her superior after all.

Her eyes slipped to the NE but said nothing to his comment. She figured Marsh or someone might while they waited for the CO to make a decision.

–XO, Avik, Lt. Cmdr

Marsh CSO

“The point of being cautious during these First Contact situations has less to do with the Prime Directive, and more to do with the fact that they’re inherently dangerous missions where any sort of mistake could cause interstellar incidents whose affects are felt for decades,” the Captain explained patiently. “After all, humanity had bad first contacts with the Klingons and the Romulans and the result were wars, hot and cold, that lasted at least a century or two.”

“So certainly, we could ask them how they got the technology,” the Captain continued, turning to face the Ensign who spoke before. “Because let’s face it, that’s probably what happened with this very elaborate setup they have. An advanced society wouldn’t build warp drive this way. This setup they have is crazy. But… in order to ask how they built this crazy thing, we need to know who on this planet to ask. We also need to know how to ask them. That means we need to study their society to determine who invented this thing, and we need to study their language so we can communicate with them in an effective way. I mean, we’re not going to beam an away team down in the middle of their most densely populated city and approach every person on the street saying ‘Excuse me, we are aliens from outer space, we come from the planet Earth, please take us to your leader’ in English. That would not be very likely to end well.”

“So, what we need to do, before we beam anybody down or make any interplanetary phone calls, is get an understanding of this society and its language so that we can determine who exactly it is we should be talking to and what the most effective way to talk to them is. That is how most Starfleet-conducted First Contacts have worked to avoid the sorts of mistakes that were made with the Klingons and the Romulans. Contrary to popular belief, the Vulcans had been visting humanity in secret for about 200 years before they formally made First Contact. That’s why even though the crew of the T’Plana-Hath had no idea that humanity was going to achieve warp speed that day, they already did know the smart thing to do would be to just land where the ship was because it was a better idea to talk to the one guy who invented the thing than… uhh… whatever… passed for government during the post-atomic horror.”

“We have a highly advanced starship with sophisticated sensors for getting exactly this sort of information through observation. That’s part of why they call this ship an ‘Observer,’ because it was built for this exact purpose. I don’t think that it is unreasonable to do some observing. Certainly we should be able to translate their language from media reports and other broadcasts, and identify key leaders and scientists who we ought to contact before beaming down to somewhere to contact them, yes? I mean, if we can’t…”

Whatever else the Captain was going to say was interrupted by the alarm system going off, but the point had been made.

At this point a massive power surge emanated from the planet setting off the Europa’s alarms. A beam of energy shot away from the planet towards the warp capable craft, though at the speed of light it’d take 20 minutes or so to arrive. The warp craft had aligned back to the planet and was in the process of charging up for a return warp jump when a directed beam of energy from the planet struck it. Could the planet be transferring energy to assist in the capacitance charge?

GM Dread

Dvorak turned to look at Marsh, wordlessly expressing a desire for a report on what we were just seeing.

“Scanning.” This was exactly what he had theorized. He didn’t want to presume that he was right so his scanned with a neutral position.

Avik didn’t continue to the debate. Even when she understood Marsh’s valid point, she didn’t agree with it. Too much about the displays felt off and data missing which she felt could negate his reasoning. Even if they weren’t suitable for another world contact, it wouldn’t stop others from making it. It boiled down to a matter of time.

Any more discussion stopped when her peripheral vision caught something. She turned her head in time to spot energy surge from the plant and hit the ship dead on.

“Marsh, do you have any data over what happened?” While she could theorize that the planet boosted the ship, she didn’t fully trust her eyes.

–XO, Avik, Lt. Cmdr

“Data is still coming in.” He continued to scan. “It does seem to be an energizing beam, which would allow for very localized warp travel with small ship and without anti-matter. Its pretty innovative for a pre-warp, beginning warp race.”

Marsh

Clodagh stepped up on the bridge and relieved the current security officer at their console. She quickly caught up on the notes left behind for the shift and listened to those around her as they talked of a pre-warp race effectively ‘kicking’ a ship into warp from the planet. And interesting thought, to her. She didn’t understand the mechanics of it. After all, the kick would have to be a massive one, wouldn’t it?

Lt JG Clodagh Donnely
Security

Mattie looked up “I’m not able to identify the ships that we initially discovered. They are not in our computer data base.” She said “I’m also not seeing any other ships on sensors.”

CE

“That’s a pretty neat trick,” the Captain said. “Maybe these people have a thing or two to teach us about power transmission over distances. Who would we ask about that?”

– Johann Dvorak, CO