In reply to Lt Zedrick Sloane (msg # 83):

Marissa'a expression remained neutral throughout Lt Sloane's reply, and when he was done, she leaned forward in her seat.

"In a different environment and not needing to get a critically injured person some medical care I would agree with you 100%. Let me state in point form my reasons why this situation did not allow for your solution.

1 We were in a Vacuum, and with no Telepath, we had no way to communicate with it.

2 The creature either spits or secretes Acid capable of eating through both our suits and the decking; which in this case jeopardized the airlock to our vessel, as well as anyone who approached it attempting to communicate.

3 We needed to get the prisoner to medical care immediately and could not transport him.

4 I did NOT order Lt Clare to transport the creature I simply suggested to you that we decide soon how to deal with it, and he overheard the conversation and used his own initiative and judgement.

But that said I do not believe in a shoot first policy, or I would not likely have been assigned here to such a sensitive exploration.

You have my word, going forward that I will hesitate to use force, unless I feel we have no other alternative.

In reply to Lt Marissa Swann (msg # 84):

OOC: I thought the room with the airlock back to our ship attached to could support atmosphere, that meant closing the door behind us and one escape route. But we had option for the good old hello to the creature that might have worked.

IC

"Your points are well founded but the creature had not made an aggressive move towards us yet.  Potential vs. Actual risk is the big question.  Preparing to be able to beam it out would have been a plan if the risk became reality.  Our difference here is that you acted before the potential threat became an actual threat."

"For now I will consider the matter closed.  You are dismissed Lt." Sloane finishes hoping Swann realizes this discussion is done and they will agree to disagree.

The station is quickly placed in a stable orbit and secured. The Thames arrives at Freeman's Island and Dyson Control says, "Welcome to Dyson base, Thames," says the same person the crew had been talking to earlier, with a sprightly Irish lilt. "CPO Sean O'Grady, Operation Manager, speaking. The landing facility has just been modified to take your Atlantic class Runabout, so ye're free to approach and land. Commander Samson will meet you in the hangar bay. Dyson Base out."

The Thames settles onto the landing pad and quickly sinks into the bowels of the hangar bay, doors closing overhead. The Thames is lowered into a huge chamber with a number of Danube class Runabouts parked in two rows. The elevator pad touches down and O'Grady's voice comes over the communications system, "Please place power on standby and wait for the tractor beam to park your ship." The Thames lifts a metre off the pad and begins to rotate then back into a parking spot. O'Grady says, "All clear. You may now cut power and the ground crew will do your post-flight checks. Welcome aboard, Lieutenants."

Climbing down from the aft airlocks, the crew is greeted by a tall Human brunette and an equally tall female Andorian. Standing with them is a tan Caitian. The brunette strides forward, "I'm Commander Delilah Samson, the CO. These are LCdr Thoma, my XO and LCdr M'Rel, my CAG. Yoy must be Lieutenant Sloane. I already know Lieutenants Merawdr and Nivran, but please introduce me to the rest of your crew—Lieutenants Swann and Clare, I believe?"
This message was lightly edited by the player at 02:01, Thu 27 July 2017.

M'Rel sidles over to Argent. "So," he says, "What do you think of Sloane, Swann and Clare? How's Nivran working out? And what do you think of the new ship?"

After initial greetings M'Rel continues, "I understand you discovered a station orbiting Dyson. Unmanned aside from your survivor, I gather," gesturing to where Dr. Adonidas and a medical team are removing him from the Thames, overseen by Security Chief Gavak and the RRT NCO, PO2 Patton who is carrying a Phaser rifle.

In reply to Relic GM (msg # 87):

"Commander Samson, this is my Conn officer Lt. Swann and this is Lt. Clare.  Permission to come aboard" Sloane replies.

OOC Forget Lt. Clare's position and I'm guessing the proper request for the Dyson Sphere/Base is to come aboard

"And yes ma'am we were able to get right to it before even arriving here with the station orbiting Dyson and finding the one survivor." He adds.

"Welcome aboard, Lieutenants. Looks like you're off to a running start. Let's hope your survivor can give us some information about your station." She gestures to the turbolift. "We'll do your quick in-routine and debrief you all."

Up on the ground level, Samson leads Zed, Marissa and Jon to the briefing room. On the way, she makes small talk, "So, that's an Atlantic class Runabout—our first, and one of the first dozen off the assembly line. How does she handle?"

She seats everyone in the briefing room. LCdr Thoma takes her position at the briefing screen. She begins, "As you know, we've had a busy first year here at Dyson Base. We've had a confrontation with the Romulans, an attack by Kapecki controlled by a breakaway faction of the Finori, the discovery of a crashed Klingon command module, First Contact with several populations inhabiting the Sphere and, most recently an upgrade and expansion to our facilities. 2376 is going to be the year that Dyson Base comes into its own, mark my words."

In reply to Relic GM (msg # 89):

During the walk to the briefing room Sloane replies, "She handles great, I'm sure our engineer will be even fine tune the Thames even more.

After listening to Lcdr Thoma "LCdr, Based on us getting busy before arriving and listening to everything that has already happened I'm excited about this assignment and helping to explore this incredible facility."

"Once we are settled what are our first orders." He goes on and asks.

In reply to Relic GM (msg # 89):

OMG it's a travelogue!  She didn't say anything aloud, given that her first impression with her new CO was on very rocky ground.

Biting her tongue was not a skill she had mastered, but thankfully the speech was not long, and Marissa held on without wisecracking even once.

As soon as it ended she sauntered over to Cdr Samson, her hand held out to the Base Commander.

"A pleasure to meet you Commander. I am looking forward to exploring your sphere. Is this the base the Kapecki assaulted? That must have been a difficult time?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:12, Sat 29 July 2017.

In reply to Zed's inquiry, Samson says, "Well, first order of business once Dr. Adonidas has seen to your examinations, which it seems will have to wait until tomorrow morning given that she's busy with your Finori survivor, will be to check out your station. You'll be joined by the remainder of your crew, including your Xenotech expert Tony Gazzo and our Rapid Reaction Team led by PO2 Patton. Then, you're scheduled to look over an indigenous settlement discovered by the USS Cuyahoga a week ago. Lt. Rai has dubbed the natives the Vanara after a mythical race of ape-men from Hindu myth, since they are somewhat simian in appearance. After that, you'll be accompanying our new Klingon Medical Doctor to assess BortaS City's Klingon inhabitants. That should keep you busy for a good while. Meanwhile this afternoon Lt. Gavak will run you through your security in-routine. I'd like you and Lt. Swann to remain behind while Gavak processes Mr. Clare."

A burly Tellarite steps into the room. "Mr. Clare, this way if you please," he rumbles. Clare leaves with him.

Samson nods to Thoma, who follows them out of the briefing room. "I've been reviewing the Thames's logs and your suit recorders. There seems to be a little friction between you. This does not bode well. I much prefer my crews to be smooth, well-oiled machines. We had quite enough drama between Lt.s Dul and Kurasa last month, and I'd like to avoid any more. Lt. Swann, you replicated an unauthorised weapon on the Thames—not only one that isn't in your TOE, but one that was rejected for Starfleet issue. I do not expect this to happen again. Our TOE has been carefully vetted for maximum efficiency and efficacy. Please turn this TR-116 over to Lt. Gavak after this meeting. Lt Sloane is senior officer on the Thames and you are to keep him informed so he can command effectively. Mr. Sloane, your thoughts?"

In reply to Cdr Delilah Samson (msg # 92):

Sloane turns to Thoma and replies, "LCdr Thoma, Lt. Swann and I have already discussed our first mission together and now both understand each other's approach much better.  We will soon be running like a well made watch."

After saying this he keeps an eye on Swann to see her reaction.  More to see if they still have a problem or if he can chalk the first away mission to growing pains.

"I will also make sure my crew stays within the Starfleet regulations.  I made a mistake letting Swann use the TR-116, thinking she had authorization.  I should have verified before letting her use on a mission." He goes on to say.

When giving this command Zed had told himself that when stuff goes wrong that blame would stop with him, and praise would go to the crew members that deserve it.  Everything else could be handle in private.

"Thank you, Mr. Sloane. I trust things will go smoothly from now on. While out-of-the-box solutions are sometimes necessary,they should be used when by-the-book methods fail. I'll speak to Mr. Clare about chain of command and when to question orders for clarification. In the final analysis, you as CO are responsible for everything that happens on your watch." She raises a hand. "I'm not saying you have to micromanage your crew, but you do need to learn to read each other's intentions. It'll take some time to learn each other's personalities. Part of becoming a well-tuned machine is polishing out any rough spots in the gears, and that of necessity involves some measure of friction. Just—keep it to a manageable level. Take Commander M'Rel, for instance. True, he is... unconventional, shall we say. People tend only to judge him by his successful unorthodox methods. What they fail to see is his efforts to use conventional methods before trying some of his more... colourful... tactics. Now, this 'chamax' does appear to have been a non-sapient animal, so the net effect was the same as would have been attained had more traditional attempts to deal with it been tried. However, we must always keep in mind the case of Janus VI. The Horta seemed a ravening, murderous beast bent on the destruction of the mining colony, but in reality was a fully sapient mother protecting its eggs. That could well have been the case here, but thankfully it wasn't. Lt. Swann, I understand your early training was military in nature. However, you are now a Starfleet officer and often aggressive tactics are in conflict with Starfleet ideals. Anyway, that's all for now. Ms. Swann if you would be so kind as to remain behind. Mr. Sloane, you are dismissed, I believe Messrs. Merawdr and Nivran are meeting your crewmates in the flight briefing room. Directions are available from any LCARS console."

In reply to Cdr Delilah Samson (msg # 94):

Swann sat up in her chair as if expecting to get a command level reaming once Sloane was gone.

This message was deleted by the player at 19:58, Wed 02 Aug 2017.

After her brief talk with Samson she ran to catch up with Sloane

" Lt, Are you and I alright, Sir?"

In reply to Lt Marissa Swann (msg # 97):

"Yes Lt. we are fine.  Interesting the same example I used was mentioned again.  My biggest concern was how quickly you thought we were out of options. But what is done is done and lets move forward.". Sloane replies.

"Since our physicals are not until tomorrow  lets get settled and see if we can meet our other crew members.   No time to waste, because once we are cleared for duty I'm sure we will be sent out." Zed adds with a smile. "Oh and off the record I had no issue with the TR-116, but don't let anyone else know.  We will just need to find you a suitable replacement within regulations." He adds with a grin.

The Flight Operations Room is at the far end of the building, near the access to the landing pad. Next to a holodeck for flight simulations is a large square room with several rows of seats facing a briefing screen. M'Rel is there with Nivran and Argent, along with a Human male Lt.(jg) in Engineering gold, and a short dark-haired Human woman in Sciences blue, also wearing Lt.(jg)'s pips A tall alien woman with turquoise skin and long tentacles projecting from her occipital skull is talking to them. As Zed and Marissa take their seats, Jon Clare steps into the room. "Miss anything?" he asks.

"Nope," replies M'Rel with a grin. "Sloane and Swann just got here, so we're ready to go." He steps behind the podium. "Lieutenants Sloane and Swann, and jaygee Clare, these are your new crew. You already know Argent and Nivran, and the two jaygees here are 'Fast Tony' Gazzo from Sigma Iotia II, your Technical Assessment Officer Talja Gröen from Earth, your Astrosciences Officer. The civilian lady is Dahlakino, a refugee from the Finori captured by them in another reality in a Galactic Empire which is caught in a major civil war. She'll be working with Tony, as she knows a fair bit about robotics and alternate propulsion systems. Zedric Sloane from Alpha Centauri IV is your Commanding Officer, Marissa Swann of Earth is your First Officer&-mdash;you'll notice that she's part Klingon—and Jonathan Clare, also from Earth, is a sciences officer." [OOC: Jon's player has not yet turned in his sheet, so I don't know his specialty.]

Swann responded to Sloane's grin and his suggestion regarding the rifle. "Since my training was with the 116 I think, should it ever be needed, I'll just use it and ask for forgiveness; though the circumstances that necessitated it's use are unlikely to reoccur, and I am better with a Phaser rifle anyway. But that is something I will bring up in my report to Samson.

You must like having a 'by the book' CO"
She quipped as they entered the briefing room.


Marissa scanned the group . M'Rel looked like an officer who enjoyed what he was doing, perhaps a touch more relaxed than the 'Type A' officers she was meeting so far, An Iotian was an interesting addition; he'd have lots of colorful adages and habits.

Talja looked like a solid young officer, keen and likely quite capable; and then her eyes locked onto the alien, Dahlakino.

Marissa made the rounds, shaking hands and introducing herself arranging the order so she could finish with the Civvie.

"Miss Dahlakino,call me Marissa; it is a pleasure to have someone with a unique perspective joining us, I hope you will feel free to express your opinions, and never assume that there is any such thing as a stupid question.

I presume you are hoping to be able to return to your home?"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:32, Sat 05 Aug 2017.

The turquoise alien regards Marissa. "I'm pleased to meet you, Marissa. I'll do my best to provide sage advice. As for getting home... I don't know. I'm told that the Federation has done some research into interdimensional travel, and Commander M'Rel has some experience, but apparently this research has been spotty and irreproduceable at best. I'm not... 'holding my breath', as your saying goes."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:31, Sun 06 Aug 2017.

In reply to Dahlakino (msg # 101):

"Lts. Gazzo and Groen, and Dahlakino, I am looking forward to working with all of you." Sloane acknowledges.

"LCmdr M'rel, I'm interested in hearing what our first mission will be?"

M'Rel announces, "It is my pleasure, by order of Commander Samson, to award Ms. Dahlakino, late of the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire, the provisional rank of Lieutenant, junior grade in the United Federation of Planets Starfleet." He produces a small jewel box with a provisional rank insignia [OOC: the oblong pin worn by Maquis members of the Voyager crew] and a Starfleet commbadge. He places the commbadge on her left breast and the insignia on her right collar, shakes her hand and steps back. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Dahlakino."

Dahlakino thanks M'Rel and turns to the crew, a huge grin on her face. "Gee, I never expected this—it's a great honour and I'll do my best to serve to the best of my ability!" She hugs Talja and shakes hands with everyone.

Crew of the USS Thames II

M'Rel continues, "We have more to celebrate. Talja has just earned a promotion, which Cdr. Samson bestowed on her six days ago; and her sister Greta who has been missing aboard the USS Challenger ever since the second Borg attack on Sector 0-0-1, has been recovered along with her ship and is currently being debriefed. They were trapped in an alternate timeline where the Borg had assimilated the Earth, and waged war on the Borg, assisted by many races for two years before defeating them and finding a way home. To that end, we're having a party and dinner to celebrate at 1800 tonight. Dress is casual."

Talja beams. No-one on Dyson Base has ever seen her this happy. She's most often been depressed unitl the news came in. "Danke schön, mein herr," she says to M'Rel with a wide grin. "De nada," M'Rel replies. "Bar's open," he adds, waving everyone to the replicator station in the corner which is usually only used for raktajino during flight briefings.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:27, Mon 07 Aug 2017.

Once everyone has their refreshments, M'Rel continues with the briefing. "The first order of business is to continue checking out the station you discovered. Tomorrow afternoon, after you've done your in-routine, you'll proceed to the station's new orbit and proceed with surveying it and making certain there are no more of these 'chamax' aboard. The technical people are currently busy checking all your tricorder records and the transporter logs from the Thames to enable you to detect the creatures—we hope."

He stands and indicates the screen. "Once that is done, you'll be checking out a settlement of simian sophonts discovered a few days ago by the USS Cuyahoga. The inhabitants are very similar to the Pan, a Federation species similar to Earth chimpanzees. Here's an image of the village."


"...And one of the natives."


"They seem to have a pre-industrial agrarian society with black powder weaponry and riding animals similar to horses. Lt. Prashanti Rai of the Cuyahoga has named them Vanara, after a race of ape men in Hindu mythology."

In reply to Relic GM (msg # 104):

"Sir did the Cuyahoga make first contact, or is this the first contact mission?  And what do we know about them, are they tribal, what sort of political structure do they have?  Are they considered hostile or friendly? What can we expect as their reaction to us arriving?" Sloane is quick to question, excited for his first real mission here.

"The Cuyahoga merely observed the Vanara village. You won't be doing a First Contact, though—you'll be doing an in-depth scouting mission. Dr. Arapet, a Pan social scientist has been given the provisional rank of Lieutenant and will be joining you on the mission. He'll be arriving in a week from Starbase 21." He indicates the viewer which displays an image of Dr. Arapet.


"Arapet will be part of a new duck blind mission to observe the Vanara, and any First Contact will be left to his discretion. As noted, the Pan are very close to the physiognomy of the Vanara, so with minimal makeup he can be made to resemble them."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:33, Tue 08 Aug 2017.

In reply to Relic GM (msg # 106):

Busy, I will post over the weekend

The next day, February 07, 2366, the new crew members go through their in-routines. Marissa's physical was conducted at Starbase 21, so she is excused from Dr. Adonidas' physical. Zed and Jon pass without any problem, and all three pass their security checks speedily. Since one of the Thames's duties will be to investigate Kapecki and Finori outposts within the Sphere, Marissa as the Thames's XO is assigned to liaise with Security Chief Gavak and Intelligence Officer Talbot. Marissa spends the time with Talbot getting briefed while she waits for Zed and Jon to complete their physicals. Argent and Nivran use the morning to check Talja, Tony and Dahlakino on the Thames itself. After lunch, with the in-routines completed, the crew all meet in the hangar to begin the mission to the station to check it out.

To be continued in The Station...