[snip]

Glen asked the Operations Manager =/\= Chatel, can you defend yourselves? I believe the ships that have just arrived will attempt to take your Creator Stone by force. I will need to withdraw because our two ships are no match for eight of them out in the open. =/\=

=/\= We are detecting them as well, our scans of their mental and physical make up shows they are quite different then your own selves. =/\= Chatel said. =/\= As for defense measures these facilities have numerous small scale defensive measures from unwanted intruders into our stations. However, external defenses beyond our shielding is not viable anymore due to age, Captain =/\= they explained further.

=/\= Understood =/\= replied Glen

Glen thought there might be an emphasis on the use of “our selves” but although he registered it, he didn’t think anymore of it until Jasper later asked the Orb about whether humans possessed Creator DNA.

A hail from the lead ship also came on on all channels =/\= This is Th’anos Dione of the Eternal–Deviant. By my order I claim this system in the name of the Orion people! All Federation ships present will retreat to a 5 light year radius or we WILL open fire. =/\= The deep baritone male voice spoke through an audio link.

“Replay a copy of that static back to him,” Glen told the comms officer. “That should give us a few extra minutes.”

Glen then made to Tinga =/\= Time’s up! The Orions just arrived in considerable force =/\=

On scans the Avenger had come about taking a protective posture near the comet covered station Rogers and his team were on. Raising shields and priming weapons. Also on scans the station Roger’s was on had shown a marked increase in power generation for some reason the comet coming alight with a silvery toned hue as some sort of energy source powered up, though what it powered was anyone’s guess beyond perhaps Chatels

=/\= Most curious one of the members aboard the memorial station has accessed it’s deflector systems. This could be a dangerous operation as the station’s Orb system could foresee it as a combative intrusion. =/\= Chatel said over the open comms.

This was quickly matched by one from Roger’s who seemed unaware of Chatel’s presence/talk with the Merrimack. =/\= Captain Glen, it seems our time is running short to find the Finite Stone…or Creator Stone as your team calls it from that Orb thing. My chief engineer has gotten what he thinks is access to this station’s deflector array, he is going to try to initiate a pulse through the system when the Orion’s get close to overload their shield systems. Any news on where the Stone is yet? =/\= he asked.

=/\= Belay that pulse, Captain. We are in contact with the system and that wouldn’t be a good idea. The defence system may take it as an attempted attack and retaliate. This channel could also be monitored by the Orions, so I won’t answer you other question over open comms. =/\=

There was a pause in the line before Roger’s replied =/\= Understood Captain =/\= A moment later the Avenger for Roger’s replied again on an encoded frequency. =/\= Channel encoded, alright Captain, Lt Stark my engineer says he could get control of the defensive measures and initiate the pulse without endangering us. Surely we can’t abandon this system to the Orions without a fight. Think of the security of the Federation if we do, much less our own reality as these Creators put it. =/\= He said.

Glen turned to his first officer. “Kord, given everything we now know, I think the Creator Stone may be better left here as it is, and this system placed under a Starfleet General Order that no vessels under any condition, emergency or otherwise, are to visit. I feel we have only scratched the surface of the defensive capabilities protecting this facility and I’d like to stay on it’s list of friends. However, I was kind of hoping that Chatel could keep the Orion ships at bay and now it looks like time has worn out components. We might be able to fix up those external defences once we have got rid of this present threat, if we can see them off. As for Captain Rogers, he’s is a loose canon and dangerous. I didn’t like him right from the start of this enterprise and I have my doubts that he will go along with my idea. In addition, the Klingons and Romulans might arrive yet, so my plan is sketchy at best. Do you have any ideas?”

While Glen waited for Kord’s reply Th’anos Dione replied again as the 8 Orion frigates were now entering the system holding station 10,000 meters off the bow of the Avenger. =/\= Federation ships I warn you again leave this system or face an attack. I would prefer our expansion be without a battle but I will defend what is ours by ancient right! =/\= he said. Perhaps Glen and/or Rogers could try to talk to Th’anos and buy time for a plan to form.

So, Glen’s ruse about sending out static in reply to Th’anos wasn’t working to plan. He had obviously seen through that ploy as a delaying tactic. Glen would let him stew a little longer.

“I agree that we can’t let the Orion’s have it but we don’t have the means to defend the orb.” Kord replied, “If we can’t get the facility’s defenses online, we may have to destroy the facility and, hopefully, the stone with it.”

“Hold those thoughts, just a moment, while I reply to Rogers,” Glen told Kord. At the same time he was most interested in the conversation the surface team were now having with the Orb, especially Jasper’s insightful questions about DNA. It was difficult to juggle everything at once.

Glen replied to Rogers on the secure channel, =/\= Captain, my team do know the precise location of the Stone within the facility and are gaining a lot of information from the Speaking Orb on the defences and from a historical perspective. It is heavily defended but the extra-planetary defences are in need of some repair. It also appears that it will not work if removed from that location and whoever tried would be attacked. We now view it as a weapon of mass destruction, best left untouched. It appears that it didn’t work much to the advantage of the Creators either. Our plan A would be to repair the planetary defences and have this system placed under a Starfleet General Order that no vessels under any condition, emergency or otherwise, are to visit. Plan B would be to destroy the facility and, hopefully, the stone along with it. Plan C would be to deliberately let the Orions try to take the stone and destroy themselves in the process. At the moment we need to buy some more time. Would you like to talk to Th’anos and keep him busy while my team continues to gain further information? Tell him the the Black Fleet will arrive shortly. We are eager to learn more, as it is possible that the Stone has a DNA-encoded lock. We are therefore also curious at how humans have managed to activated it… and possibly my pet cat too, but I won’t go into that right now. We just don’t have the time. Captain Glen out! =/\=

Next, Glen wanted to inform Tinga =/\= Tinga, continue with this line of questioning. I’m trying to buy you some time but the Orion’s have a fleet of ships here. I can’t prevent them coming down to the planet. Your safety is more important than this information, so don’t stay too long that you can’t leave. We may be attacked and be forced to withdraw at very short notice. If so, meet us in the shuttle at the planet’s 2nd Lagrangian point. Glen out! =/\=

Glen turned back to Kord, “I would like to give Tinga, Jasper and Dr. Smith more time to question the Speaking Orb. If Rogers can’t sweet-talk the Orion captain, then we still have forty-odd probes left. We could send them out and mine the space around us, which would buy us a little more time.... It won’t prevent the Orions getting down to the surface though. We could also withdraw completely from here and allow the Orions to walk in like a bull in a china shop, and to destroy themselves, subject to the workings of the DNA-encoded lock. I’m open to other suggestions. I don’t think we can very easily destroy this facility from orbit. It also appears that it would fight back too, and right now, it seems to like us and considers us to be friendly. I’m happy to remain in its good books. An attack on it by us would turn its attention towards us instead of at the Orions… and we’d need to attack three facilities at the same time. Not an easy feat with two ships and surrounded by Orions. The final problem is that if the Orions are here, the Romulans and Klingons can’t be far behind. =/\=

-Glen, CO