Chapter IIa: Absolute Disaster

Commander "Cass" Cassano (3)

bowlofspinach says:

OOC:

Lav: You roll, since I don't roll for NPCs. We're just assuming that your leadership influences how good the result are. You are prepared and have help but aren't an expert, I'd say. Other ships might pick up that sensors are scanning the area but random ships flying around and scanning an area is nothing unusual. It shouldn't alarm anyone

Moira nods at an ensign at the control panel.

Oi. Yeh don't seem too worried about tha blips and bloops. Do me a faver an' run a material scan, in radii increasin' by two clicks each scan. We're lookin' fer anything other than' asteroids. I wanna see gasses, metalloids, biological thingies, everythin'. Heck. Throw tha asteroids in too!

Rolls

Lasers: Find tha pirates! +prepared, +help - (3d6)

(246) = 12

Mar 12, 2019 6:02 pm

HeroAmongMen Inactive for 2 months

OOC:

Oh... right. Feelings is above the number. Hey, my first full success on something that matters!

Cass says, with less of the hard formality than her tone has had so far, "Darcy, sit down." Cass waits until she's seated. "I didn't relieve you for drinking. I suspect Mezron would be the only one left on duty if I did that. It wasn't just your joke, either... although I hope you can understand that I didn't pick up on it being intended as a joke. I was seriously concerned that your behavior seemed erratic and unpredictable. That's a direct result of you deciding to make your first act as my first officer an attempt to embarrass me instead of making sure that I was supported during our meeting with the Antarctica. To me, that seemed borderline mentally ill. I've worked for some real assholes, Darcy, and I would never have considered doing something like that. Nothing... that could so easily be traced back to me, at least." She smiles with a trace of wickedness. "Sometime when we're off duty, ask me for details on that statement."

Getting serious again, Cass continues, "I actually thought you might be unstable because nothing I've ever seen or heard about you suggested that you would ever put personal animosity ahead of your duty. But Belka doesn't seem to think you're unstable, and your blood alcohol was just barely over regulation, so there must be something else going on. I need you to tell me what that is." She leans forward. "I'm trying to protect your career, Cassandra. You've worked hard to establish a great reputation. I don't want to be instrumental in ruining that. But you've got to be straight with me. Tell me what's eating at you."

Mar 12, 2019 6:57 pm

HeroAmongMen Inactive for 2 months

bowlofspinach says:

Kendall, you get to the transporter room and without any trouble, you get beamed to the pirate ship, into a cargo hold that has a small runabout in it, as well as two spacefleet security officers and a four tied up pirates. One of the security officers walks up to you and holds out his hand: "Lt. Salesch. Ms. F'brei, I assume? Good to have you on our team. We've seen what you did to the pirates. If there's anything we can help you with, just let me know!"

Kendall thanks the Lieutenant, and she will ask a question of him: "Do you know what became of the captain of this vessel, a Ms. Anell?" After receiving any information from the Lieutenant, she will head to the bridge.

Moonbeam says:

Turning back to Kendall, Cass says, "I'm asking you to beam back to the pirate ship and try to make sense of their computer data...we need to know details about their operation if we're going to have any chance of rescuing my team, and any other survivors...
"In addition to information about my crewmembers, flag and send immediately anything you find about this parasitic organism and the pirates' current operation and activities. The more we know going into the next leg of this, the better the outcome will be for us. And Kendall - thanks. Good hunting."

She verifies that the datapad is disconnected from any broadcasting frequencies (she will disable any broadcasting frequency technologies on the device first), and then she will physically plug in the datapad into the core computer, and begin uploading all files into the datapad.

While that occurs, she is going to query the system to see if there is anything related to:
- pirate's business activities and operations
- pirate organizational charts
- pirate funds and means to obtain/steal funds (PIN numbers, acct numbers, passwords, etc.)
- surveillance logs to determine whereabouts of officers of this ship when the gas trap went into effect
- vulnerabilities in onboard computer software that can be exploited during a mission
- parasitic organism found in pirates
- logs of captain/crew
- any leads related to the creatures that caused the split between Kendall and Karen (personal search related to backstory)

Rolls

Hacking Computer - Lasers (prepped, expert) - (3d6)

(365) = 14

Mar 12, 2019 6:58 pm

OOC:

Dang, a straight failure.

Marbo Zlam [5]

Mar 12, 2019 6:59 pm

OOC:

Im assuming Darcy and Cass are on the bridge again? If so, Marbo will enter, fully clad in his hazmat space suit.

A Klaxon siren blares three times, signifying that an airlock has purged its contents.

Moments later, Marbo enters the bridge in full hazmat gear, all four of his arms occupied with typing, writing, or carrying the sample jar

OOC:

[he wouldnt have ejected the fledgling clone or the original tissue sample, just any contaminated equipment that is no longer useable on standard genetic structure.

He holds up the fledgling clone in one hand, and yells excitedly

Commander! Zlam! Marbo has discovered that it is a parasite! No bacterium or viral infection! Creatures feed mostly on pigment, and consume internal organs to create space nest. Seperation of the brain necessary to allow the worm to take over the host body.

Marbo almost named them Bleach Slugs, but he figured a scientific classification would do better. Introducing: "

Marbo stops for a moment, taking a deep inhale, and everybody on the bridge knows they are about to get an ear full,

Animalia mollusca gastropoda pulmonata limacoidea Parasitus inficiaticae!

He taps his datapad and a private message shows up to Cass' datapad.

It reads: "AKA, The Darcy Worm"

Mar 12, 2019 7:02 pm

Commander "Cass" Cassano (3)

Darcy averts her eyes for a moment when you mention the incindent with the dress uniforms. "I apologize again, Commander. That was definitely inappropriate. I have no excuse for that."
She then returns to her previous demeanor, looking you straight into the eyes. "If I may speak freely, commander. I assume you've read my file. I worked hard to get the reputation I have now. Especially during my time at the Academy, my reputation was quite different. My father - the captain - used to tell me I would never make it in Spacefleet if I didn't change my behavior and I really took his advice to my heart. Not to be disrespectful, but I do see some of the qualities that I overcame in myself in you, so I had - and am still having - doubts if you are qualified for the post as First Officer or even Captain. And now that my father is not in charge, I have seen an uprise in this kind of behavior in other officers as well, not to give any names. I slipped back into old behaviors. Especially..."
She stops and pauses for a few seconds. "Commander - Shawna - I am very sorry for the way I acted. If you give me another chance, I will act as a First Officer should. I will do all I can to help you run this ship properly instead of undermining your authority"

Mar 12, 2019 7:05 pm

OOC:

Moira is on the bridge. Darcy and Cass are in the ready room.

Marbo Zlam [5]

Mar 12, 2019 7:12 pm

OOC:

In that case, he will relay everything i just said, but to moira, then pause, realize the commander is nowhere around to hear the good news and ask moira

"Moira... Marbo was looking for Cass. Have you seen her?"

Mar 12, 2019 7:15 pm

OOC:

Hero, that's a partial success. You won't necessarily get what you wanted but I'll give you something.

The Lieutenant informs you that the captain was among the people beamed to the Potential which means she is dead now due to the transporter incident.

Quote:

- pirate's business activities and operations
- pirate organizational charts
- pirate funds and means to obtain/steal funds (PIN numbers, acct numbers, passwords, etc.)
- surveillance logs to determine whereabouts of officers of this ship when the gas trap went into effect
- vulnerabilities in onboard computer software that can be exploited during a mission
- parasitic organism found in pirates
- logs of captain/crew
- any leads related to the creatures that caused the split between Kendall and Karen (personal search related to backstory)

Kendall, you upload the computer's databases to you datapad. You quickly realize that it is written in a language - and code - that you have never seen before. Every bit of text is made up of nothing but combinations of the symbols F, 2 and V. You are unable to translate these files without the use of the Potential's (or any large spaceship's) computer. If you connect your downloaded data to the Potential, you might be able to answer some of your questions. However, there is some information that you can still discover despite this:
The ship's log has some previous locations that this ship has visited saved in it. Two of them seem particularly relevant to you: One is a nearby star system that was the place that this ship has come from right before arriving here. The other is farther away in the Zoura system, far away from any important trade route. This location catches your eye because the ship has travelled there many times, much more often than it has to any other place.

Mar 12, 2019 7:55 pm

bowlofspinach says:

Darcy averts her eyes for a moment when you mention the incindent with the dress uniforms. "I apologize again, Commander. That was definitely inappropriate. I have no excuse for that."
She then returns to her previous demeanor, looking you straight into the eyes. "If I may speak freely, commander. I assume you've read my file. I worked hard to get the reputation I have now. Especially during my time at the Academy, my reputation was quite different. My father - the captain - used to tell me I would never make it in Spacefleet if I didn't change my behavior and I really took his advice to my heart. Not to be disrespectful, but I do see some of the qualities that I overcame in myself in you, so I had - and am still having - doubts if you are qualified for the post as First Officer or even Captain. And now that my father is not in charge, I have seen an uprise in this kind of behavior in other officers as well, not to give any names. I slipped back into old behaviors. Especially..."
She stops and pauses for a few seconds. "Commander - Shawna - I am very sorry for the way I acted. If you give me another chance, I will act as a First Officer should. I will do all I can to help you run this ship properly instead of undermining your authority"

Cass nods. "Okay, I'm really glad to hear that, because I honestly do need you by my side. I'll inform Medical that I'm restoring you to full active duty, effective immediately. And for what it's worth, not everything you've heard about me is actually true."

She laughs a little. "But most of it probably is. For a long time, I took my job seriously and not much else, including myself. But your father has been a great mentor. He told me that, as a commander, you have to take people where they are and help them see a path to a better version of themselves. But speaking as another daughter of a hardass father, I can tell you that great mentors don't always manage to apply those coaching skills as parents. So let's start fresh with each other. And when this is all over, you can decide whether or not to submit that report that I'm sure you've got drafted." She smiles with a trace of mischief. "Now, go relieve Moira of the conn so she can get back to doing what she does best. And I'm expecting to hear from Hortam on interrogations and from Kendall F'Brei regarding data from the pirate ship's computer."

As Darcy starts to leave, Cass says, "And Darcy? Nobody outside of my misguided family members calls me Shawna. My friends all call me Cass."

Mar 12, 2019 8:06 pm

Moira, there are traces of titanium and other materials that could indicate space ships in range of the sensors but you can't tell anything for certain. What you can tell, however, is that there are no unnoticed ships in this system and - possibly more important - someone other than you is scanning the region. Although you can't determine the source of the scan, it is conceivable that it could come from the same place that you picked up the metals from.

As Darcy turns to leave, she pauses for a moment and says: "In that case I'll have to stick to Commander. It would be weird otherwise. My friends call me Cass as well." She smiles for a second before turning to the exit.

She leaves the ready room and steps onto the bridge, her face emotionless as always. Moira, she walks up to you and says: "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander, I am taking the bridge. Return to Engineering. Make sure we're ready to go to Warp and that our weapon systems are working properly. We still have to find the other pirates."
She turns to Marbo. "Doctor, have you discovered anything relevant about this infection?"

Mar 12, 2019 8:37 pm

MArbo takes a huge breath again:

Animalia mollusca gastropoda pulmonata limacoidea Parasitus inficiaticae! Parastic space worms! Feeds on pigment! Eats vital organs and seperate the brain, operates host body like a disguise!

Marbos excitement begins to pick up, more and more, until his voice is a buzzing drone of syllables and energy.

After about three minutes, he stops and holds the canister to darcy and yells

"SEE!?!?!"

Mar 12, 2019 8:37 pm

Moira "Reactor Core" Bruce [3]

MArbo takes a huge breath again:

Animalia mollusca gastropoda pulmonata limacoidea Parasitus inficiaticae! Parastic space worms! Feeds on pigment! Eats vital organs and seperate the brain, operates host body like a disguise!

Marbos excitement begins to pick up, more and more, until his voice is a buzzing drone of syllables and energy.

After about three minutes, he stops and holds the canister to darcy and yells

"SEE!?!?!"

lavtodd Inactive for 4 months

Mar 12, 2019 8:40 pm

Moira has actually taken off her headphone and is rubbing her ears.

So now we know why tha buggers are a threat. Well done, Doctor.

As fer me? There’s someone else scannin tha system. Keep an eye out.

She dutifully heads to engineering - via the ready room. Her face betrays confusion as soon as she’s out of the bridge. She knocks on the door.

Commander? Ah’m off ta prep fer warp like Lieutenant Commander Darcy said. Do yeh need anythin’ else?

Her question is a thinly veiled check to see if Cassano is okay, if things went well, if Moira should be abrasive, that sort of thing.

Last edited March 12, 2019 8:42 pm

Mar 12, 2019 8:40 pm

She pretends to listen to you for the entire three minutes talk you're giving her but you can see her thoughts drifting off halfway through. Once you are finished, she snaps back and asks: "So what does that mean for our mission? I assume there's no risk of an accidental infection?"

Mar 12, 2019 8:48 pm

Moira "Reactor Core" Bruce [3]

lavtodd says:

Commander? Ah’m off ta prep fer warp like Lieutenant Commander Darcy said. Do yeh need anythin’ else?

Her question is a thinly veiled check to see if Cassano is okay, if things went well, if Moira should be abrasive, that sort of thing.

Cass bids her to come into the ready room.

"I'm trying to get us back on track as a crew," she says, answering the question that she knows is really being asked. "I think we're on the way to it. Did anything happen on the bridge while I've been in here?"

lavtodd Inactive for 4 months

Mar 12, 2019 8:59 pm

Moira nods, only slightly disappointed that her battle meet with Darcy in the holodeck is now less likely.

Tried scannin’ tha system fer other ships. Found some metallic debris. No other ships. But someone’s scannin’ too.

Mar 12, 2019 9:03 pm

Commander "Cass" Cassano (3)

lavtodd says:

Tried scannin’ tha system fer other ships. Found some metallic debris. No other ships. But someone’s scannin’ too.

The metal you detected might have been other ships. It was just barely in range of your scanners and you were unable to tell.

Mar 12, 2019 9:03 pm

HeroAmongMen Inactive for 2 months

Cass frowns. "Hmm. Maybe the other pirates wondering why their ship isn't talking to them. Well, with any luck, we'll have some Intel soon on where they've taken our away team. Any further news from Zlam? I assume I'd have been told if he'd been jettisoned."

Mar 12, 2019 9:47 pm