"Not I, PO Amamiya!" Daniel answers promptly, figuring no answer at all would be taken as an affirmative. He glanced about to see if he saw anyone injured but unable to reply.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:46, Mon 30 Aug 2021.

The sudden rocking of the ship almost threw T’Lara off her feet.  Had she been pulled backward, rather than forward, she would have been, too.  Fortunately, she was facing, more or less, the same direction as the ship’s new trajectory, that after staggering a couple of steps forward she quickly regained her balance.

Then the alarms went off, and T’Lara first made sure none of the others were seriously hurt or required any assistance before rushing into the shuttle and strapping in with the rest.  This wasn’t the worse jolt she has experienced, by far, but even a mild one could result in injuries, and likely some crewmembers on board the Independence suffered some bruises.   Hopefully, nothing too serious.

“I’m fine” she gave Azami a gentle nod.  Her heartbeat was starting to slow down, her breathes more even.

The target number is your Control + Security, assisted by the ship's Weapons + Security.  You would roll 2 dice for yourself (as the tactical officer firing), and one die for the ship.  Hope that helps!



Running around the Oort cloud to the opposite side can be done safely using warp drive, which won't take long.

Going through the Oort cloud itself, in this specific case, would be very dangerous at warp.  But once through, warp speed is possible.  Total travel time would be around an hour.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:52, Mon 06 Sept 2021.

And we have to be on the ‘inside’ of the Oort Cloud (where the planet is) to perform our scans, yes?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:48, Tue 07 Sept 2021.

OOC: We cannot scan the planet from outside the Oort cloud. Not meaningfully, anyway. We have to go through it and be on the other side. To get a really detailed scan we'd need to be in orbit. OTOH, once we're through we can use warp drive again, so it's a very quick trip.

After considering the situation a moment, and taking in the council of his senior officers (including ooc chatter, which I assume reflects IC discussions),  ch'Pertha stood.

Hitting his comms-badge, he said to Vex, "Commander, ready your team for launch.   Depending, it might be a fly-by launch.   Once on the planet, I want you to take responsibility for a complete analysis of the situation there.
Expect the colony to have been over-run by these alien beings:  treat this operation with the highest regard".

Turning to Decker he said, "I need you either at your station, or on that shuttle, Lt Commander" ... time to make a choice.  "Either way, I want your department both scanning the ship-entity for any signs of movement or response ... AND begin planetary scans the moment its possible.   Make sure all scan data also goes to Commander Vex".

To Helm he said, "On my word, we are going to make great haste, with all reasonable safety, into orbit of the colony planet ... fully prepared for a swift, fighting retreat if we receive an unfriendly welcome".

Into his comms-badge again, "Engineering, as soon as we are in orbit, I want those surveillance drones dropped, in case we need to retreat.    Program them for atmospheric insertion, with self-pres evasion protocols, including the use of the planets terrain".

"Doctor, I want you scanning the entity and anything that emerges from it,  Using the data to scan the Oort and the planet for similar biological signs".

Finally,
"I want to hear an "Aye" from each of you when you are ready for 'Go'.  Lets do this, people".


Sorry, T'Lara, I have no idea what to designate you to in this immediate situation.

"Sounds like we're going to hit the Oort cloud at speed, best to be strapped in," Dr. Layne said to Dr. Verghese. "Things could get rough."

A fearsome grimace spread across PO Zogoyah's green face. For those who knew him, it displayed his anticipation of action, though to those unfamiliar with the Gorn might mistake it for a dangerous rage.

Danial Trainor strapped in.    It looked like they were in for a wild ride.

Decker nodded and swiveled back to his console, opening a channel to his full department, "Lieutenant Kezix, grab your field kit and report to the XO in the shuttle bay immediately. You'll be accompanying them to the planet."

"Lieutenant Williams, we're heading into the cloud. Forward and lateral sensors need to penetrate as best they can as we go in - if there are navigational hazards, flag the helm directly. We're also looking for energy signatures in case there are more of those artifacts inside."

"Lieutenant Torik, you and Ensigns Jorel and McAdams keep the aft sensors on the artifact as we pull away from it. We need to know if it's pursuing, if it's preparing to fire again...anything."

"All other departments, continue your analysis but be ready for a bumpy ride."

He turned to ch'Pertha, "Aye, Captain. Science is ready."

D'rala turns to take stock of her jostled, but uninjured team, before pressing on her communicator.

"Aye, Captain. Shuttle is ready for launch at your order."

After, she turns back towards the team.

"We are likely launching imminently. It may be flyby. We are operating under the likely but unproven assumption that the colony has been overtaken. This will be first and foremost an assessment mission, although our objective may change as we receive information."

"Aye, Commander!" The Gorn was eager for action, all the time on the ship was fine, but not what he lived for.

  Pleased that T'Lara remains well - as well as they can be in the circumstances - Azami grants a thin smile in return before focusing her attention on the XO.  Potentially nothing more than a flyby, for recon?  The colony potentially under external control?  She grimaces, but holds her peace - it's not her place to second-guess command.  Better to be prepared to support whatever decision is made.  Ergo, Azami contents herself with a short nod as Zogoyah barks an affirmative, more than enthusiastic for both of them.

If it's a flyby, it's a flyby; if not....

Once again, she checks her equipment and supplies before securing them.

T'Lara nodded in response to the commander.  She really hoped she was wrong, for the sake of the colonists and the away team, but there was a very good chance she was right.  They just encountered a new alien species, supposedly belligerent.  Their presence in the system would be the most likely explanation for why they've lost contact with the colony to begin with.

The Independence breached the cloud at best safe speed - safety of course being a relative thing.  Nothing was completely 'safe' in space.

There are some harrowing moments, and it occurs to a few senior officers that Ensign Nyshuri is very junior and not quite the hot dog pilot that Mcreeg was.  The young woman's eyes don't vary from her instruments, and her frame is taught with stress.

In the shuttle bay, everyone is ready, stowing their gear and bracing for an emergency launch.

Despite fears, the alien entity does not pursue through the cloud.  It merely looms beyond it.  Waiting?

And then the Indy is through the clouds and warping towards the planet.

Dropping out of warp, the sleek Miranda-class cruiser made for Coriolanus IV at high impulse.  The planet loomed serenely before them... no signs of anything dastardly having occurred, at least on visual.  Scans were complicated by strange magnetic fields.

There was no reply to COMMS.

As the ship was en-route to the planet, LT Kezik made his way to the shuttle bay and up the ramp of the shuttle. He was panting a bit with exertion, hauling a field jacket and pack in his arms. "Apologies, Commander Vex. Apparently there was a last minute change of plans. Lieutenant Commander Decker sent me in his stead."

He glanced around the shuttle interior for a moment and then began to stow his gear.

ch'Pertha stood at the centre of the Bridge, as the ship passed through the cloud, and came in close upon the planet.

With a moment to consider, and to sense whether there was to be any immediate reaction from the Space Entity^tm, he said,
"Continue to monitor the Space Faring entity, Doctor Layne.
Begin full scans of the planetary surface, Ltn Commander Decker.

Commander Vex, you are clear to launch.    Continue now on your own initiative", he said, leaving her to her own devices.   Whatever the Landing Party did now, it was at Vex's direction.

Now ... now came the waiting.  Waiting for data to be attained.   Waiting for some ... any ... movements from the surface, or from the creature-ship out there.
Now came the anticipation:  as they waited on tenterhooks ... ready to respond to any of many conceivable events.
Waiting.

To fill the silence, and to keep his crew appraised, ch'Pertha hit the ship-wide PA again, "Attention Independence.   We have breached the Oort Cloud, and are now holding position above Coriolanus IV.   Our ... counterparts of unknown origin ... remain outside the system, and have not reacted further to our presence, but we will be remaining at Red Alert regardless.
Maintain your stations, and prepared".


What is our 'Momentum' into this scene looking like?   Do we need a small top up?  If so, lets make that an inspirational post:
- rolled 7,8.  Presence+Command (with Inspiration Focus).
that would be two successes

"Aye, Captain."

Decker tasked the starship's powerful primary sensors to scan the planet surface, beginning with the colony location.

I assume we're in a geosynchronous orbit or something similar, which seemed common in Trek, OR at the very least we entered orbit in LoS of the colony.

He also ordered the officers and crew manning the lateral and aft sensors to keep an eye out for the artifact or anything else in orbit or approaching the planet.

Rolling 3 dice (buying 1 with momentum) Reason (12) + Science (5) plus 1 ship's die Sensors (9) + Science (3). Difficulty reduced by 1 due to Advanced Sensor Suites.
09:58, Today: LCDR Christopher Decker rolled 46 using 4d20 with rolls of 14,6,17,9.  Initial planet scan (3 Decker dice plus 1 ship's die).
Hm. The 17 should still be a success, but we'll re-roll it for fun. What could go wrong?
09:59, Today: LCDR Christopher Decker rolled 7 using 1d20 with rolls of 7.  Re-roll of 17 on initial planet scan.
Decker rolls 14, 6, and 7. Three successes. The ship rolls a 9, for a fourth success.

Pleased with how easily they had slipped thru the Oort cloud, the doctor wondered why they had ever slowed down for it in the first place.

He does his best to scan the alien entity/ship, but at what might be the better part of a light year away, and on the opposite side of a thicker than average Oort cloud, he doubts he will be able to do much more than determine if it enters the solar system. Perhaps that would be enough.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:49, Mon 20 Sept 2021.

D’rala’s nerves momentarily sharpened at receiving the go ahead. She allowed it to stay with her a moment, before pushing through to the necessary calm.

She turned towards the shuttle pilot with a nod. “We are clear for takeoff.”

There was nothing left to do now but stay ready as they launched and approached. She set her eyes on the view screen and her mind to the task.

Once he'd settled into his seat and strapped in, he looked around the shuttle, beaming.

"It's been a while since I've had the chance to go on an away mission. And in a shuttle, no less! What's the mission, then? We don't usually hear much down in the primary sensor junction other than from the CSO."

Azami only offers a small incline of her head when the lieutenant joins the shuttle group; she's seated and strapped in, there isn't much else she can do...and certainly she's not expected to welcome him, herself.  Rolling her head back against the padded seat, she closes her eyes, turning her attention inward and focusing herself on tension.  Muscle group by muscle group surrenders to her will, and her body is fully relaxed by the time the lieutenant has his gear stowed and his body strapped in.

It's a handy exercise from her youth, one she still practices despite a lack of need; these days, her body relaxes automatically when under actual threat.

Her eyes open when the lieutenant fires a question around the cabin, but her lips remain closed; again, it's not for her to answer.  However, she does take a moment for a brief assessment.

Denobulan - little sleep or food necessary, extremely strong immune system, radiation considered a strong hazard...Denobulan MALE - take care with physical contact.

There are other issues, of course, but none that are likely to show up in this particular drop.  Unless they bump into a Denobulan female during the mating cycle, AND another male, which seems unlikely.

.....

Checking her bag, she finds no niaxilin anywhere.  Hopefully the odds will be with them.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:20, Tue 21 Sept 2021.

OOC: So much for a regular schedule... best laid plans, etc.  Onward!

You lost 1 momentum for a new scene starting (planetary orbit), so ch'Pertha's speech will top ya'll up to 6.

The shuttle mission crew piled aboard, ready for launch, albeit with some last minute changes.



Dr. Layne's bioscans continued to monitor the strange alien ship-being, albeit at far-reduced quality once they broke through the Oort cloud.  The ship-being made no attempt at following the Independence, and the hellish plasma bombs it had hurled at the ship - thankfully without connecting - had long-since ceased. As they neared the planet, interference from the cloud chopped the scan quality down to garbage. Finally, he loses it in the wash of static.

LCDR Decker's scans turned towards the planet, even as the captain queued the shuttle for launch. Visual scans from orbit reveal no significant damage to the planet, save to the settlement itself. The city’s landing pad is strewn with the wreckage of the colony’s only warp-capable transport ship, and there is no visible human activity. Scans of the surface are inconclusive, as it’s covered with electromagnetic anomalies. Since scanners are unable to establish transporter coordinates, the only way down to the surface is via shuttlecraft. The colony had approximately 200 workers, researchers, administrators, and support staff, so taking more shuttles down allows the crew to evacuate more survivors, assuming any are left.

With a mild acceleration of impulse power, the Sacajawea flies clear of the port shuttlebay, out into the void.


This message was last edited by the GM at 03:48, Sat 25 Sept 2021.

There's not much call for anything at the moment; the shuttle has launched, they're on the way to the planet.  No doubt the ship is scanning everything it can, but Azami's curiosity will need to wait for a report.

For now, it's a matter of 'hurry up and wait', a situation with which she has considerable experience.  The Medtech lays her head back against her seat, taking a moment for a quick glance toward each of the petty officers.  Security; she's not familiar with either of them, yet.  Nor has she any familiarity actually working with a Gorn.

The drop will at least remedy that particular lack.

In a voice pitched to carry only to Zogoyah - and Trainor, should that non-com be seated with the others - she queries, "Have you been on the ship long?"

"A few years," Daniel replied. He felt his pulse rushing at the thought of encroaching action. Nothing pleased him more than a chance to prove his value to the Federation, and the Independence.