Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vanessa Slade (CNS) in Main Sim At the Imperial Palace

Posted by Gamemaster GM Kate (GMT) in Main Sim At the Imperial Palace

Posted by Captain Calvin Marius (Captain) in Main Sim At the Imperial Palace
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
For the officers that remained at the Imperial reception a closer inspection of those attending the event could occupy their time. The guests appeared to be happy. They were conversing, eating, and drinking as if it were a grand party. There was something else past the casual glance From time to time, the guests would sequester into small groups appearing to console each other rather than engaging in merry-making. The more dour moments were very fleeting and were something one would need to catch out of the corner of their eye versus readily observe. If one was lucky enough to witness one of these more gloomy interactions, it always ended with the participants pressing their foreheads together followed by a toast. The ending felt more like a ritual being performed than a casual action.

Not having much to do but mingle, the Genesis officers would have a long time to take in the splendor of the room as only a wallflower could. Aside from the marble statues and fountains, the art of the room seemed to have specific patterns. All the statues bore the expression of someone in profound grief or triumphant pride. While the statues were scattered throughout the room, every face on them was pointed up as if looking to the sky. They were also all angled to be looking at a single point in the celestial sky no matter where they were in the room.

Aside from the statues, the art on the walls was one of two categories: images of the Beltran royal family in various backgrounds or images of the moon in the Beltran sky against various backgrounds. Some of the art was abstract making one contemplate if it was Beltrans paying homage to the celestial object or maybe it was just large skinny trees on a forest landscape. Some of the moon art was on soothing blues and greens invoking a sense of peace and tranquility. Other paintings were in reds, blacks, and oranges giving a sense of danger, anxiety, and fear.

The Federation reports had not mentioned this seeming obsession with the moon or its lunar cycle, however, it was clear as day once one noticed it.

GM Kate

As one of the waiters passed him, Calvin skillfully replaced his empty glass with a full one as he took in the details of the art. The contents of the glass had about the same alcoholic effect as sparkling cider on him. He could probably drink a barrel of the stuff and just shake hands with tipsy. He had been to enough formal receptions to know as long as you appeared to be having fun people tended to leave you alone.

Marius CO

“I see you fancy the celestial art more than the imperial portraits,” a Beltran woman approached Calvin.

So much for trying to remain inconspicuous, Calvin mused before looking at the woman. “It is more interesting than self-portraits of the monarchy,” he replied.

“My family created that statue in center of the room.” She directed Calvin’s attention to a particular piece. “It is called the Price of Ang pag-aani.” The women took a sip of her drink letting a moment of melancholy wash over her. The statue was beautiful in its artistry and workmanship. Whoever chiseled it out of marble had incredible skill but the subject matter of the art invoked a sense of pain and sorrow. The center of the art was a man standing tall and looking up at the stars. In his arms was a woman whose face was buried in his shoulder as one of his hand held her close. The other hand hung at his side holding the hand of a small child. Inspecting the statue closer, several more children were clinging to the woman’s legs as she pulled one of them closer to her leg.

GM Kate

“And what is Ang pag-aani,” Calvin asked. At least this Beltran seemed willing to talk about something other than their self-importance.”

Marius CO

. “Ang pag-aani is a Beltran word which translated means the harvesting. In the past, our planet was attacked by enemy forces when the moon was in this celestial position. It’s one of our more revered time for celebrating our survival and mourning those that have been lost.” The woman got very somber.

“Celebrations like this are hard. I know I should be reveling in the joy of life and yet it’s hard knowing so many will be dead when the sun shines once again.”

GM Kate

“Will be,” Calvin looked at her with a side glance, “as in present tense?” Calvin had been around long enough to notice when things were off. Individuals did not tend to mess up verb tenses so it was intentional.

Marius CO

“Captain,” Vanessa suddenly was at his side and appeared concerned enough to interrupt his conversation with the Beltran he was speaking to. “Sir we need to talk now. Reaching out she touched his arm and squeezed it hoping it would indicate the immediacy in which she needed to speak with him. Without waiting for a response, she let go and began to head to the balcony.

Calvin smiled and nodded at Beltran. “Well a Captain’s job is never done. I hope you can forgive the interruption.” He gave no outward expression that anything was admis.

Once in the open air, she dropped some of the formality she displayed in the other room. “Sir, I was in the kitchen talking to the wait staff.”

“I presume you aren’t about to tell me about how many calories were in the souffle.”

“No, I was getting to know the real people and not the bloated asshats in charge.” The disdain in Vanessa’s voice was clear. The longer she was exposed to Federation politics the less she liked it. The Federation preached a grand rhetoric about respecting the rights of other cultures but at times it seemed highly biased. When there was nothing at stake for the Federation, they let everything play out. When there was something the Federation wanted or needed, the Federation seemed more eager to meddle in other planet’s affairs.

“I have always found that the people hosting events like this know far less than the people working them. Hence the dress,” she gestured down. “You all stood out like a cadet review, but no one noticed me leaving the party. Think of it like diplomatic camouflage.” With her dress and addition of heels, Vanessa made up for some of the height difference and her blue dress blended in far more with the population than the brightly colored uniforms the rest of her crew were wearing.

He waved his hand in a circle, telling her to speed it he also knew that she was going to get to the point where her wear of that ridiculous dress was a good idea.

“What is this,” she mimicked the rolling motion of his hand. “No one seemed eager to chat it up with you and you don’t get people to talk when you,” she again mimicked the rolling motion of his hand. “See it is that kind of gesture that makes people hesitant to come up to you and shoot the shot.”

“Sir this celebration is part of something called Ang pag-aani. It means the harvesting. Apparently, during certain lunar cycles, there is a predator on the planet that awakens from its dormancy. It attacks the population and the Beltran offer up vast swaths of their population to prevent this predator from uncontrolled destruction.” The last two words have a very different tone when she spoke as if she were repeating something that made her ill to verbalize.

It was never land on the planet, eat a good meal and go back to the ship. There was always something more.

“The people in the palace have been chosen to survive the events due to a combination of careers, political standings, and some lottery.” There was little that surprised Vanessa but the expression on her face was clear as she looked at Calvin. She was still trying to process what she had just told him. “Sir they are going to let this predator harvest their people…” Her words were cut short as a violent earth tremor began to shake the ground they were standing on. Vanessa reached out to grab his arm to steady herself as a rainbow-like shimmer enveloped the city, creating a dome-like effect around them.

Vanessa Slade CNS

=Marius to Genesis, there was an earthquake or something like it. Do a full scan and report.=^=

=/\=Gen…sis away tea.....Lot of interfere....We can’t get signal past....attle platforms.....or atmos turbulence=/\= The comms stated. The message was broken and static-filled but it could be possible to infere that the orbiting ship was having issues with communications between the battle platforms and the turbulence in the atmosphere the shuttles had experienced.

=/\=Sensors pick…siesmic tremor and prev....undect…life forms.....low the surface. Gen…sis…unab…to send help or shuttles....round…batt…plat…form.=/\=

Calvin continued his thought as if the quake didn’t even happen. “So only the palace people are safe or ate there other safe locations.” He shook his head. “Why would they bring us here now, that makes no sense if they are trying to make a good impression they should have brought us before or after this thing.:”

“I don’t know but we need to do something about this. I mean we can’t just sit here and get drunk while people are dying. So how are you going to fix this?” Vanessa was not a newly minted cadet but her exposure to fleet regulations and protocols was limited. For the past eight years, she had been picking up the pieces after events like this. Vanessa had never been at the front lines of them. Now she was looking at Calvin with all the naivety of a first-year cadet and not almost a ten-year career officer.

“I’m not sure there is anything we can do. It sounds barbaric but its an internal matter of a sovereign system. I guess we could ask if they wanted any help with this problem, but that might reveal our sources?”

Marius

“Not anything we can do,” she blinked rapidly looking as if Calvin had backhanded her instead of stating the only option he had at the moment. “There has to be something we can do.”

Vanessa Slade CNS

Before Calvin could respond, the Beltran woman he was speaking to before Vanessa pulled him away cleared her throat from behind him. It was apparent she had followed them out onto the balcony and eavesdropped on their conversation. “Can you help our people?” Her voice held the tentative quiver of hope. “Ang pag-aani is not supposed to happen for another three cycles. This party was just to celebrate us being chosen and knowing what to expect when the actual Ang pag-aani started. I have heard rumors that the scientists were testing a new weapon to protect our citizens but other people say it is causing the Volians to awaken early. There were rumors of isolated attacks where the testing woke the Volians up from their hibernation before the actual lunar cycle did.” She walked up to Calvin with more urgency in her voice.

“The ground tremors are only this strong when the Volian’s awake from hibernation. If the scientists have woken up all the Volians all people in the villages are going to be defenseless. You have to help us.”

GM Kate

A lot of information was just thrown at Calvin and half of it did not make sense. There was nothing in the reports about this lunar thing nor that there was another predominant life form on the planet.

Marius CO

“Of course we can,” Vanessa stated. “The Federation is here to protect those who need our help regardless of whether they are members.” This was Vanessa’s view of the Federation. It was here to protect and defend. There was no reason for it to exist if it was not actively helping make the universe a better place.

Vanessa Slade CNS

“Do not fear my friend Marius,” a voice projected from behind where the trio were talking. King Casper Artemis did not possess the same jovial demeanor from about an hour ago. His face was tenser along with his movements and yet using Calvin’s given name was meant to hide this. “We are safe within the walls of the city. This is just a drill of sorts. You know how frightened people can become during drills.” Casper let his eyes drift to the Beltran woman.

Calvin remained quiet and stoic at the use of his first name. The man was too verbose for his own good. If Calvin remained quiet long enough, the King would probably share far more on his own than if King Artemis was asked a direct question. Besides he has Slade to poke and prod Casper. Without intention, it was turning into a good cop bad cop situation with him and his counselor.

“Forgive me majesty,” she bowed her head. “It is only the drink that has gone to my head.” The women did not cast a second glance at Calvin or Vanessa but abruptly left the balcony and blended back into the ballroom.

Vanessa watched the woman all but slink away and felt frustration building in her. One didn’t have to be telepathic to know whatever was going on wasn’t concern but annoyance to his Imperial Majesty. “Why would we ever need to fear for our safety anywhere on Beltran,” she asked. Her tone was not the smooth cadence of a diplomat but more of a therapist trying to get their client to open up about what brought them in.

“Are all your officers so attractive and anxiety prone?”

“Excuse me?”

“Like a little yappy pet,” Casper side glanced at Vanessa before taking a sip of his drink and focusing all his attention on Calvin. “I once had a pet bird when I was a child. Squawk squawk squawk chirp chirp chirp,” he began to tell the story steering the conversation away from the prior one. “I was told one day it would develop communication skills but the only thing that ever came out of it was noise.”

GM Kate

Reaching up, Calvin throat-punched the man. He had had enough of the blather and arrogance of the fool that had only reached his status as ruler due to his birth. Calvin was not innately a brawler but that did not mean he turned the other cheek at times. He watched Casper stumble backward and into the marble pillar before sliding down to the floor hoping this might knock some sense into the pretentious prick Letting out a breath cleared the fantasy playing out in Calvin’s mind. If life could only be as simple as playground rules from childhood to deal with bullies and idiots who felt they could command others through threats and intimidation. Calvin needed to put this man down more eloquently and diplomatically.

Vanessa opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by her captain speaking before she could.

“I have found surrounding myself with less sycophants helps me see things clearer.” There was more Calvin wanted to say but sometimes words were always going to fall on deaf ears no matter how many ways one rephrased it.

Tapping his comm badge, Calvin cut Casper out of the chain of his decisions. =/\=Genesis and away teams, please return to the palace so that we may let this drill proceed unencumbered by our presence.=/\=

Marius CO

Vanessa Slade CNS

“Have a drink Calvin,” the King replied in a tone indicating the Captain was becoming annoyed with his guests. “There are no comms right now anywhere on the planet except between the general, the head scientist, and my general staff. We used to allow comms but that tended to frighten the populace more. There were some that tried to remove their loved ones from the hospitals and prisons but that only killed the healthy and did not control the harvesting. The Volians are simple and primitive. They eat. They reproduce. They hibernate. Your people are safe so come and enjoy the night.”

GM Kate

“Excuse me did you say you open up the prisons and hospitals for the Volians to attack?” A knot filled in Calvin’s stomach. He did not hear the King wrong but it was as if his brain was refusing to process that comment.

“Would you prefer we allow the Volians to just run amuck?” Clearly, the King was becoming irritated with Calvin’s line of questioning. “You are in a position of command. I am quite sure you do not just let your people do whatever they want when they want. That would be chaos. So we as those in charge control the chaos. Why put people in jail for years? They will never be rehabilitated and just drain the resources they are not contributing to make. By offering them up to the Volians they can pay back their debt to the Beltrans.”

“Do you think it makes sense to lock down communications between a starship and its crew on a diplomatic mission, without warning. You have no idea what my crew might think is going on, especially if they figure out there are masses of creatures killing the locals. A panicked starship could do a lot more damage then your citizens.” This man had no concern about his people, but Marius suspected he would be quite concerned if a Starship decided to star shooting up the place.

Calvin Marius CO

“Are you saying you can not control your own people? Do they not follow your orders?”

“Excuse me,” Calvin snapped in a tone rarely heard but by only the most dimwitted and incompetent crew. There was the politics of diplomacy however the verbose and coddling diplomats they had sent in three times prior had in Calvin’s opinion accomplished nothing. This was why they had sent him in versus another pure diplomatic crew. “This dinner is over.” Not every battle was won in the first strike. Only imbeciles took a hill to die on. Calvin would regroup and come back when he had more insight about what he was facing. Tapping his comm badge Calvin heard nothing but empty air.”

” I am assuming you did not come here like a lamb. Your last order to them was not to decimate a fledgling member of the Federation if they can’t speak to you every hour on the hour, correct?” His tone was condescending along with his mannerisms. “You were told to attend the reception, which was not going to be over until dawn, so I suggest you have another drink and enjoy yourself. This inconvenience will be over in a few hours. It always is.”

While Calvin didn’t expect this, more of a kidnapping sort of danger. His crew on the ship were given orders to be very suspicious given that every senior member of the ship was requested off. “They are well trained, but they are trained to protect lives. They are going to respond to an animal attack, severely.” He turned sharply.

Calvin did not need this man’s permission to come and go. He did not live his life by your liege to some pompous foreign king. “I think we are done here.” There was a reason Calvin brought down two shuttles. They could have stuffed everyone into one shuttle but then they would not have had a spare in case of emergencies. If his crew could not come to him Dad would show up in the family sedan and retrieve them. “Come on we are leaving Lieutenant,” he stated to Vanessa.

The ground suddenly shook hard enough that anyone not ready for it would run the risk of falling over. Some of the art that was not completely secured began to shatter as vases hit the ground along with less surefooted waiters caring the drinks. Several people let out shrieks indicating this was not something normal or expected.

GM Kate

Vanessa felt the shaking and immediately flailed out grabbing Calvin’s arm. The earthquakes later would be found out to be increasing from barely noticeable at 3.0 on the Richter scale when they arrived to a solid 5.0 with this last one. It was strong enough that without Calvin, Vanessa would have fallen over like numerous other Beltran’s in the room. She was not used to anything like an Earthquake. Boston was as seismically as a mountain. “Are we under attack,” she asked looking around. The two of them had just spoke of an attack. With the comms signals down it might just be more than an small earthquake.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Calvin had been in battle more times than he cared to recall. Unstable terrain was as familiar to Calvin as plummeting down in a crashing shuttle. His training took over and he stabilized his base enough that the risk of his falling over was minimalized. Reaching out he let Vanessa stabilize herself against him. “Not sure,” he responded to Vanessa’s question.

Calvin watched as a man in what could be assumed was a military uniform approached the King and his position. “What is going on,” he requested in a crisp tone that compelled people to answer even when they were not in Starfleet.

Calvin Marius CO

The man looked at Calvin and the King before deciding to address them both. “The Volians are not following their predictable course of action Sire. They are approaching the Capital. We are sending the military to surround the palace but it’s not going to be enough.” The man’s voice was pleading for the King to issue an order or impart some wisdom. Instead, the King shrugged, downed his drink, and walked away. Standing there holding the PaDD, the officer was visibly distressed. Calvin did not know the Beltran military ranking system but his years of military service told him this officer was green.

GM Kate

“May I,” Vanessa asked reaching out her hand for the PaDD the man was holding. She could tell he was scared. She was too but unlike this man, Vanessa knew her CO would not cut and run the first second danger happened. It probably would be the exact opposite. In a small corner of her mind, Vanessa imagined Calvin stripping off his formal attire only to find the man wearing a camo uniform and about to scream, Come on your meatheads do you want to live forever. Depending on the company the colorful metaphor would vary but the sentiment would be the same. Calvin would stand his ground and protect those that needed help.

Taking the PaDD from the officer, Vanessa reached out and passed the PaDD to Calvin while taking his drink to free up her captain’s hands. “It’s going to be okay.” Saying this was the easy part for Vanessa. She had zero doubts that Calvin would get them through this. What she was waiting for, like the young officer, was how Calvin was going to do it.

Vanessa Slade CNS

The officer looked up at Calvin and began to report knowing no one else was going to be listening. Tapping a button on the PaDD, two images were brought up and overlaid. The first showed what looked like underground tunnels radiating out to points in a barren landscape. The other showed that the underground tunnels seemed to be veering off from those points and heading to the science station, the military installation, and the capital. Touching the PaDD again brought up old footage military footage.

On the screen was an image of a carnivore but instead of the typical apex predator, this creature looked like rat that was the size of a large house cat. The animal had short sleek fur that was so shiny it appeared almost leathery like one saw on a dolphin. The eyes were larger for its body but also tracked with a subterranean, nocturnal creature. The creature’s distinguishing weapons appeared to be extremely long teeth and claws. The schematic stated 46 cm (18 in) in head-to-body length and 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) in height, with about 30 cm (12 in) long tails and about 4-5 kg (8-10) pounds.

The next image the officer showed them was a video clip of the last attack. It would become very apparent why the Beltrans were suddenly very concerned about an animal this tiny. At first glance, it looked like a bubble of mud percolating up from the ground. When one looked closer they would see it was not mud spreading out in a vibrating pool but hundreds of Volians. The sheer quantity coming through the opening was staggering. As the video panned out, the dozen of holes in the ground poured forth the same amount until the entire ground was covered and looked to me moving in a thick mat of squirming wiggling bodies. The camera panned back farther to see how the Volian’s attacked. Like some B flick horror movie from Earth’s past, the Volian’s washed over a person like a wave at the ocean. If one had ever seen the Earth horror flick the Mummy the scene would remind them of the carnivorous beetles decimating the hapless workers with their bodies creating a silhouette of the shape and then reducing it down to nothing before moving on. The speed and vast numbers of the creatures was the real threat. The Volian’s were a horde when they attacked making even the best marksman ineffective in staving off an offense.

The officer pointed to a small area with his finger indicating he wanted the group to focus on there. It was just a box however as the mass horde of Volian’s moved forward, a small distortion on the screen followed by a glimpse of blue skin was visible.

“The Volian’s can’t attack what they can’t see.” As the area cleared slightly, several more distortions were noticeable. It was easily inferred that the camera angles in the video clip were taken by soldiers filming the event from a cloaked position.

“Those behind the shielding are essentially invisible and if one remains still enough and quiet enough, the horde of Volian’s move on to another food and resource source.” The officer had the neutral tone of a general explaining the course of a battle to others.

“So what should we do Sir? The King is entirely confident that our defenses will hold but I am not.”

GM Kate