=/\= "This is Lieutenant Commander Skig. We have 6 unconscious Klingons to be beamed up to security and then to be beamed down to the research facility." =/\=

The Away Team is requesting that we beam the six Klingons to the brig, and that they be beamed down to the facility on the surface. Kate relayed to the bridge as she focused on her task at the console doing a background scan for any unaccounted for communique in the area, across all known frequencies.  Trying to decipher if there are any other encrypted channels in use.

In reply to Saoirse Eleanor 'Elle' Quinn (msg # 239):

"Affirmative, Ensign. Commencing calibration."

[OOC -- How do I resolve a task? Specifically, I am looking to make a check for REASON + ENGINEERING (or SCIENCE) = 15. I would also like to roll more than 2d20. Should I use Momentum, Threat or Determination?]
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Tue 28 May 2019.

[OOC-- I also have the Technical Expertise talent.]

[OOC -- Okay. I think I figured it out.]

09:24, Today: Kalem Lenaris rolled 12 using 2d20 with rolls of 10,2.  Reason + Engineering (Sensor Calibration for Cloaked Klingon Vessel).
This message was last edited by the player at 19:36, Wed 29 May 2019.

The alien ship is not cloaked. The Klingon freighter is probably still cloaked, but it's probably out of range of the transporters. The Klingon facility is still cloaked, but it's out of range now, too.


Reason + Engineering for Lenaris equals 15, which is your TN (Target Number).

The Difficulty is 3.
> Transporting someone or something to or from the transporters would normally be Difficulty 0.
> Doing a site-to-site transport (from alien ship to brig) increases it to 1.
> Transporting from the alien ship which is both unfamiliar and of unknown construction AND it's from a different quantum universe increases it to 2.
> And transporting in the Shackleton Expanse with its dark energy increases it to 3.

So, your current roll only produces 2 successes.

However, you can roll an additional d20 for the Ship.

There is no current Momentum to use to roll more.

Your Value of 'Threw out the book and wrote my own' would be valid under the circumstances, so that lets you use 1 Determination (which would be an automatic roll of 1 and thus two successes).

Plus, you can gain one die for increase the Complication Range from 20 to 19-20.

[OOC -- Starmaster, thank you for explaining my PC's options and TNs. I have yet to play a complete game session of STAR TREK ADVENTURES and the game mechanics are still new to me.

Kalem has 2 successes so far. His value of "Threw Out the Book and Wrote My Own" will yield him two more successes, so that's 4 so far. I guess I might as well have him go for broke here. I will roll another die for the Ship. He also has the "Technical Expertise" talent, so he can reroll a die.

I don't know if this will help, but he also has a focus in "Transporters and Replicators".

So, what does this all mean? His original intention was to find the cloaked vessel. If he can beam people back and forth, that would be a bonus, but he only knows what he's been told.

Any guidance on this matter that you can provide would be appreciated.]

That was two different Tasks: finding the cloaked Klingon ship and beaming Klingons off the alien ship.

If you are attempting to find the cloaked ship, you don't really know if it is out there.

Finding a cloaked ship is normally a Difficulty of 2, not knowing whether it is still there or not increases it to 3. And the dark energy of the nebula increases it to 4. If  you choose to try and boost the sensors' range, that would increase it to 5.

You still need to roll for the Ship's Sensors. It has a different TN, though, based on the ship's systems. TN 12 (Sensors = 10 + Science =2)

So that would be 3 dice (of the limit of 5).

Using Determination (reduces your Determination score by 1) would add 1 die for a total of 4 dice, but it scores you 2 successes.

Normally, if you want to 'buy' another die by increasing the Complication range (to 19-20 from just 20; any roll of these numbers would cause a Complication), you have to state that before you roll dice.

But, I'll let you do that if you want. So, you have 2 dice to roll to get you 1 more success.

I'll assist him from my console. one success


19:14, Today: Katherine Seward rolled 2 using 1d20 with rolls of 2.

The Bajoran ops officer continues to work on his console, trying to locate the cloaked vessel and beam the Klingons off the alien ship. Fortunately he is assisted by Lt. Katherine Seward at communications.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
08:51, Today: Kalem Lenaris rolled 16 using 2d20 ((15,1)).

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Kalem has achieved 4 successes already. Katherine has assisted with another.

---

With Katherine's assist, Kalem is able to isolate the Klingon life signs on the alien ship, lock on with the transporter, and beam the six Klingons into the brig.

The transporter automatically removes or disables any weapons from the Klingons--it's standard protocol.

Now Kalem can turn his attention to finding that cloaked Klingon supply ship... if it's even still around.

Kate gives Kalem a confident smile and a sudden nod as she focuses on her duties at her station.  "good job sir." She comments more toward her screen then directly to Kalem.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Thu 13 June 2019.

Still looking at his control console, the Bajoran reports to Elle. "I have managed to isolate the Klingon life signs on the alien ship, lock onto them with the transporter, and beam the six Klingons into the brig..."

He then turns to look meaningfully at the communications officer. "... With Lt. Seward's assistance."

He then turns to Ensign Quinn. "Do you wish me to locate the cloaked Klingon supply ship, ma'am?"

"Great work, Mr. Lenaris – and Ms. Seward... and yes." Elle replied, before tapping her badge.

=/\= "Captain th'Valla, the Klingon prisoners have been safely transported to the brig, the second Away Team is... er, still alive , and are engaged in combat aboard the Ancestor. We are attempting to locate the Klingon vessel, although after our initial engagement, it appears not to pose an immediate threat."

"Have Commanders Vinzz or T'Shran uncovered anything urgent we should be aware of, sir?" =/\=
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Sun 16 June 2019.

In reply to Saoirse Eleanor 'Elle' Quinn (msg # 253):

     Before any response to Elle's query is received, the door to the Captain's Ready Room snaps open and Lt. Commander Vinzz comes rushing out and onto the Bridge with a scowl on his blue face--only to suddenly come to a halt, his arms flailing almost comically as he stops.  His scowl turns to a puzzled frown as his eyes--and his antennae--sweep over the scene on the Bridge.

     "Where are the Klingons?!" Shard demands.

"The Brig, Mr Lenaris and I have managed to secure a lock on them and transported them off the unknown vessel and into our brig Sir." Kate said from her station.  Kate continues with her report to the LT Cmdr in charge of Security. "We've been unable to locate the Klingon Vessel as it appears to have gone to cloak, and possibly left the area.  There appears to still be a fire fight ongoing on the unknown vessel, and Klingon Facility at last update sir."

In reply to Katherine Seward (msg # 255):

     "Oh, there was never a firefight down at the Klingon Facility.  That was just us destroying pocket Universes.  Things are all quiet there, now." Shard says, still casting his glare around the Bridge,

     "And good job sending the Klingons straight to the Brig, uh..." Shard pauses to look towards Katherine, "Uh, Lieutenant.  Excellent work."

     "But somebody..." Shard again glares at everyone, "Just reported that the Klingons had been transported here, to the Bridge!  And prisoners or not, bringing any number of Klingons--who have just been engaged in their number one recreational pursuit of combat!--onto the Bridge would be reckless.  Agreed?"

     Shard loses the scowl, "As for a continuing firefight..."

     Shard reaches up and taps his comm-badge.

     "Vinzz to Security.  Muster all Security personnel immediately.  Wake off-duty personnel.  I want everyone--and I mean everyone!--equipped with light tactical gear and armed with Type-Three rifles.  Well, everyone except those officers guarding strategic areas on this ship."

     "When equipped and ready, the Security Force will beam over to this--what did you call it, Lieutenant?  Unknown Vessel?--right, Security Force will beam over to this Unknown Vessel and suppress all violent Klingon activity.  Inform the Force that they are authorized to...vigorously encourage our valiant Klingon allies to lay down and take a nap.  Am I understood, Chief?"

     =/\= "As crystal, Commander.  Standing orders are to stun anything that looks like a Klingon." =/\=

     Shard nods, then turns back to the Ready Room, "Carry on!" he says, going back in to report to the Captain.

Even before Shard leaves the bridge to return to the Captain's Ready Room, the following command comes over the comms.

=/\= "Belay that order, Commander! I've dispatched an appropriate Away Team to the alien ship to deal with the Klingons, which they've done successfully so far."

"Sending that many people over to the ship would be tantamount to an invasion, which would make us no better than the Klingons." =/\=

The ship and those on the bridge continue to monitor the surrounding space.

There are three unknown entities out there but there could be more. Some sort of confluence has brought those four things together at this time and place: the cloaked Klingon facility trying to create a forced singularity power supply, the Klingon supply ship that was responsible for destroying The Catspaw, this alien ship from an alternate universe, and... The Mongoose.

There were linking events for all of them, but was it mere coincidence that The Mongoose had encountered the Klingon facility?

And then there was the dark matter and dark energy of the Expanse. That itself was a phenomena worth investigating. And, of course, that was part of The Mongoose's mission.

Every so often, the sensors would get a blip on them, but it would vanish faster than it appeared... too fast to get any kind of accurate reading on it. That was mostly due to the distortion caused by the dark energy. It sort of pulsed... in that it was constantly being generated by subspace interaction. In a way, it was sort of a link between normal space and subspace.

Anyway, the blip could be the Klingon supply ship. Or it could be something else altogether.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 258):

Lt. Kalem sits behind the Ops console patiently waiting as he looks at his read-out screens. The Mongoose is definitely an "interesting" place in which to work, he thinks to himself. Lots of activity...

He turns his head to look at Elle.

"Ma'am? Ensign Quinn? Did you wish me to expand our sensor array pattern to encompass all of the missing pieces out there, or did you wish me to focus on any one bogie?"

He then turns his chair to face the command chair. "And perhaps it might enhance our scans if I can patch into Lt. Seward's comm station, as well. Maybe the two of us can get the job done, Ma'am."

The Bajoran tries not to look at the communications officer.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Wed 03 July 2019.

Kate smiles at Kalem and nods from her station.  "I'm up for it if you are Kalem." she said as she began to sync her own console with Kalem's in anticipation of combined efforts to locate the cloaked ship or any other anomalies they were unaware of around the n-space rupture.

One of the reasons that there are still people manning helms and sensor stations is that the computer, for all it's sophistication, isn't capable of intuition. 90% of all computer programs include a delimiter. So, if a sensor sweep is being done of a particular area, for instance, rather than the computer showing all 6,753 results, the delimiter keeps the output to 2,000 (or whatever). Generally, the computer has a probability matrix that says to disregard anything less that 1%... or 5% or 10% or whatever that particular parameter calls for.

In the case of readings, if a result of .03% occurred, the computer wouldn't know what to do about that, even though it can process data 1,000 times faster that a person can.

A person, however, doesn't have to run through all 2,000 possibilities--she only has to look at the list and spot the single entry that looks 'hinky'. No one's been able to program hinky into a computer.

In this case, the sensors might pick up something that holds no meaning for its program but that Seward or Kalem might think is suspicious.

On the other hand, you're also talking about quantum physics... specifically, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: the position and the velocity of an object cannot both be measured exactly, at the same time, even in theory.

Thus, you might be able to tell where the Klingon ship is at a given instant, but that wouldn't be true an instant later. This is because it isn't the ship itself that you are detecting but the quantum energy signature.

It also includes distance, which is further complicated by the dark energy.

Even if you locate where it is, you probably won't be able to track it as long as the Mongoose is holding station near the alien ship.

Quinn nodded at Lenaris and Seward. Their working in tandem could/would work well. "A wider sweep for any anomalies, Mister Lernaris and Miss Seward — though I know we're amid a sea of anomalies. Even with Commander Vinzz's... er, spirited speech, I doubt the Captain would want us going on a wild goose chase in pursuit of this Klingon ship, at least not until Commander Vinzz is able to... speak with the Klingons beamed aboard, especially if it might incite war."

"To be honest, I'm more interested in anything related to the Ancestor — what brought it here, how and why," Quinn said, turning to look at the two officers who were already her senior, "Anything you two think might be revealing of that, on top of anything odd or suspicious your search yields, would get a clearer idea of the big picture!"

"Captain, I have the Ancestor on comms they are reporting that the Klingons have been neutralized on their ship and are requesting that they relocated outside of the anomaly so that it can reduce its effect on them. What are your orders sir?" Kate says into her comm badge as she hears the transmission from the Ancestors.  Her eyes going to focus on the alien ship with interest.

COMMS>>> "Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Have the rest of the Klingons beamed into the brig as well. But keep them unconscious. I don't want to have to worry about a diplomatic problem claiming they were mistreated."

"There is no known drug that will make them talk, even if they actually know anything. Not even a Vulcan mind-meld can extract information they don't have." <<<END COMMS