Episode 36

[Bynw]

[19:33] <anlarye> *** RECAP ***
[19:33] <anlarye> Raith and his crew have retrieved a shattered datacrystal from the ruins of the cloning installation where Raith was "born". They also found a cryptic code partially written on the mirror in Raith Prime's quarters.
[19:33] <anlarye> Raith has assigned Sathara as his XO and he has plotted a course far out into space. One that will take about 6 jumps.
[19:33] <anlarye> *** END RECAP ***
[19:39] <Raith> ::engages the jumpdrive::
[19:40] <anlarye> *The Lady Luck's engines create the wormhole necessary to jump through space ... and a moment latter the ship and crew are past the Alliance frontier*
[19:40] * Sathara takes a deep breath.  "Here we go."
[19:41] * DrCross keeps himself busy at Medical
[19:41] * Ken watches patiently as Dr Cross performs the procedure on the data crystal
[19:45] <anlarye> *aligning the shards of the data crystal is the hardest part of the operation at hand. and thankfully Ken has an assistant to help him with it. the next phase will be to transfer the optical encoding to a new datacrystal ... easy compared to this task
[19:45] * DrCross carefully assembles back the pieces of the crystal "I hope you do get something out of this thing, Ken"
[19:46] <Ken> "So do I Doc."
[19:46] <Raith> ::Switches on the internal comm:: "Pilot report to the bridge."
[19:46] <Raith> ::Switches it off::
[19:47] <anlarye> *Jaeih leaves her quarters and walks casually to the bridge.*
[19:48] <Raith> ::Looks over his shoulder at Jaeih as she enters:: "You done pouting and ready to do your job or you want some tissue?"
[19:49] <anlarye> *Jaeih opens the bridge door* "Your pilot has a name. I suggest you use it in the future. Get out of my chair."
[19:49] * Sathara raises her eyebrows and wonders if Raith is going to take that sitting down.
[19:51] * Ken takes the assembled cystal and sets up a laser carefully to direct the new encoding process.
[19:51] <DrCross> "Be careful with that!"
[19:52] <Raith> ::Stands up, but blocks her from sitting:: "You want a name Pilot, you earn it. You want to be part of this crew then act it. You want to run off on your own and do things your way then you'll be treated like a hired hand. We clear, Pilot?" ::Doesn't wait for an answer. Steps out of her way and takes the navigator seat::
[19:52] <anlarye> *takes a seat and looks at the plotted course*
[19:53] * Sathara smiles inwardly but decides discretion is the better part of valor and keeps her trap shut for once.
[19:54] <Ken> !df 7 Engineering
[19:54] <ChanServ> Result: (-)( )( )(-)(-)( )(-)
[19:56] <anlarye> *the data transfer will take a little time ....
[19:57] <DrCross> "Drats!"
[20:05] <anlarye> *Jaeih gives a little smile as she sees the course that has already been set.
[20:12] <Raith> ::To Jaeih:: "Lets stop off in the system where we thought we detected someone for a bit."
[20:15] <anlarye> *Jaeih sets the necessary adjustments to the course* "Two jumps away Captain"
[20:16] <anlarye> *engages the jump drive when it shows ready*
[20:17] <Ken> !df 4 Stamina
[20:17] <ChanServ> Result: (+)(-)( )(-)
[20:17] <Raith> !df 4 stamina
[20:17] <ChanServ> Result: (+)(+)(+)(-)
[20:17] <DrCross> !df 4 stamina
[20:17] <ChanServ> Result: ( )(-)( )( )
[20:17] <anlarye> !df 5
[20:17] <ChanServ> Result: (-)(+)(-)(+)(-)
[20:18] <Sathara> !df 5
[20:18] <ChanServ> Result: (-)(-)(+)(+)( )
[20:20] <anlarye> *At the 2nd way point ... one jump remaining at the system in question. Jaeih does take the time while the jump drive is recharging to do cartography system scans*
[20:22] * Ken accesses the Alliance database and reads all the fields relating to system GI 131
[20:27] <Raith> ::While running an internal systems diagnostic, to Jaeih but not meeting her eyes:: "Why did you volunteer to come aboard?"
[20:28] <anlarye> "Because of who you are and my language skills are flawless between our respective peoples."
[20:29] * Sathara goes to the lounge to make herself a light drink.
[20:29] <anlarye> *she says while also not meeting Raith's eyes and watching the data scans of the system details come in*
[20:29] <Ken> !df 5 cyberpsi
[20:29] <ChanServ> Result: (-)(-)(+)(-)(+)
[20:31] <Raith> "Ah a game of show and tell."
[20:33] <Raith> "Your telling me everything, and showing me nothing."
[20:33] * Sathara relaxes in the lounge with her Scotch and soda, and sharpens one of her throwing knives casually.
[20:34] <Raith> "Now why don't you answer the question."
[20:35] <DrCross> "Ken, how is it doing?"
[20:35] * Ken shakes himself slightly.
[20:35] <Ken> "Sorry kinda dozed off. Should be ready."
[20:36] * Ken takes the newly encoded crystal out and puts it in a standard reader.
[20:36] <Ken> "Shall we call the others?"
[20:37] <anlarye> *she turns to him* "When I heard that 'Raith' had come to our world. I was overjoyed, thinking my father had returned. But to find his son, my brother, was also a good thing to hear. You are not a full clone of him, things are different between you and my father. You have similar traits but anyone that knew him can tell you are not. I joined with this crew because you are my only family."
[20:37] <Ken> ::Over comms:: "The crystal is ready"
[20:37] * Sathara sheaths the throwing knife and goes into the med bay/engineering room with drink in hand.
[20:37] <DrCross> "No, its too cramped here.... Lets just put it on the monitor"
[20:38] * Ken pauses and looks around at the Klade ship.
[20:39] <Ken> "I think we should play it on my pad actually."
[20:39] <DrCross> "Ok"
[20:39] <Sathara> "You wanna take the data pad to the bridge?"
[20:39] <Ken> "Aye"
[20:39] * Sathara knocks back the rest of her drink.  "Let's do it."
[20:40] * Ken heads to the bridge with his pad and the crystal
[20:40] * Sathara follows Ken, with a brief stop to put her glass in the dishwasher.
[20:40] <Raith> ::Smiles:: "What did you expect here Jaeih?"
[20:44] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "What I didn't get." *she pauses* "We are ready for the last jump Captain"
[20:47] * Ken arrives at the bridge.
[20:47] <Raith> "Humph...jump."
[20:47] * Ken pulls out his em scanner and takes a reading of the bridge
[20:48] * Ken 's eyes go out of focus
[20:48] <anlarye> *the Lady Luck again emerges from its wormhole through space and the alarm sounds on the bridge*
[20:48] * DrCross is behind Ken, looking over his shoulder
[20:49] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Radiological alarm Captain ... isolating the source now"
[20:51] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Multiple nuclear signatures ... there ... a small moon around the 5th planet ... a gas giant. The moon appears to be habitable ..."
[20:52] <Raith> "Raise shields."
[20:53] <Raith> "jaeih, I don't recall a habitable planet in this system last time we where through?"
[20:53] <Sathara> "Holy frak, cap
[20:54] <Sathara> " 'n.  Suits, you think?"
[20:54] * Ken puts the pad away in his belt and heads for his enviro suit
[20:54] <anlarye> "Dradis contact" *Jaeih* "A single ship in orbit of the moon. It's class 9 ... a mothership ... gargantuan ... its firing missiles at the moon"
[20:55] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "We didnt detect one, but we also didnt do a detailed scan either ... if that ship continues to fire nuclear warheads at the moon it will render it uninhabitable"
[20:56] <Raith> "Jaeih..." ::he puts emphasis on using her name instead of pilot:: "Take us into firing range. Passive sensors active, not active scans. Shields full strength." ::Raises the cloaking field, and scans the ship for how much if any of the ambient radiation is getting through the shields::
[20:57] * DrCross dons his enviro-suit quickly!
[20:57] <Raith> ::Intercomm:: "All hands battlestations!"
[20:57] * Sathara suits up very quickly and reports to the turret.
[20:57] * Ken dons his suit and then does a scan of the morthership comparing it's energy sig to the ones he took of the Klade ship
[20:58] <DrCross> the doctor returns to medical, readying equipment
[20:59] <Raith> ::Looks at the scans to see if he recognizes the ship::
[20:59] <anlarye> *Jaeih activates the cloak and slowly moves first away from the ship before heading back towards it*
[21:00] * Sathara sits at the turret station and readies both guns, in case they're needed.
[21:01] * Ken readies to boost shields as required while waiting for the scan to finish
[21:01] <DrCross> *comms the bridge "Medical ready (short of total annihilation). Out."
[21:01] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Due to the cloak it will take 30 minutes to get into range of the alien ship"
[21:01] <Raith> ::intercomm:: "Sathara, prepare to target one of those nukes and blow it out of the air as it launches."
[21:01] <Sathara> "Aye, cap'n."
[21:02] <Raith> ::Intercomm:: "On my command."
[21:02] * Sathara targets one of the guns onto the nuclear missile.
[21:02] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "We will have to decloak to fire the weapons"
[21:02] <Sathara> ::in response to what Jaeih has just said::  "Frak."
[21:02] <Raith> ::Checking scans:: "Understood."
[21:03] * Ken writes a shunt program that transfers the cloaking energy directly to shileds as they decloak
[21:03] * DrCross watches  the approach from his monitors
[21:04] <Raith> ::Scans the planet for life signs::
[21:04] <Ken> !df 5 engineering
[21:04] <ChanServ> Result: (+)(-)( )(+)(+)
[21:06] <anlarye> *the ship does not match any known pattern. it is class 9 ... huge ... larger than the `Xunil` even, the Alliance flagship. the alien ship looks poorly built ... like an erector set ... the design would allow for massive structural damage but would cause almost negligible impact to its systems.*
[21:10] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "its not firing any more ... detecting an energy spike directed at the moon's surface ... "
[21:10] * fudgebob (~Jonas@27B34E.4FEA8A.74BCA5.1FE88B) has joined #teara-adan
[21:10] <Raith> "Scanners?"
[21:11] <Ken> ::over comms:: "An active scan may give us away."
[21:12] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Possibly ... but at those frequencies ... that scan would be hazardous to life as well ... its very powerful."
[21:12] * DrCross has quit (Ping timeout: 121 seconds)
[21:13] * fudgebob is now known as drcross
[21:13] * anlarye gives voice to drcross
[21:14] <Raith> "Jaeih, land us on the hull."
[21:15] <Raith> "First bring us in as close as possible, I want to be able to kiss the hull."
[21:15] <anlarye> *the alien ship resumes firing missiles at the moon's surface ...
[21:15] <Sathara> "Cap
[21:15] <Sathara> " 'n, you want me to blast that missile out of the sky?"
[21:16] <Raith> "Not yet Sathara."
[21:16] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Without a detail scan of the alien ship ... landing on it could be landing through it." *she makes the course corrections, still going very slowly*
[21:16] <Sathara> "Aye, Cap'n, holding fire, pending your command."
[21:18] <Raith> "Move in close Jaeih, then we'll scan it. We'll use the ship itself and the ambient radiation to mask our scans."
[21:19] <Raith> ::Waits till the ship is very near the enourmous mothership then scans it for likely places to land::
[21:19] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Hide in its shadow ..."
[21:20] <Raith> "Exactly. A fly on the wall."
[21:22] <anlarye> !df 7
[21:22] <ChanServ> Result: (-)( )( )(+)(-)( )(-)
[21:24] <anlarye> *Jaeih maneuvers the Lady Luck under the alien ships port aft section ... close to what could be an engine* "Their engines arent very well shielded either ... we should be invisible here even without the cloak"
[21:26] <Raith> ::Actively scans the ship for likely spots to attach to the hull::
[21:27] <anlarye> *the alien ship again stops its missile fire at the moon and begins another scan of it*
[21:27] * Ken tries to passively intercept the scan to see what they are scanning for.
[21:27] <Raith> ::uses the alien ships scans to help mask his own::
[21:28] <anlarye> !df 4
[21:28] <ChanServ> Result: ( )( )(-)(+)
[21:28] <Raith> ::Sets a course and marks a landing spot for Jaeih:: "Take us in Jaeih."
[21:28] <Ken> !df 5 Engineering
[21:28] <ChanServ> Result: (+)( )(-)(-)( )
[21:30] <anlarye> *she pilots the ship to land on the alien vessel*
[21:30] <anlarye> !df 7
[21:30] <ChanServ> Result: ( )(+)( )( )(-)(-)( )
[21:30] * Ken eyes go out of focus
[21:31] <anlarye> *the Lady Luck touches down on the alien ship*
[21:31] <Raith> ::intercom:: "Ken, I need a way to board this ship without letting them know right where we are if need be. Cut through the hull or something. Can you do it?"
[21:32] <Ken> !df 5
[21:32] <ChanServ> Result: (-)(-)(+)(-)( )
[21:32] <Sathara> "Cap'n, you mean to board them.  You want me along, or you want me to stay here manning the turrets?"
[21:32] <Ken> ::over comms:: "I can try Cap"
[21:33] * Ken scans for a maintenance hatch near the the drive section
[21:33] <Raith> ::Intercom:: "You'll be upfront if it comes to it LT. For now keep a lock on those missles and be ready to fire. I want to destroy the missile close enough to launcher to cripple it."
[21:34] <Sathara> "Aye, Cap'n."
[21:35] * drcross joins Ken... just in case
[21:35] <Raith> ::opens a comm channel, focusing the signal to bounce off the nearby moon and hide where it is coming from. Like a digital echo in a cave::
[21:35] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "They have stopped their scan of the moon Captain. We are moving ..."
[21:36] <Raith> ::still working on the comm signal, furiously flipping switches and punching the keyboard:: "Life signs on the planet Jaeih?"
[21:37] <Raith> !df 4 communications
[21:37] <ChanServ> Result: ( )(-)( )(-)
[21:38] <Ken> ::over comms:: "Cap I have an accessway we may be able to use if we space walk."
[21:38] <Raith> ::Intercom:: "Good work Ken."
[21:38] <Sathara> ::under her breath:: "Well, at least we're in our suits."
[21:39] <Raith> ::opens a comm channel to the alien spaceship::
[21:40] <Raith> ::Closes the channel:: "Dammit! I can't make the calculations while we're moving!"
[21:40] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "We are moving because the ship is moving."
[21:40] <Raith> "Jaeih, life signs on the planet?"
[21:42] * Ken starts to rig up a an enhanced mag grapple to do the space walk. He also addds a brace of carabiners to his belt.
[21:42] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Very high radiation signature on its surface ... concentrated in several locations. Detecting no life ... could be some plants or deep water fishes and insects that survived the bombardment but nothing on the ground did."
[21:43] <Raith> "Dammit!"
[21:43] <Sathara> "What's the matter, Cap'n?"
[21:43] <Raith> !5df Communication +1 fudge point
[21:44] <Raith> !df 5
[21:44] <ChanServ> Result: (-)( )(-)( )(-)
[21:44] <Raith> ::Tries to bounce the comm channel again, but gives up with a curse::
[21:44] <Raith> "Frak!"
[21:45] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "They and we, have entered orbit of another moon. They are `scanning` it now."
[21:45] <Raith> "is the moon habitable?"
[21:46] * drcross asks Ken "We need to buddy up for the spacewalk? I'm not too good at it"
[21:46] * Ken starts to don his spacesuit.
[21:47] <Ken> "Neiother am I; it would help a lot."
[21:47] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Negative, trace amounts of O2 and other elements necessary for life. But it is within the habitable zone ... "
[21:48] <Raith> "Frak it!"
[21:48] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "They've launched a missile. Radiological alarm ... its a nuke."
[21:48] <anlarye> "10 seconds to impact .... "
[21:48] <Raith> ::Intercom:: "Sathara, frak that missle up!"
[21:49] <Raith> ::lowers the cloaking field to allow the weapons to fire::
[21:50] * Sathara fires right at the missile.
[21:50] <Ken> "You ready doc?"
[21:50] <Sathara> !df 5 beam weapons
[21:50] <ChanServ> Result: (+)( )(+)(-)(+)
[21:51] <anlarye> *the LL's turrent guns fire at the missile, destroying before it can reach the surface*
[21:52] <drcross> "Hold your horses, Ken. Sathara is firing at a nuke *nearby*!"
[21:52] <Sathara> "Aye, Cap'n."
[21:53] <Raith> :Intercom:: "Good shot LT."
[21:53] <Ken> "We should be safe... I hyped up the shields."
[21:53] <anlarye> *the ship shakes a bit due to the shockwave and radiation levels peak for a moment before returning to normal*
[21:53] <Sathara> "Thanks, cap'n."
[21:54] <Raith> ::Checks the comm traffic to monitor if the alien ship tries to contact them::
[21:54] <drcross> "Now I'm ready, Ken"
[21:54] <Raith> "Jaeih, are they scanning for us?"
[21:55] * Ken enters the airlock and waits for the Doc
[21:56] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "They are aware of us now. They can easily detect where that shot originated."
[21:56] <anlarye> *ship2ship comms open but with nothing but static*
[21:57] * drcross checks their tether and follows Ken inside
[21:57] <Raith> ::intercom:: "Lets go, everyone suit up in your vacsuit. LT. that means you too, I have turrents. Free reign on the weapons locker, pack heavy."
[21:57] <Sathara> "Aye, cap'n."
[21:58] <Raith> ::Scans the alien ship for life signs::
[21:58] * Sathara goes for her vacsuit then opens the weapons locker for everybody.  She then goes to her personal quarters and opens her personal weapons locker and loads up heavily, with two PPG pistols and a rifle in a backsling.
[21:58] * Ken retrieves his PPG
[21:59] * Sathara returns to the communal weapons locker.  "Okay, gang, sign out what you're taking if it's not your personal weapon."
[21:59] <Raith> ::intercom:: "LT bring something that's going to get that hatch open in case Ken can't get it."
[22:00] <Sathara> ::intercom:: "Aye, cap'n, a good plasma grenade ought to do it."
[22:00] * Sathara goes in the weapons locker after a belt of plasma grenades.
[22:00] <drcross> *drcross' gets a rifle, pistol but only coz it's the SOP
[22:01] <anlarye> *Jaeih suites up and retrieves her weapon*
[22:01] * Ken enters the airlock and waits for Doc to return and then cycles the airlock
[22:01] <anlarye> *ship2ship comms open again but with nothing but static once more*
[22:01] <Raith> ::Jumps up out of the nav station and races to his quarters for his fitted vacsuit and squirms into it with the speed that comes from practice::
[22:02] * drcross enters the airlock
[22:02] <Raith> ::Taps the intercom:: "Ken, you make anything of that comm message?"
[22:03] * Sathara goes to the airlock and waits her turn to enter, then once inside the airlock, takes point.
[22:03] <Ken> "Hold on a sec Cap"
[22:04] <Raith> ::Once he is in his vacsuit he patches into the ladyluck's comm system and opens a comm channel to the alien ship:: "Greetings."
[22:04] * Ken attaches the tether to the stay and then fires the grapple at teh oppsoite ship
[22:05] <Ken> "just static let me try something once I have the tether up"
[22:06] <anlarye> *ship2ship comms* "Why you hide ... you daylease slave"
[22:07] * Ken tests the grapple before going across to the alien hull
[22:07] <Raith> ::ship2ship comm:: "Why are you firing on habitable planets?"
[22:08] <Raith> ::now suited up he heads to meet the others at the airlock::
[22:08] * drcross follows closely, making sure the buddy-line has some slack
[22:08] * Sathara follows Ken and the doc, ready to be at the opening when there is one.
[22:09] <anlarye> *ship2ship comms* "freeing taint"
[22:09] <anlarye> *the ship fires another missile
[22:11] * Ken arrives and looks for a suitable anchor to attach the guide line to with a carabiner.
[22:11] <anlarye> *a brilliant nuclear explosion erupts on the moon's surface below the ship*
[22:13] * drcross is temporarilly disoriented by the spacewalk and explosions
[22:13] * Ken throws his arm up to cover his eyes and loses his grip on the tether
[22:14] * Sathara grips the tether tight with one hand and covers her eyes with the other arm.
[22:15] <Raith> ::Enters the airlock and cycles it to the outside following the others::
[22:16] <anlarye> *a bright beam of the ships scanner hits the moon following the missile ...
[22:17] * Ken hauls himself back to Doc using the buddy line and then back to resecure the tether to a likely projection as a safety. He then approaches the accessway.
[22:18] * Ken pulls out his odd suction tool and reaplces it witha magnetic head and then uses it to pull the accessway open.
[22:19] * drcross comms Ken "Piece of cake?"
[22:20] * Sathara pulls a PPG pistol out and gets ready to enter the big ship.
[22:20] * Ken enters and checks for the controls on other side
[22:20] * Sathara enters right behind Ken and covers him with her pistol.
[22:20] <Ken> "Doc this ship look to be really old"
[22:20] <Raith> ::Follows the others to the hatch::
[22:20] <drcross> "How old?"
[22:21] <Ken> "centuries"
[22:21] <Ken> "possibly, this acessway has not been used in a loooooong time."
[22:22] <Sathara> "Wow."
[22:22] <anlarye> *Jaeih* "Captain" *she begins as the whole ship shakes as it begins to move again*
[22:22] <drcross> "Centuries..."
[22:22] <anlarye> "There are only 2 more moons within the habitable zone ... both of them have limited atmospheres with trace elements necessary for life"
[22:23] <Sathara> "Yo, Cap'n, do we have any lifesign readings for this bastard?"
[22:23] <Raith> ::Looks to Jaeih:: "You think this ship will jump before we get much further?"