Log:Guild Expedition, Scene 4

Guild Expedition 2016/05/10 	 Dorian Wasp Grimm Sapphire Inforcer Sarek Torus

4

The interior of the Takaga Explorer is relatively spacious. What would be a normal exploration vessel has been outfitted to feel like a cruise liner for the diplomatic mission to the Guild. As a result, it feels much warmer than it might have otherwise. Aboard there are twenty crew members, twenty scientists, ten stewards, and a diplomatic staff of about twenty.

That's in addition to the Starguard Gamma contingent and Captain Tamli Yosho.

The ship's launch is thankfully uneventful as it takes off from Starguard using anti-grav technology. Once it's well up away from the city, the main engines kick in, and the ship turns and heads into space, picking up speed. It's only a matter of a few minutes before the ship passes by the moon. The Tranquility prison is visible on a couple of view screens, looking peaceful and serene. A facade that hides some of the most dangerous metahuman individuals from Earth.

The trip to the Guild is scheduled to take a solid five days. To those not used to being patient, it seems like forever, even if it's well faster than light itself could make the trip. There are some minor mechanical issues in the first day or two, but they get sorted out in short order by the head engineer Rei. At the end of the third day, Dorian walks into the lounge area of the ship, and finds much of the team there. "We may have a situation."

"You'd think the ship would be more efficient in space maneuvering, if it was designed specifically to -only- function in space." mentioned Vicki casually as she sat in her assigned seat for the launch.

As it builds speed, she peered out of a viewport and looked at the moon. But.. when the trip got beyond that point, she found other ways to occupy her time. This is a woman who has done countless stakeouts. She can deal with patience. As long as she has coffee. This... is what she's doing when Dorian comes into the lounge.

She just finished brewing a pot of aeromatic coffee and has just poured herself a cup. "Anyone else?" she asks as she gestures to a rack of cups. But then as Dorian speaks, she just carries her cup to a table and sits down without saying anything more. She merely... looks his way and waits for more information.

Jackie was almost late boarding the ship, just making it in time before the airlock was sealed. The result of a heavy patient workload. So the last few days have been a holiday for her. Sitting in the lounge reading a fantasy novel and sipping a cold light beer is the height of decadent luxury as far as she's concerned. So Dorian's statement is definitely a mood breaker.

The first day or so was filled with amazement at being in space for Gabrielle. By today, she was starting to go a litle stir crazy. Or maybe literally crazy. She would talk to her shadow like it were some pet. Every night, she would hole up in her room to vidchat home to talk to Malcolm. Sometimes, she'd play with shadow puppets to pass the time.

Like right now, as she sits in the lounge, she's slouched a little a comfortable seat, casting all too elaborate shadowpuppets on the wall renacting a scene from Guardians of the Universe. When Dorian comes in to talk about a situation, she sits up and frowns slightly. "We're already there? What's going on?"

The Torus unsurprisingly has only been seen aboard by the others a few times during the past few days.

Often that's because the device is off galavanting around the galaxy as it sees fit (being 'On Mission' it haas - but most often it is because it is snaking its way through the ship taking note of its construction and the technology involved so that it can update its Historical Database with more 'current' information.

Just before Dorian states there is a possible situation brewing- the Torus appears in a flash of light just behind the bar. It has returned from another trip to Guild Space, where it has been learning the local trade language.

Ths globe sized sphere shrinks to be about the size of a golfball as it floats towards Dorian and stops 2m away.

For once- the device seems motionless as it waits for more information from the Commander.

Dorian chuckles. "No. Still a couple of days out, Gabrielle. Wishful thinking." He takes a seat and grows more serious. "We have a ship approaching on an intercept course with us. I wanted to discuss how we're going to deal with contact."

Jackie puts down the book she was reading and listens as Dorian explains the situation.

Inclining her head, Vicki shrugs her shoulders, "Well, we have -no- way of knowing what their intentions are. It could be someone from the cartel trying to prevent us from ever reaching the Guild. But it could also be a diplomatic team from the Guild that spotted our approach. Or it could be entirely unrelated to any of that."

She looks to the others and then back to Dorian, "Do you have any idea of how we might want to make contact? Assume the best? Prep for the worst?"

Dorian nods. "I should explain what we know about the Guild's structure at this point: We know they have a military. Kind of the equivalent of say...the United Nations peacekeepers. It's made up of multiple fleets from multiple worlds. We also know they have an equivalen to the UEMS. They're referred to as 'Inforcers'. One of them visited Earth with the Ambassador on her visit."

Dorian says, "That being said, the ship appears to conform to what we know as being a profile matching a Lancian ship. They're a reptilian race that inhabits a series of planets off to our starboard.""

"Were we promised an escort by Guild Command? Secondly, do you have data on the current speed and vector of the approaching ship?" The Torus asks as it finishes compiling its English to Argia translation software.

"Depending on how much time we have- it might be prudent to send a scouting party. Perhaps try to communicate with them from a safe distance via that away team." It suggests as it begins scanning the current Particle Horizon so that it can be certain of its current location in the Milky Way.

Grimm rubs her chin thoughtfully at the mention of another ship. "Well, we could try hailing them first before we assume they're hostile. If we try, I dunno, cloaking the ship or something, and they're legitimate members of the Guild, we could come off looking like invaders or something."

Jackie stands, "Did you say it's a Lancian ship, Dorian?" she asks quietly.

Dorian nods. "We dont' have a cloak. So, no issues there." He nods to the Torus, "We have data on their speed and vector. As I said, they're on an intercept course. We expect to have them cross our path in about an hour." He turns to Jackie, "I did."

Dorian says, "And we weren't promised an escort, though it wouldn't surprise me if we ended up with one."

"So.. what do we know about the Lancians?" asks Vicki. She thought she was educated about things that happened in the past, but it seems she missed some of the important briefings.

She narrows her eyes as she thinks on this and shrugs. "Obviously, we should treat them as an ally and a friend. Unless they do something monumentally stupid."

"Weeeell," Gabrielle says as she clicks her tongue and thinks. "I might be able to hide us to some degree. At least from eye contact. I don't know how well I can deal with their radar or whatever tech tracking us..."

Jackie frowns, "I don't want to pre-judge but it was the Lancians who erased my memories to try and conceal the abuse of genetic engineering on their population. This does not engender a feeling of trust towards them."

"That's a bit like saying.. a human hurt someone you know, so let's blame all humans for it." offers Vicki. "Even if it was a high level agent of the government... we can't hold the actions of a few against an entire species."

Grimm glances at Vicki and nods. "Yeah, that totes makes sense," she comments. "And you guys did say you were a bit biased, right? Needed some of us to maybe help you all hold off?"

Dorian nods in agreement with Vicki, "We shouldn't presume that the entire species is in on whatever happened the first time you were out here, Jackie. But it does make me cautious, nonetheless. It's better to be prepared than to be caught unawares."

"Agreed" The Torus says simply in agreement with Vicki & those others who have expressed their concurrance.

Jackie says, "I think you're missing the point. The Lancian elite have used genetic engineering to reduce the intelligence of the vast majority of their population to leave a docile and submissive workforce."

Dorian says, "Jackie, you've had the most contact with them of us. What do you remember about them?"

Nodding slowly, Vicki shrugs, "And that doesn't give us any indication of why they would be approaching us. It also doesn't mean that we should treat them as an enemy. Just because what they do, we consider unethical, doesn't give us the right to force our ethics on them. I think it's terrible but..." she shrugs, "We're not here to dictate how Guild members govern themselves."

Jackie thinks, "They seemed very welcoming. Their biological sciences are highly advanced. But at first I only saw members of the elite, who are almost a separate species. I'm still not entirely clear what they did, those memories are not complete. But when I discovered what they had done to the lesser members of their species I was infected by a gene tailored virus. Sorry... that's about all I remember.

Dorian nods slowly, listening to Jackie's description. "It sounds like they have likely engineered their species to match whatever role they need. So I suspect the crew members of their ship are highly specialized. It's also possible that you found out some other secret that you don't remember. Something else related, but you didn't realize it at the time." He shrugs, "Something to worry about for another day. In the meantime, let's talk tactics for how to deal with contact. I was thinking that I'd like those who are space-worthy to be outside the ship when we hail them. There are both benefits and drawbacks to doing that, though."

"Perhaps we have spaceworthy types on hand in an airlock.. but not out in the open. That way they're ready, but not a 'show of force' or some such?" asks Vicki. "And if it matters, I can go out there. I can also make a spaceworthy craft to carry others if needed. It would be 'spaceworthy', but not exactly space -combat- effective."

Dorian continues, "First off, if we have to break off and run for it, for whatever reason, those in space would be on their own. I'm going to be required to stay on the ship, in my official role. But I can coordinate from the bridge." He turns to Gabrielle, "Will your abilities work in you're inside the ship? Can you affect the other ship if you see it through a monitor or window?"

Dorian nods to Vicki, "Seems reasonable to me. It splits the difference."

"And if we need to evacuate anyone outside, I -will- make the craft and bug out. It's... FTL capable on its own." offers Vicki.

Jackie smiles, "If you can make a craft it's probable I can push it along at a speed far exceeding what their ship is capable of. Could we have that as a possible plan if things go wrong?"

With a shrug, Vicki remarks, "I doubt anything I could create from my energy could stand up to the sheer force applied by your hands pushing on it at faster than light speeds. But..." she smirks a bit, "It can do something like thirty five thousand C."

"Probably with a window...if I can see it, I should be able to affect it," Gabrielle replies, sounding a little uncertain. And then more confidently, she nods and murmurs, "...pretty sure."

Dorian chuckles. "As long as you wouldn't blow out the window?"

Jackie holds her hands up. "Point taken. I'll leave that to you then, Vicki."

Gabrielle winces a little at the thought. "i should be able to bypass the window without shattering it. Some of my tricks might not work, but I should be able to help out in a few ways."

Dorian nods. "Okay, so you'll have a choice, Gabrielle. You can be on the bridge with me, or you can be on call in the airlock with the others...ready to go into space if you need to. You'd have magnetic boots, so you could stick to the hull."

After thinking for a moment, Gabrielle says, "I'll go with you to the bridge, but I'll suit up for space just in case. I could get out there pretty quickly if needed."

"In all honesty, I think that in any situation with unknown outcomes... all crew should be suited up to a degree. We are in space... a small leak could kill half the crew if we're not careful." says Vicki as she stands up, a blue glow roaming up her body and leaving her clad in what appears to be a helmeted and visored... skinsuit. A spacesuit designed to be skintight, not bloated like NASA likes to use.

The Torus chimes in, "This one can also provide life support to one humanoid- though they will remain with me if they intend on remaining unbattered by the rigors of space if necessary, or I can provide quick access back to the ship if that is determined to be the proper course of action."

The black sphere hovers silently.

Dorian glances to Vicki and smiles, "They'll be at readiness level. I gave you all a head's up first." He does his best to not stare as she's now in a skintight outfit, but some passing crewmen heading toward the aft don't manage to avoid it quite as well.

Dorian nods. "Alright...so any other final thoughts while we're all in one place?"

"Do we have any idea what sort of weapons they might have on board?" asks Vicki as she starts moving towards the aft corridor to go to the airlock. "Just in case it becomes important." she adds with a shrug.

Dorian says, "No idea. Yet. We'll have a better idea when we get in closer scanning range."

Jackie sighs, "I saw weapons but, well, I was only interested in their medical treatments. So I don't have any idea what weapons they have." she says a little bashfully.

"Right. So..." Vicki shrugs, "Let's hope for the best. Fingers crossed folks." she states as she turns and heads towards the airlock.

Dorian nods. "Contact in about a half hour. I'll keep you posted. Everyone on your toes." He smiles. "Hopefully this will just be a peaceful meeting. We'll see." He gets up, and heads toward the bridge again to meet with the Earth ambassador and the captain.

Dragonfly shrinks. "Maybe it would be best if I remained out of sight at first? Since they may know me."

A pocket forms on one of Vicki's thighs. Shaped just right to hold Dragonfly should she so decide to hide there. "I can cover you if you like." she states.

Dragonfly flies over and slips into the pocket, "Thanks. This is perfect."

Grimm heads off to get suited up. The spacesuit fits loosely, but isn't quite as baggy as the old NASA suits from 60 years back. Before expected contact, Gabrielle steps out into the bridge, space helmet held under her arm.

Dorian is on the bridge with the crew of about six...and the ambassador and captain. He looks over to Gabrielle as she walks onto the bridge. He smiles, "Decided to go with the airlock instead of up here? Or are you hedging?"

"I'm hedging. I got a little training from Special Agent Forge, but my space skills aren't quite...y'know," Gabrielle grins, rolling her shoulders in a shrug that looks exaggerated by her baggy suit. "But if all hands are needed outside, I'll be out there. "

Internal radio hooked into the ship's comms, Vicki reports, "Sapphire and Dragonfly.. in position." and.. over her skinsuit, she starts growing armor plates, her helmet growing a bit thicker, and the whole.. pocket thing gets a bit of armor as well because.. duh.

The interior of the Takaga Explorer is relatively spacious. What would be a normal exploration vessel has been outfitted to feel like a cruise liner for the diplomatic mission to the Guild. As a result, it feels much warmer than it might have otherwise. Aboard there are twenty crew members, twenty scientists, ten stewards, and a diplomatic staff of about twenty.

That's in addition to the Starguard Gamma contingent and Captain Tamli Yosho.

Dorian nods and uses his radio, "Acknowledged. Gabrielle's on the bridge. Torus, where are you?"

The Torus appears next to the others inside the Airlock.

It maintains its golfball sized shape.

<> It says over comms

Dorian says over the radio, "I'll patch through the visual feed and audio. What you say over comms won't be broadcast to the other ship, but you'll be able to hear what they say."

"Understood." says Vicki as she holds up her right hand and projects a holo from the gem in the back of her hand. She can send and receive video signals too, fancy huh? She's looking at the display from the screen and even lowers it so Dragonfly can peek out and see it.

A bridge crew member says, "Ship is coming into visual range, sir." The captain says, "Bring it up on the view screen." A couple of buttons are pressed, and you can see an incoming ship. It has narrow lines and is built like a wedge. The engines glow blue as the ship arcs around in front of the Takaga Explorer. The captain says to the comms officer, "Attempt to open a channel."

Dragonfly gives Vicki a tiny thumbs up. Not having a suit she's limited in communications.

"Confirmed" The Torus says.

Rolling her neck, Vicki watches but... she is also moving a bit more than normal. She shakes out her arms... kicks one foot out and then the other. It's almost like she's... stretching, warming up before a run. Well, she might be. At the thumbsup, she grins and gives Dragonfly a nod. "We need to get you a tiny comm." she remarks.

A second image appears. This time of the bridge on the other ship. There appears to be several lizard-like beings in view. One of them says something in a language that of the beings on your ship, only Torus knows, << Greetings, humans. You are trespassing in Guild space. >>

Dorian furrows his brow. The captain speaks, "We're working on translating. But the Guild has the ability to translate our languages, yes?" The lizard on screen growls quietly...and several buttons are pressed. When it next speaks, there's a delay, but you hear it in English, "Greetings, humans. You are trespassing in Guild space."

Grimm remains quiet and still as the translated announcement is made. She glances towards Dorian before looking back at the screen. She tries her best not to hold her breath while waiting in anticipation.

The human ambassador, a woman in her fifties, says, "We are on a diplomatic mission to Guild space to formalize relations with the Guild." There's another delay. The lizard says, "Humans not leave planet, with few exceptions. What bring you here?" The translation is far from perfecet.

Muttering to herself, Vicki remarks.. well to herself and to Dragonfly, "We just -told- him what we were doing here, and now he asks what we're doing here? We may not be dealing with the sharpest marble in the bag."

Dragonfly nods.

The ambassador repeats her statement. "We're on a diplomatic mission..." The lizard growls and hits something on his console.

The sensor officer speaks up, "Captain, we have another ship approaching fast." That statement goes out over the comms to the other ship, and the Lancian growls again. He barks something to the others, which isn't translated, but Torus makes out, << No time! Weapons online! >>

And.. Vicki's left hand presses the outer door open button it's been hovering over for a while. The door snaps open and she surges out into space. Her energy field keeping her stable as she engages her flight power and circles up about the ship. Her plan is.. well to use her own barrier to give the Earth ship she can't recall the name of... extra shields should the need arise.

"Warning- They have powered up weapons. Prepare for conflict." The Torus says aloud, and over Comms simultaneously.

"Perhaps we should prepare for evasive maneuvering while we sort this... diplomatic issue out." The Torus says as it follows behind Vicki out of the airlock.

Another bridge crew member says, "Their weapons are coming online, sir." The captain shouts, "Full forward shields! Bring up the defensive batteries!"

"Captain. Be aware, I think they may be powering up weapons due to the newcomer, not us. Just a thought.." says Vicki over the radio as she flies.

The captain says into the comm, "So noted." He says to the weapons officer, "Hold your fire until we're fired upon."

Grimm narrows her eyes slightly as everything goes on high alert. Her pupils begin to dilate. No, wait...that's not quite right. It's like that black color is just spreading and bleeding until her eyes turn completely black as she powers up.

The weapons on the Lancian ship open fire on the Explorer. It's an array of proton beams that strike the shielding. The ship rocks, but the shields hold for the time being. "Shields are at sixty percent." The captain steadies himself at the console, "Return fire."

Grimm was not prepared for the force of the beam hitting the shield. Or maybe she leaned left when she should've leaned right. Either way, the jolt to the ship catches her off guard and she falls onto her side, her helmet skittering away from her. "Ow..."

Psyn shakes and stumbles a little but manages to keep her feet under her. She shakes her head, "Wish there was more I could do."

Dragonfly slides out of Vicki's pocket and flies towards the Lancian ship as fast as she can in normal flight. The distance is just far too short to allow FTL. So it's going to take her a few seconds to reach it. Which might just give her time to think of something useful to do.

"I got an idea." says Vicki over her comm as she turns towards the enemy ship and makes her way in that general direction. She's not as fast as Dragonfly right now. Since a portion of her flight power is being diverted into other things. What other things you might ask? Funny you should mention that!

The other things include added shields on this facing of the Explorer.

Dorian holds himself back...wanting to head outside, himself. He heads over to the sensor station to look at the telemetry of the other incoming ship.

Pushing herself back on her feet, Gabrielle gives up on her helmet, which has rolled a few feet away. She sets her eyes on the main window, looking over at both ships. Focusing on bringing about one of the Lancian's worst nightmares, Gabrielle begins to craft a grand illusion, pushing herself the limit of her powers.

Suddenly, there's a few flashes of light popping off all around the Lancian ship, as several ships of varying sizes similar to the Takaga explore warp in, weapons powered up and glowing hot. There are a variety of names on the ships, including among others, the Koboyashi Maru and the Enterprise. "Commander, I believe our reinforcements have arrived. Maybe we should offer the Lancians a chance to surrender," she says loudly as she locks eyes with the Lancian captain on screen, knowing he probably understands her.

The Lancians start to panic, saying things in a language that not even Torus knows. The illusion of the ships appearing was the final straw. They were nervous to begin with because of the incoming vessel, but this rattles them completely. Their ship pivots and zips away from the Explorer, trying to put as much distance as possible between the Earth vessels and themselves. The other ship arrives a moment later. Again, it's a sleep interceptor-like ship, with a blue and white paint scheme. It's smaller than the prior one, with a crew of perhaps 5 or 6.

The other ship makes contact with the Explorer, in English. And the audio is patched through to the team, "This is Inforcer Sarek. No damages were suffered, I hope?"

The captain replies, "We appear to be okay. Thank you for the assist."

The Inforcer answers, "We'll escort you the rest of the way. May I have permission to come aboard?"

"Sarek? Seriously? Did he bring his son Spock with?" asks Vicki over the internal comms. She turns back towards the Explorer and her eyes go wide when she sees the reinforcements.. she feels like one of those movie characters who thought they chased off the entire enemy force until she saw the backup army that arrived. "Whoa..." she mutters.

Dragonfly considers for a moment going after the Lancian ship. She could catch up with it easily. But it's fleeing and no longer a threat so she lets it go. For now. Flying back she returns to Vicki.

The interior of the Takaga Explorer is relatively spacious. What would be a normal exploration vessel has been outfitted to feel like a cruise liner for the diplomatic mission to the Guild. As a result, it feels much warmer than it might have otherwise. Aboard there are twenty crew members, twenty scientists, ten stewards, and a diplomatic staff of about twenty.

That's in addition to the Starguard Gamma contingent and Captain Tamli Yosho.