Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Pretha Oberon (Chief Security Officer) in Trying to reach Deck 31

Posted by Lieutenant Sural (Chief Engineer) in Trying to reach Deck 31

Posted by Ensign Oliver Pierce (Engineer) in Trying to reach Deck 31
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

SNIP

Were Sural human he would have been well in a position to sigh. He had tried it once; apart from an exhalation of air it did not particularly accomplish anything. Still, in similar situations he had observed there was a 78% chance that a human would, at this point, sigh. “Unfortunately, I too am not a ‘pro’ at this. Tactically we cannot allow assets to be left for the intruders. We are dealing with a computer, albeit a sophisticated one. Perhaps we can exploit that.”

“You are correct. The information is the value of this installation and it must be stored somewhere. He gazed about. Wireless data transfer was possible, however with the kinds of data that they were talking here it was implausible. Hence the network of neural and hard lines throughout a vessel. Ensign Pierce, logically feeds from these monitors and stations must lead somewhere. If Mr Galen is correct we may be able to place a redirect device onto their data storage and feed it to the bridge. Please attempt to locate that source.”

“Mr Galen, our travel will likely take us down further to deck 31. From this area the shuttle bays are beyond. Tactically what is the best way of getting there?”

Sural considered the next idea. It was germinating in his mind however it was not forming a plan. Computers were fallible in that they operated by their programming. Perhaps the duality of the duplicates might be utilized to confuse the computer. It had been done before on the basis of appealing to the AI, such as the fledgling M5 of many decades earlier. The computer currently had very limited parameters. Logically it was not a full program as so many of the inquiries were redirected to punishment. Still, how to take advantage of it or at least tie it up in some way.
- Sural, CE

Galen thought for a moment and then came to Sural’s side. “OK, so we are here… the shuttle bays are down one more deck on 30…” he was pointing to the location on the console before them as he tapped up the info. “You know…” he closed the console and put it back on the message Sural had received. “The upper secondary computer core is there. If we can managed to tap into the core from here, we can download the info then secure it from the rest of the ship. It would be … trapped… for lack of a better word. Right? Would that work?” He was no engineer but he knew the computer cores were able to be segregated from security trainings. They would be able to use the shuttle bays to move about as well. He just hoped that they could traverse that one deck difference with enough safety that they would all make it to 31 after that.

NE Galen
Security
((Going that we are in one of the bays on 29… and heading to the bays on 30 on our way to 31… if wrong, lemme know))
OOC: I believe that is correct. Never made it down that far. Might be on 28 but 29 seems good

Sural gave some thought. Computer core. That might be an option. Downloading information was 92% unlikely as the intruders were more likely to have the data isolated to prevent detection and hence not connected to any of the ship’s computer cores. However, were they to manage to determine whether they had affected the main computer, they could perhaps achieve sufficient control to wrest computer control back, or reset the systems shipwide. “Reaching the computer core is a logical next step,” he replied. “Whether we can transfer any data or not, another objective could be to attempt to wrest computer control back to our AI. Ensign Pierce, remain here and attempt to continue in information gathering and tracing power and data. Send a note to myself every ten minutes with the value of PI starting after the decimal point. After each two that you have sent erase the last number to avoid anyone else knowing the progression. If you are under duress utilize the first numerical value of 3.”

“Mr Galen. Shall we go?” he inquired.
- Sural, CE

“Yes, sir!” Oliver shouted, perhaps a little too loudly, in response to his order. Though he was getting a little frustrated at his lack of progress, the ensign again redoubled his efforts into gaining access to the internal sensors to scan for duplicate life signs, and to get the computer to tell him the current progress of Priority Alpha. His fingers, mechanical and biological, hammered away at his interface as he got back to work.

Oliver Pierce, Eng
OOC: Good to see you back :)

The trip towards the computer core was fairly uneventful. A few locks that could be manually opened were the only real security in the area. As the group moved closer to the core, a phaser shot came from a side corridor. The owner of the weapon looking terrified with a gash on their off hand. Blood trickled down to the floor from the nasty wound. “Who goes there?! I WILL shoot you!” They fired again.

-GM

As soon as the phaser blast whined out Sural flattened himself against the bulkhead. That would not likely do much, though it was his only cover. The glance he had was that there was a wounded crewman. There was a possible chance that this was a partial ruse, however, to Sural’s mind, the odds were not in that favor. “I am Lt Sural of engineering,” he said. In officer training they had moments like this in trying to keep one’s voice calm and well modulated. For Sural, that ‘was’ his tone. “What happened, crewman? What is your name?” He paused, then added, “We can administer first aid on your wound.”

He looked toward Galen; basic security kit on their belt was a stripped down dermal regenerator and hypo. He hoped he had it with him. They could carry on as this was a side corridor and leave the man, but Sural was not about to leave anyone behind. Not without reason. The needs of the many outweighed that of this one. That was evidently logical, however, if he was a computer operator he would be effective and as a source of needed information. “Where did they go who did this to you?”
- Sural

Galen’s reaction as the weapon was fired was to step back, his arm automatically going across the front of Sural. It wasn’t necessary because Sural had baked up quicker than the security officer’s reaction. Galen made a quick glance as Sural spoke, making sure the man wasn’t harmed. He kept his voice silent, but the phaser was still in his hand as it had been since leaving the mock bridge. As they had checked rooms and unlocked various barriers, the lead had swapped between them. As the shot had been fired, Sural had been in the lead. Galen silently cursed himself. It was his job to protect the Chief Engineer. And currently he was doing a lousy job.

NE Galen
security

There had been a pause. Sural’s mind computed the various options even as he glanced at NE Galen. He gave him a nod that was supposed to imply that his actions were proper. It wasn’t so much that Sural was reckless; to be honest he had not considered anyone down below here to actually have been one of them. Moreover, all that being said, he should have suspected there would be some residual crew from the alternate universe about. To have been caught by surprise like that indicated they had been lax - that he had been lax.

“What do you suggest, Mr Galen?” he asked in a low voice. “Can we talk him down from to assist us?”
- Sural, CE