SCENE 1 - New course

[donimator]

With a quick, "Yes Captain," Downer got to work. Glad to have a task to focus on he modified his procedures from analysing the Cluster message to include the one from Earth. He let the computer continue working on the Cluster message with the parameters he set earlier:

(System Ops use per Starfleet Operations Manual)
Downer's System Ops(Comms) test:
TN (unknown) System Ops +8, Comms Spec. +2 = +10
------------------------------
Roll (2d6) +10 = 5,5 +10 = 20

as he requested resources from Sorek's science station to start up an independent process on the Earth message:

Downer's System Ops(Comms) test on Earth message:
TN (unknown) System Ops +8, Comms Spec. +2 = +10
------------------------------
Roll (2d6) +10 = 6,2 +10 = 18 (+3 from Courage if necessary)

Verification of distance and bearing were his primary objectives, but he continued applying subroutines to search out any anomalies in the messages themselves.

[seppun1]

   
       Pushkin rotates his chair back to the console to bring up the calculations up quickly for the Captain.   The direction isn't the problem, he knows which way to go.  It is just to find out the new time at going maximum warp.   
     

  Pushkin's System Ops (Flight Control) Test:
  TN (unknown) System Ops, +13, Astrogation +5 = +18
   Roll(2d6)+18: 2,6,+18 Total:26 

[tomcat]

You were sent a PM, Seppun, just so you know.

[Rictor]

Sorek turned his chair toward the captain's location and upon hearing his name mentioned and the orders given indirectly toward him to help triagulate positions he nodded his head slightly.  He turned his attention back to the science terminals and began going through the neccessary calculations and procedures.  All the while he was preparing to give not only his information to Stonn but to transfer it to Downer's station as was requested.

In the back of his mind he kept considering the logical solution to this problem.  It was clear they were ordered here for a reason, but the fact that something or someone had caused an apparent problem back at Earth while a problem was happening in the Kayton Cluster somewhere did seem highly unlikely.  Perhaps one of the signals was infact a decoy, or meant to be part of a much larger disaster such as destorying a planet might incur.

He quickly shook his head, realizing that the later of the possible reasons was as unlikely as time travel.  However logically it was a possibility, he turned his chair back toward Stonn.  Captain, might it be possible that one or both of the stress calls could be diversions for another larger probelm.  Perhaps we should contact the nearest starfleet ship and find out what they have heard if anything.

Not sure whar rolls are needed to do what I've described above, but I assume the following are at the minimum needed.
System Operation(sensors) and Computer Use(retrieve???)
If you want me to roll one or both of these let me know and I'll roll them...also if need be let me know what else to roll and I'll roll it.

[donimator]

Downer worked on the analysis of the signals, sharing info with Sorek as needed to speed the process. The computer locked down the location of the original distress signal and it appeared to come from KC1, the closest star to their present position.

He prepared to inform the Captain when another transmission came through. It caused him to pause as he considered it again. Well, a Starfleet posting was what he wanted again...it was rarely boring.

"Captain. Another transmission has come through. It's Admiral Kirk, sir. And, uh...I'm not really sure what to make of it. You best read it."
Downer converted the message to text and sent it to the Captain's reader:

Starfleet Command, this is Admiral James T. Kirk on route home to Earth. We have intercepted and analyzed the call of the probe. It is our opinion that only the extinct species, humpback whale, can give a proper response to the probe. Do you concur with this opinion? Starfleet Command, do you read me? If you read me, we are going to attempt time travel. We are computing our trajectory at this time...
[signal fades out]

"And results are back on the first message. It's definitely coming from the Cluster. Near KC1. The red giant ahead of us, sir.".

Downer sent the results of the location scan to Sorek so he could focus his instruments if desired.

[seppun1]

    Pushkin finishes up the calculations in getting back to Earth.  He looks up to inform the Captain of the information when the message of Admiral Kirk comes up on the screen.  He lifts up his eyebrows at the message.  "Humpback Whales? Time Travel?"   He shakes his head before looking to the Captain.  "If we can sustain Warp 8,  it would take 13 days, Captain."  

    He turns to look towards Downer before going back to his console, bringing up the information on the Red Giant in question.  He already begins making the calculations in getting to the Giant safely to give the Captain the option.
 

[sdrotar]

"Thank you, Mr. Pushkin," Stonn replied, his face an emotionless mask despite the horror that now unfolded in the Sol system.

Thirteen days was far too long; whatever was going to happen at Earth would be long over by the time they could get back; logically, they should follow Starfleet's orders and keep investigating the Kayton Cluster in the hopes that they may find something of value there.

As for what Admiral Kirk was doing (wasn't he returning to Earth for court martial?), time travel was tricky, even if the former Enterprise captain had managed it successfully before. Regardless, it was out of Stonn's control, so he simply hoped that whatever Kirk was trying turned out well... and without damaging the space-time continuum.

Although, if he did, Stonn would never know, seeing as he'd be affected by it as well. While he would love to ponder such ramifications further, he set them aside and focused on his role.

"Admiral Kirk is attempting to rectify the situation on Earth," he said to the bridge crew, hoping that the mention of the legendary officer might provide some comfort. "As you know, Kirk has built a career on finding success in even the most unlikely places, and Starfleet could not hope for a finer officer to take command of such a difficult situation.

"The Columbia is too far away to assist Admiral Kirk, and our orders stand. We will monitor the situation on Earth as best we can, and continue to investigate the signal originating in the Kayton Cluster."

He turned to Pushkin once more.
"Mr. Pushkin, if you have the latest coordinates from Mr. Downer, please proceed toward the source of the distress signal at safe cruising speed given the radiation and distortion in the Cluster."

He stood and walked over to Grahm.
"Given the threat against Earth, the distress signal here, and the capricious nature of the cluster itself, I think it prudent to signal Yellow Alert. Please notify all personnel."

[tomcat]

"Aye, Captain, Yellow alert," replied Grahm. He turned back to his tactical console and tapped a command.

The Columbia's status alert changed from the soft green to a flashing amber. There was no klaxon that sounded like red alert, but immediately the ship became active throughout - sleeping personnel were awoken and stood ready; the ship's weapons were armed; and Downer began to immediately reallocate all non-priority ship functions. The Ops Officer knew the protocol well and began to run a level-4 diagnostic of the ship. Lastly, the shield grid came online and the Columbia was blanketed in the protective energy field.

In the meantime, Pushkin and Anderson commenced to plot a course into the Katyon Cluster, towards KC1.



I will be back with another post to give you guys some test rolls I need.

[tomcat]

Okay... this is going to work the way a real ship would, where one person relies on the success of another to make sure they can do their job. Pushkin at Helm will need to get reliable data from Anderson at Navigation, who in turn needs solid data from Sorek on Sensors. Now I know that Star Trek is notorious for the LCARS system allowing every station to be what it needs to be, but we're dealing with 23rd century starships and we want to make this fun and give everybody something to do. But... I do not want to bog down the game and have people needing to wait for another person to post before they can do anything. So...

   
• With each post you make, I want you to include your related test for your station and header each test sequentially (i.e. Sensor Test #1, Helm Test #1, Nav test #1, Deflector test #1, Sensor Test #2, etc.). I will then go back through the tests for that Sequence and see if any problems arose. These problems may be given to you via PM, narrative/dialogue, or they may remain secret until I reveal them.
• Tests that you want to make that have no part in the ship's safe ingress do not need to be numerically ordered, but they will be impacted by a character's Action Allowance if these actions are all occuring at the same moment (if this needs further explaination, let me know.
• Standard test TN's are as follows and can/will be modified for ship status (i.e. damage), failed tests by fellow PC's, proximity to the cluster (based on table below), and I am sure there are more things I may come up with! 

   
• Helm/Navigation tests: TN 20 to plot course in asteroid/planetoid field
• Helm/Navigation tests: TN 10 to plot course in clear space
• Sensor tests: TN 10 to get proper navigational readings; other test TN's will be determined by table 7.2 on page 102 in the NG
• Deflector tests: TN 10 to keep shields from taking damage from radiation

	Helm /				Shield
Distance	Navigation	Sensors	Deflectors	Damage	Strength
Extended	+0 TN	+0 TN	+0 TN	0	-0
Long	+3 TN	+2 TN	+3 TN	0	-0
Medium	+5 TN	+4 TN	+6 TN	1	-1
Short	+7 TN	+6 TN	+9 TN	3	-2
Point Blank	+9 TN	+8 TN	+12 TN	5	-3

[donimator]

Downer kept monitoring the ship systems as others performed their tasks to make sure resources where being used as effectively as possible while keeping an ear open for subspace chatter. He initiated the level 4 diagnostic to establish a baseline to measure the ship's performance against. It was a lengthy computer-assisted test, but he used all of the tricks he knew to speed it along.

Downer's System Ops (Mission Ops) test for diagnostic
TN(unknown -extended test?) System Ops +8, Mission Ops spec +2, level 4 - +2 comp assisted = +12
-------------------------
Roll (2d6)+12 = 6,1 +12 = 19

As the program ran and data prompts filled the screen, Downer received another message over the comms. Again it caused pause, but he couldn't waste time pondering it. He informed the Captain of the new message and broadcast it to the bridge:

To United Federation of planets and all Starfleet personnel, this is the President. We are securing from our planet-wide emergency. By the efforts of Admiral Kirk and his gallant crew, the probe has been given a response and has ended all critical transmissions. Earth atmosphere is returning to normal and interrupted power is coming back online. Though we are still standing ready, the crisis at this time seems averted.

The implications of time travel were best left to scholars. A crisis averted that let them focus on their present mission was welcome news. Downer was sure some great stories would come of the exploits of the Enterprise, but for now he turned his full attention back to the Columbia.

[tomcat]

As I told Don...

Trying to use Star Trek canon as a backdrop to your story, to create extra excitement can be pretty pointless at times!

Kirk and company return to Earth with the whales at the end of the movie at the same time that their transmission fails at the beginning of the movie, stating that they were attempting time travel!

Oh well... crisis there averted, so now you guys can go about the mission at hand...   

[Rictor]

Sorek sat at his console looking at the instruments, trying to determine the original destination of the transmission from with the cluster.  The problems with the cluster and his instruments would have been frustrating to almost anyone else, but his upbringing on Vulcan allowed him the fortunes of having little to no emotion.

He took a deep breath and began reading his monitors trying to determine with mathematical accurateness and logical conclusions included the information he was seeking.

I'm not entirely sure what else if anything should be included in my dice rolls as I've only played one other game where I got to actually do anything on a ship and that was shortly after the game was released.  If I'm missing something please let me know and I'll include it in further posts.
System Operation(Sensors) #1
Roll(2d6)+8: 5,4,+8 Total:17 +2 specialty bonus = 19

[tomcat]

Good post Rictor, that is what I needed! I did add your specialty bonus to your roll. 

Seeing as I am not getting anything from any other PC's, I can only assume I confused everyone. So, I will make the first series of test rolls and feed any important results. The ship is currently at extended range to the cluster, but will be moving into each band with each test roll and so the modifiers will apply. The ship is in clear space until it enters Medium range and then it will enter the asteroid/planetoid halo that encircles the cluster's stars.

Anderson's navigation test #1
TN 10 Sys Ops +11, Specialty +2, Cluster mod +0 = +13
-------------------------
Roll(2d6)+13: 5,4,+13 Total:22 SUCCESS

Pushkin's helm test #1
TN 10 Sys Ops +13, Specialty +2, Columbia mod +1, Cluster mod +0 = +16
-------------------------
Roll(2d6)+16: 3,3,+16 Total:22 SUCCESS

Grahm's deflector test #1
TN 10 Sys Ops +13, Specialty +2, Columbia mod +3, Cluster mod +0 = +18
-------------------------
Roll(2d6)+18: 1,6,+18 Total:25

The Columbia began to move forward at sublight speed, but rapid none the less. It quickly began to close the distance from its position of arrival at the cluster towards the sphere of floating rocks and planets around the patch of stars. The bridge crew worked together like a well-oiled machine and each took advantage of the efforts of the others. Sorek scanned with both forward and lateral sensors, piercing deep into the Katyon with the ship's electronic eyes and the multitude of space debris began to be plotted. The vulcan also determined radiation strengths and gravitational wells and shear which was then transferred to the appropriate stations around the bridge.

Grahm read the sensor readings and immediately began to punch in commands that requested extra power from the engines so that the shields could be reinforced to keep the deadly radiation from killing all life aboard. Across the room, Downer's console registered the extra power pull and the Ops officer monitored the station for any potential conflicts.

For Anderson and Pushkin, the data feed gave them pathways and the navigator set the course, making continuous, but minor, adjustments to the coordinates, while Pushkin accelerated the ship. He too drew upon the Columbia's power sources and Downer kept an eye to assure that between the impulse engines and the warp core, power was distributed evenly.

In his central chair, Stonn sat quietly, his hands steepled before his chin. The captain knew all that was going on around him, but understood it was as it should be, otherwise these men and women would not be here.

Downer was still going over the strange transmission, having left Starfleet and its emergency call behind, when his console flashed a red light along with IFF codes. IFF - Identification Friend or Foe - was a system that was put in place on all Earth ships from the earliest times of technology. It was adapted for Starfleet and the many ships that were a part of the United Federation of Planets to signal friendly ships. If a ship did not transmit an IFF, it was determined unfriendly and a potential threat. In this case, a code was being transmitted and it was recognized by the Columbia's computer core. Downer's console display scrolled up data:

U.S.S. Merrimac NCC-1715
Constitution-class Starship
Commission date: 2268
Re-fit date: 2278
Disposition: Disappeared with all hands on five-year tour of duty within the Alpha Quadrant, 2282

[donimator]

Downer ran the required protocols to authenticate the IFF code, but knew there was no known precedent of one ever being fabricated. The computer challenges proved the ID. 'The Merrimac!', Wow, he knew a few officers assigned to that ship and its recent disappearance had only just slipped to a Category Two Starfleet priority. He certainly felt to be the harbinger of strange news today, "Captain Stonn. IFF beacon received, sir. USS Merrimac."

Downer kept the report short and to the point. Everyone on the bridge would know the IFF signal was a close proximity broadcast and would definitely know the status of the Merrimac. He continued monitoring the ship Ops to head off any issues as the systems were challenged by the harsh Cluster environment.

[sdrotar]

"Excellent work, Mr. Downer," Stonn replied.
The Columbia would have to traverse the Cluster carefully and engage in rescue operations, once they had ascertained the status of the vessel and the reason for its disappearance, of course.

"Helm, please set a course for the Merrimac's last known position, taking the most direct route possible that keeps interference with sensors and communication to a minimum. Coordinate with Mr. Sorek and Mr. Downer as necessary to maintain clear signals. We do not know why the Merrimac was disabled, and caution is advised."

He turned to Grahm. "Maintain yellow alert and please notify Engineering that we will be proceeding into the Cluster for recovery and rescue operations immediately." Stonn intended to evaluate Grahm closely on this mission; he was the most senior bridge officer on the Columbia, excluding himself, but Grahm was often the most emotional, as well. He did not doubt the man's dedication or professionalism, nor his standing under Captain Darkan, but now that he was captain, he preferred a more... detached demeanor from the person in charge of the ship's weaponry.

Stonn had not requested any personnel additions or transfers upon his promotion, even though it was traditional for captains to do so; he trusted that Starfleet had made the most logical decisions possible regarding personnel assignments, and accepted that. But now that they were underway, it was his duty to constantly evaluate the ship's personnel, and where possible, help them improve as officers. He had to decide if Grahm was still the right person for the role.