Starring:
Sousa (emitter), Kuoroke, Hiei, Kaidan
Date: July 31, 2015
Summary:
The starship Rivalry encounters a strange being with distressing abilities.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"What If? NMR In Space - Trek Interruption"
Deep Space
Space… The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Rivalry. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new scenes. To seek out new chars and new roles. To boldly RP where no one has RP'd before.
*IMPRESSIVE THEME MUSIC WITH WHOOSHING SPACESHIP SOUNDS. IN SPACE.*
What's an omni-powerful interdimensional being to do when the boredom sets in? e.e You can only count the stars so many times, fiddle with the development of crude organisms for so long, arrange so much nebulaic clouds into colorful tapestries before it all starts to feel pointless. :P Oh, but what's this? Why, there appears to be some manner of interstellar transport dropping out of warp nearby, and of course it's full of sentients! Let's see what they're doing, shall we? :3
Lt. Commander Kuroki Kuoroke, Chief Tactical Officer of the Rivalry, monitors the screens from his post on the bridge, standing slightly behind the captain's chair. There's nothing to report so far, but the man doesn't take his eyes off the console. Several campaigns on various vessels have taught him that coming out of warp, a ship is blind, and therefore the most vulnerable.
Captain's Log..supplemental.
Captain Yotsuki Hiei sits in his chair in the center of the bridge watching the stars streak by on the main view screen. The ship had just exited warp and he calmly straightens the shirt of his uniform while waiting for the report from the helm and the conn. This ship was the second vessel he's commanded since he was promoted to captain five years ago. He runs a hand through his short white hair as he looks down at the monitors built into his chair. They give him a secondary readout from all bridge stations so that he can stay appraised on any given situation during a red alert emergency. He idly looks over at Kuoroke, his first office. "Have you ever been to this region of space before, Number One?"
Arriving on the bridge from engineering, Lt. Karakuri Kaidan arrives on the bridge. His uniform, as usual, is pristine in every way and his hair perfect. Even as he approaches his usual station, he stops briefly by Hiei and nods, "Captain." He then approaches his position and states, "All reports on the engine show we are working at 96% efficiency. I apologize that I was not able to achieve 97%." He then returns to his duty at his station. Of course, most ships run at 94% efficiency so…there's that.
"You won't find any threats in the area at the moment," remarks the wizened monk peering around Kuoroke at his screen. "There hasn't been anything living within the nearest ten star systems out from here since that little mishap with the neutrino cluster. Don't worry though, that was eons ago, the background radiation should be tolerable for life-forms like yourself now." Suddenly the monk is leaning on Hiei's chair. "Quite a quaint vessel you have here. Bending space-time is a difficult feat for you, I take it? 97% efficiency indeed, hehehe." X)
"No, sir-" Kuoroke glances at the intruder, then at the console. The shields show that they are at full, which means no transporter could've brought this person in. Yet, there is clearly an intruder present. The first thing he does is lock down the doors to contain the threat. "Intruder on the bridge." He transmits over the entire ship. Then, only to the monk: "Explain your presence at once."
Hiei replies to Kaidan. "That's quite alright. I'm sure that.." And then there is a monk on the bridge that wasn't there before. When the being leans on his chair, he stands up. "I'm Captain Yotsuki. And I was wondering if you don't mind telling us why the tribble you're on our ship?" He crosses his arms over his chest as he glares at the visitor. He glances over at Kuoroke, shaking his head slightly, telling him to stand down and not attack him. "Do you have a name?" He asks the monk.
A blink as Kaidan turns to face the monk and then he tilts his head, "Fascinating." The mostly synthetic man takes a step in the direction of the monk until the Captain addresses him before he looks at the monk again, "Captain, the possibility of a man appearing on the bridge of a starship with its shields raised while moving through warp is incalculable due to the lack of possibility within the current technological parameters of the federation." Kaidan looks back at Captain Hiei, "Suffice it to say, Captain, but this man has performed what some would refer to as a miracle."
The monk quirks an eyebrow at Kuoroke. "My presence? Merely a projection which I thought would be easy for you to understand, after taking a brief look at the cultural records in your ship's database. I'm really far beyond your comprehension, and I exist all throughout your vessel and beyond." The monk smiles unperturbedly at Hiei. "You may refer to me as S. Your purpose is to explore and learn, hmmm? Just think of this as an instance in which you're the one being explored." S glances at Kaidan. "You're certainly an oddity. I've seen many automatons before, some even more sophisticated than you, but none so…nearly organic. I wonder, do you feel pain?"
Kuoroke nods briefly to Hiei, turning his attention back to his console. If this is a projection, there must be something out there to project this intruder, he concludes. And if this something is capable of penetrating their shields, it would be best if they at least had a possibility of attacking it in case this became needed.
Hiei nods to Kaidan. "Which means he didn't come from a ship. Which would be impossible for anything remotely human." He turns to the being that calls himself S. "You're something like people in the old days would call a god. That still doesn't answer my question of why are you on this ship?"
"I do feel the feeling known as pain in my extremities as they have been given an organic coating." Kaidan states. He is, as it stands, a torso of electronics along with a positronic brain. It appears a great deal of his limbs and parts of his torso have been made organic with time. He even now tilts his head, "Though the nature of the pain I feel would be only in an understanding of what the feeling is like by organic beings from a third perspective. Having never prior experienced the feeling, I can only now speculate that what I am experiencing is that." He then shifts his eyes to hte side a moment and then looks back at S, "I believe what you have done is called a change of subject, often used as a distraction from the topic at hand. That topic being you."
S chuckles. "Yes, in practical terms that is a useful label for me from your perspective. As for my purpose here, I would have thought your intelligence was high enough to discern that from what I just said. I'm studying you, because you're the most interesting thing that has come under my attention in quite some time." S waves his hand in the air in front of him, as if idly flipping pages in an invisible book. "The topic at hand is subjective, and for it to be me is rather pointless. I already know all about me, whereas you all can barely begin to scratch the surface, so it's useless to explain myself to you. I'd much rather find some interesting aspect of your society to observe, such as — " The monk's eyes light up. " — oh my, so you're in conflict with this race? How intriguing!" S makes a twirling motion with two extended fingers of his right hand. n.n
"Captain, contacts. Romulan. They're charging weapons." Kuoroke comments, quickly redirecting power to the shields in the direction of the ships. He does keep the other shields active enough to stop anyone from beaming in. "Battle stations." His command rings through the ship.
Hiei looks at S. "Be that as it may, we are Explorers….I.." Whatever he was going to say is cut off thanks to Kuoroke's announcement. Hiei sits back down in his chair. "Red Alert. Shields up, full power to phaser banks. Arm quantum torpedoes." He looks down at the display in his chair. "Where did they come from? We detected nothing on our sensors only moments ago." He hits a few buttons on his command chair. "Let's see what we're dealing with. Mr. Kaidan please display the Romulan ships on the main view screen." He then asides to S. "We're not done talking, but for now perhaps you should have a seat while we deal with this."
Moving to his position, Kaidan settles back into his seat and starts displaying the ship on screen. Efficient as always, he begins to move his hands over the controls and then looks at them carefully, "Peculiar." He states and then looks back, "Captain, I don't believe these Romulans were here before." He states and then looks at his controls carefully as he turns slightly in his chair to face the Captain, "Logic dictates given the words of our new guest that these Romulans very well may not have been there prior at all." He then turns back to his controls, "It is unclear as to their current purpose and while it would seem impossible for them to simply appear, I believe the saying is that suspending disbelief may be in order here."
"As you wish, Captain," S says affably, settling back into a poofy armchair and flipping up the footrest. :) A first volley of partially-charged beam weapons rake across the Rivalry's shields, causing some minor buffeting. A transmission from a Romulan officer comes across to the Rivalry. "Unidentified Starfleet vessel! This is Lieutenant Noll of the 512th scouting unit, Romulan Armada! However you managed to bring us here, you've made a big mistake! Drop shields, power down weapons, and surrender, or we'll rip your ship into scrap metal!" >.< S rubs his hands. "How exciting." :)
Hiei frowns as the ship shakes a little around him. He looks over at S. "Study us, eh? That why you did this?" He looks over at Kuoroke. "Hold fire for now. Open a hailing frequency to the Romulan ship." Once that's done, Hiei stands up as he places his hands calmly behind his back. "Lt. Noll. I am Captain Yotsuki Hiei of the Federation ship Rivalry. This is a mistake. We did not bring you here. That is a technology that is beyond us. I'm afraid that we are being manipulated by an outside source." He shoots a withering glance over at S. "I propose that we both power down our weapons and work together to figure out this situation." He makes a cutting gesture towards his throat, and indication to cut the audio so he can't be heard. "I need options, people. How many ships and what are their capabilities?"
Kuoroke shakes his head. "A risky fight, Captain. Our firepower is considerably greater," While talking, he locks onto the Romulan ships. "but they are more maneuverable. They are, however, aware that we are evenly matched and will not likely back down. Master Kaidan, I may need you to take control of the shields and attempt to focus them in accordance with the enemy's attacks."
"While I do believe this does fit the definition of exciting, I highly doubt it is a time to smile." Kaidan states to S and then looks to Hiei. He then turns to face Kuoroke, "While I can do that, I do believe there is wisdom in the idea of our Captain. By acting upon the battle we are playing into the hands of the being known as S." He looks to S before looking back to Hiei, "Captain, I believe that our unwanted guest is seeking to, I believe the saying used correctly is, get a rise out of us." He states, "A 21st century colloquialism meaning that he wishes for us to act in excitement or rage due to outside influence. Given his interest in this situation, I do believe that it is possible our best course of action may be to…" He looks at S before looking at Hiei, "…simply ignore him?"
The Romulan leader scowls in response. "A likely story! Somebody had to have the technology to bring us here, and I don't see any other ships anywhere nearby! Well, we'll gut the device from your craft's belly if we have to!" S munches on some popcorn. "Mmm, please, by all means do ignore me and focus on the situation at hand. That would provide a more informative view of your behavior. I don't suggest you 'ignore me' in the sense of refusing to react to the scenario I've constructed, though. Those Romulan fellows, quite fiery from what I learned in your records, correct?" A more powerful volley shakes the ship. "See?"
Hiei slams his fist down on the arm of his chair. "Jimit, S. This is ridiculous, stop this now. You're putting the lives of everyone on this ship and the other ship in jeopardy." He stands up from his chair again. "Number One, target their shield array and fire phasers when you have a lock. Maybe they'll listen to reason if they're disabled." He looks over at Kaidan. "I'm afraid we can't ignore him. If this was just a simulation, like on the holodeck, then yes. But that is a real Romulan ship out there. If we destroy them, we risk open warfare and I will not be the man responsible for shoving the Federation into a war." He stares at S. "You want to study us? Fine. This is not the way to do that. Yes, we've been violent in our past, and even in the 24th century there is animosity, but at our core we seek a peaceful resolution. End this now, before someone gets hurt."
"We don't have the luxury of ignoring an enemy vessel, mr. Kaidan." Kuoroke answers. "Man the shields." The last sentence bears the full weight of an order. By now, he's got his aim well enough that a few simple manipulations allow him to target their shield arrays. "Firing. Prepare for return fire." As he speaks, his hands touch the panel, and the ship's weapons target two of the enemies' shield arrays, including those of the flagship.
"I believe the idea could have been to…" A look down for a moment, "…call his bluff?" Kaidan then tilts his head, arches a brow and then shrugs. He then settles into his spot and prepares the shield array to be moved into the right position. He then looks over at Kuoroke and then looks forward, simply prepared.
S shrugs. "How many rats have thought similar things toward their human observers, Captain? Well, obviously none if your assessment of their sentience was correct, but you understand my point I hope."
The battle is terse, with the Romulan scout fighters zipping erratically around the Rivalry and needling it with their light but persistent beam weapons. Eventually, though, a strong blast from the Rivalry does cripple one of the Romulan craft. With fewer targets to confuse the targeting, it soon disables two of the other fighters as well. "Splendid performance, gentlemen," S remarks. "But I can tell the encounter is becoming rather one-sided. Let's move on to another form of conflict, shall we?" S gives that two-fingered twirling wave, and the Romulan pilots suddenly find themselves in the bridge of the Rivalry. o.O "Oh, and to make it less sudden…" S waves again, and everybody's weaponry disappears. The Romulans look at each other in bafflement for a moment, then the leader barks an order, and they all dash at the nearest crewman with fists swinging. >.<;
Hiei was just about to congratulate the crew on dealing with the threat when S transports Romulans on the bridge. Hiei hops up out of his chair again and ducks a kick towards his head. He gets punched in the face, but rolls with it to minimize the damage. Before he was promoted to Captain, he was a tactical officer himself. He aims an open handed strike towards the solar plexus, followed by a kick towards the inside knee and then rolls to the side, shooting an elbow towards his jaw. "Try not to hurt them too badly, but put them down. Quickly."
Kuoroke is getting quite enough of these surprises. The fact a Romulan is taking a swing at his head is, thanks to his reflexes, less of a surprise than the fact that, reaching for his phaser, he finds nothing. Rolling between two enemies from his already crouched, in a dodge, position, he grabs two of the Romulans fighting the others and whacks their heads together. As they go down, he reaches for an empty chair -its normal occupant was thrown out by one of these two- and sends it rolling behind himself, to the Romulans whom he just evaded and who are now coming after him.
The attacks coming at Kaidan are dodged rather easily, left and then right and then another Romulan attempts to punch him right in the face and Kaidan takes the hit…only for the Romulan to stumble back grumbling as he holds his fist and screeches about breaking his fist. Kaidan then simply steps over and gives him a swift strike to the jaw before chopping another in the back of the neck and watches them go down, "Captain, I'm not sure what this is achieving other than the base entertainment of a being that deems itself ahead of us but prefers violence to talk."
S watches cheerfully as the Starfleet officers brawl with the Romulans. "You really are committed to your principles, aren't you Captain? Your ability to put such before your self-preservation instinct is unusual amongst species, especially ones with as much love for individuality as yours appears to have." The Romulans, a hardy breed, stubbornly continue to get up despite the blows they take and throw themselves at their foes. S looks off to the side, as if peering straight through the ship's hull and into space, and taps his chin. "You know, as intriguing as all this has been, I think I'll actually go study the Romulan culture for a while. I'm seeing some very interesting tidbits in their ships' computers. 'Till next time, Captain!" S waves his fingers, and suddenly all traces of him and the Romulans — the armchair, the popcorn, the fighter craft outside — are gone.
Hiei sighs heavily once the bridge is cleared. Of both Romulans and S. He takes a moment to straighten his uniform and re-take his seat. "Stand down red alert." As operating procedures resume he looks at the crew. "While his personality is..less than helpful. We did accomplish one thing today. We discovered a new life form…and we didn't compromise our ideals even when faced with adversity." He actually smiles as he pushes a lock of hair out of his face. "Just another day in Starfleet." He then grins, "Helm, resume our course, warp factor five." He leans back in his chair and shoots two fingers forwards. "Engage!"
As the ship's engines whine they emit a bright light before it is thrust into warp. *cue ending credits*
