Flight plan

[tomcat]

The Columbia was brought to a halt.

They were at the initiation point of the primary mission and it was time for the modified probes to be loaded into the torpedo launcher. It actually proved to be ideal as it allowed the senior staff to get some needed rest while the engineer and tactical teams did the load. The ship needed to be stopped due to the photon launcher, which ran fully automatic, hung from the rollbar that stradled the top of the ship. The weapon armories were normally loaded in spacedock but the top secret nature of their mission did not allow for this.

So, crates were emptied and loaded onto worker bee shuttles and the great launching bay doors were opened to allow the crafts to move the probes out into space. There the tactical teams, working in EVA suits moved them from the shuttles to the automated launchers, all the while removing the weapons that had been there. The idea of removing weapons this close to enemy space did not excite anyone, but it had to be done. Hopefully they would be able to restore them to the magazine once all the probes were launched. Ramos and Grahm, as heads of the departments, stayed close at hand during the job for there would be no one else to answer to but themselves if anything should happen to the sensitive hardware. They were too far out in space to afford any losses.

The masking system was brought on line while the loadout took place allowing the operators to test the system for any bugs - fortunately it worked perfectly during the eight hour load. The Arc Bow II peered out into the blackness of space for any whisper of another ship, passively listening but emitting no radiation itself that could alert another to the Columbia's presence.

By morning, the senior staff were returning to their stations as the worker bee shuttles were being re-secured. Captain Darkan strode onto the bridge and took his chair feeling well rested and ready to commence the mission. Pushkin looked to him and he gave a nod; the cruiser began to move forward again slowly accelerating towards warp speed.

Grahm began to call up the launch commands on his console and he too waited for the captain's order, which was promptly given. Outside the ship flared red as all four torpedo bays opened and launched the first spread of snooper probes into both Romulan and Klingon space.

Darkan sat there watching the probes disappear via the viewscreen, hoping the engineers on Earth that designed the stealth gear did their jobs right. Otherwise, he may have just started a war.


OOC: More to follow.... but feel free to post as you will.

[GandalfOfBorg]

After waiting awhile, "How's telemetry?  All's well?" calls the captain to the science station.  "Any indication of Romulan or Klingon border response?"

[sdrotar]

After waiting awhile, "How's telemetry?  All's well?" calls the captain to the science station.  "Any indication of Romulan or Klingon border response?"

OOC: Apparently, I'm an idiot. I can't find Stonn on the web site to make a Sensors roll. Can you point me in the right direction?

[tomcat]

OOC: Apparently, I'm an idiot. I can't find Stonn on the web site to make a Sensors roll. Can you point me in the right direction?

OOC: The easiest way to get to your character sheets Shawn is to click the links we have put in the signatures. Otherwise, you can go to the post that says Characters and Prior Episodes. Let me know if you need anymore help.

[sdrotar]

OOC: Apparently, I'm an idiot. I can't find Stonn on the web site to make a Sensors roll. Can you point me in the right direction?

OOC: The easiest way to get to your character sheets Shawn is to click the links we have put in the signatures. Otherwise, you can go to the post that says Characters and Prior Episodes. Let me know if you need anymore help.

I did both, and it says the page doesn't exist.  ???

[tomcat]

OOC: Hey Shawn, both Ramos and Stonn have not been updated in the profiler to have public access. So both links just go to a page that says Error!

What you need to do is to go to the RPG Profiler

Log in, and once inside go to the characters page and click on the details link for both Stonn and Ramos. Under both characters details, check the box that allows public access. This will allow everyone to view the characters without being able to edit them. It will also allow you to view them when you haven't signed in... cause remember, everytime you close your browser, or if a period of time elapses, you are automatically logged out of the profiler and cannot edit your characters (or see them for that matter if they have not been given public assignment).

If you have any difficulties, e-mail me or PM me your login and password for the Profiler page and I will modify the characters' settings.

[tomcat]

OOC: You can give me the tests that you please on this one Shawn, but I am going to add some more here for you guys to carry on with...


All was clear. There had been no reactions from either sides of either neutral zones, taking some of the stress away that many of the bridge crew had been feeling. As for telemetry, there was none. The probes flew silent deep into the Klingon and Romulan's space in massive eliptical orbits that would bring them back into Federation space at the end of three weeks. It would take five days to cover the designated launch points, and then the wait would begin. During those weeks of waiting, the Columbia would patrol back and forth retrieving the data packages as the probes completed their orbits. In truth, the mission could be considered quite boring save for the fact that the Columbia was now essentially a rogue ship that would not be recognized by Starfleet.

The probes themselves were also highly stealthy and would passively collect any information. Should they be discovered, the probes would rapidly drop from warp and begin emit old radio signals... to hopefully be deemed as space garbage. Time would tell if the emergency features worked.

And so, from the captain's question to the next launch  point, the days passed on the Columbia and the crew anticipated the end of this assignment.

It was on third day of travel within the wedge that the Arc Bow II began to relay data to the science and comm stations - radiations were being emitted in close proximity to the silent starship.

Townshend spoke up, "Captain, I am picking up subspace communications, but the broadcasts are in crude code... probably smuggler merchants."



OOC: Shawn, I need a Sys Ops sensor test TN 15.

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Can you determine the race this code is most likely used by and how far away they are coming from?" queries Darkan.

[tomcat]

OOC: Sys Ops (Communications) TN 20
Sys Ops +9, Specialty +2, Computer Use affinity +1
Roll(1d12)+12: 3,+12 Total:15 FAILED


Townshend turned with a frustrated look, "I am sorry captain, it is a crude code that they are using and there are not enough permutations for the computer to recognize a consistant pattern. I'd be surprised if they are relaying very much information to each other at all... I will keep trying."

With that the comm officer turned back to her console.

[sdrotar]

OOC: SysOps (Sensors) Test TN 15
Sensors Skill +6, INT mod +3, Specialty +2, +3 sensor bonus = +14
Roll(1d12)+14: 6,+14 Total:20 - SUCCESS

***
Stonn peered into his sensor hood, his eyes scanning the readouts for anything out of the ordinary.

[tomcat]

OOC: Jess is going to try again... TN 22 (+2 to TN due to first failure)
Sys Ops (Communications) TN 22
Sys Ops +9, Specialty +2, Computer Use affinity +1
Roll(1d12)+12: 6,+12 Total:18 +6 Courage = 24 SUCCESS


Stonn analyzed the data he was receiving through the highly sensitive Arc Bow system.

The unknown ships were radiating at approximately 2 light years distance in many different spectrums from radiowaves to other forms of emissions. The ships must have been running silently for they had just appeared... or uncloaked.

Stonn scanned his computer to see if there was any information on the comparison analysis of the radiating warp cores to see if he could identify the allegiance of the unknowns via their power signatures. He breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that there were no matches to any known Klingon or Romulan warships. Still... they could be Klingon or Romulan merchants or smugglers.

It was then that Jess shouted out, "Got it captain!" The communication officer had doubled her efforts in trying to resolve the mystery code knowing how precarious things were in their current position. She knew that having unkowns out there was a dangerous addition to the formula. "It is an Orion code, sir, used by many of the pirate cartels. Give me a few more minutes to see if I can break the code and determine what is being said."

Behind the comm station, peering into the sensor hood, Stonn watched as the warp signature of one of the ships began to increase as the vessel prepared its departure.

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Do you think we've been found out? Or maybe one of our probes?  Who's space are they in?"

[tomcat]

Grahm answered the captain's questions, "Sir, I can't even get a read on the probes with the advanced hardware we have on the Columbia. I doubt that some second rate sensor suite on a merchant smuggler is gonna be able to track them, unless of course... they had a visual. But even then, there is no way they could have tracked them or even followed them at their speed."

The answer was made in a confident voice, but the silence that hung on the bridge when the tactical officer finished speaking made everyone ponder the possibilities... even Grahm.

Darkan's final question was for Stonn to confirm. The Arc Bow array was able to make distinct measurements of distance using multiple known radiations that came from known fixed points, such as pulsars and quasars; it was simple triangulation formula from there. The ship's computer was able to discern from the signal strengths that the unkowns were near the Klingon neutral zone but on the Federation side - the Vulcan science officer came to the same conclusion through his own mental calculations mere seconds after the ship gave the coordinates.

Stonn watched as the increased warp signature heralded one ship's departure.

Jess gave a sigh as the communication between the two ships ended. She had been unable to break the pirate's code, but she did have a recording of it which would give her the time to break it down for future need.

[sdrotar]

Grahm answered the captain's questions, "Sir, I can't even get a read on the probes with the advanced hardware we have on the Columbia. I doubt that some second rate sensor suite on a merchant smuggler is gonna be able to track them, unless of course... they had a visual. But even then, there is no way they could have tracked them or even followed them at their speed."

The answer was made in a confident voice, but the silence that hung on the bridge when the tactical officer finished speaking made everyone ponder the possibilities... even Grahm.

Darkan's final question was for Stonn to confirm. The Arc Bow array was able to make distinct measurements of distance using multiple known radiations that came from known fixed points, such as pulsars and quasars; it was simple triangulation formula from there. The ship's computer was able to discern from the signal strengths that the unkowns were near the Klingon neutral zone but on the Federation side - the Vulcan science officer came to the same conclusion through his own mental calculations mere seconds after the ship gave the coordinates.

Stonn watched as the increased warp signature heralded one ship's departure.

Jess gave a sigh as the communication between the two ships ended. She had been unable to break the pirate's code, but she did have a recording of it which would give her the time to break it down for future need.

"The ships were within Federation space... barely," said Stonn. "I concur with Mr. Grahm - assuming they were merchant ships of some variety, it is exceedingly unlikely that either our vessel or the probes were noticed. Such sensitive readings are only barely possible with our sensor array, some of Starfleet's latest technology."

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Yet pirates are not without their own resources.  What was the heading of departing ship?  Can you determine where they came from prior to the encounter?"

To Darkan, this raises his hackles a little.  Covert actions in the Klingon Empire wouldn't be above the Romulans, especially if they got wind of easing of tensions between the Federation and Klingons.