Both Sides Now (Artemis)

USS Artemis-A
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"The energy field this thing generates can fragment reality at the quantum level and then collapse it around its target. When directed at a ship, or a planetoid, or- ::beat:: a person, the prismagon’s energy essentially forces them out of reality, particle by particle. Colonel, we’re going to steal one."
- Major Didrik Stennes

	Teaser

Thirty years ago, the Interstellar Commonwealth made first contact with the Shint, a mysterious race with possible extragalactic origins. The warlike, technologically-advanced Shint have no desire for peaceful coexistence, and after a brief cold war between the two, the Shint launched an all-out campaign of terror against the Commonwealth. Their first target, Cardassia, was wiped off the galactic map within minutes. The next day, Bajor was destroyed, along with the recently-discovered wormhole.

Now, after three decades of nonstop warfare, the Shint have all but prevailed. The Commonwealth has only a handful of ships and star systems left under its control, and even the most optimistic projections show the Commonwealth will fall to the Shint within a year. The crew of the CIC Desdemona, one of the last functioning Commonwealth ships, wonder how much longer they can defend their collapsing state against a vastly superior and ruthless enemy.

The Shint have a weapon capable of manipulating the fabric of reality, against which the Commonwealth have no meaningful defense. Using this tenebrous, evil weapon, the Shint have chipped away at the Commonwealth’s territory, conquering one planet after another. With all other options exhausted, the desperate crew of Desdemona must steal one of the reality-warping weapons, in a last-ditch effort to tip the scales of war in their favor.

First & Last Sim
Hot Yogan	First Sim - Written by Yogan Yalu on SD 240009.09

	Act 1

Planning

Aboard the CSC Overdone, Majors Didrik Stennes and Yogan Yannick were on their way to rendezvous with the CIC Desdemona, carrying intel vital to the waning war effort. The shuttle was, however, waylaid by a Shint warship, and Major Stennes watched helplessly as a distracted Yannick was caught in a discharge of the Prismagon - the Shint's reality-altering weapon - and killed in action.

Major Stennes made it back to the CIC Desdemona with the intel, and briefed its crew on their next, and possibly final, mission. They needed to steal a Prismagon from a Shint Warcruiser. Lt. Colonel Adea was to spearhead a team consisting of Captain Yellir and 2nd Lieutenants Kuva, Lux and Thevn, assisted by Jovenan, to develop prismic shielding for a small shuttle and an away team intended to sneak aboard the war cruiser and retrieve the Prismagon. Meanwhile, Captain Olivera and 2nd Lt. Flint Kader had to find a suitable target for the heist, while Major Dakora, 1st Lt. Sato, 2nd Lt. Savel, Colonel MacKenzie and Major Stennes put together a plan for the heist, complete with contingencies for any complications that might arise.

• Shield Team

Lt. Colonel Adea's team went to the Tactical Laboratory to get an idea about their preferred approach to the adaptation of the Prismic Shielding. While there, the team split into several smaller units depending on their focus. Lux and Jovenan focused on the shuttle shields, working on the idea of modifying the prismic shielding into a portable solution to allow the infiltration unit more options while aboard the Shint vessel, while Thevn and Kuva brainstormed an idea for making the prismic shielding capable of both confusing the prismic scanners and act as protection against common Shint weaponry. Colonel Yellir was confident the plan could be put into work, and suggested equipping the shields with backup batteries to ensure that the infiltration team would be covered for the entirety of the mission.
As the team started discussing how to actually implement their plans - outfitting the shuttle, updating anti-Shint coding and actually creating the shields - 2nd Lt. Kuva revealed something concerning. The Shint had not reshuffled their codes in more than two months, which was irregular to say the least... Had the aggressors gone complacent, or was the Desdemona being lured into a trap?

• Target Acquisition Team

Captain Olivera and Lieutenant Kader were in charge of selecting a target for their Heist. Captain Olivera contemplated the value of lying in wait in the Azure Nebula, obscured by the natural phenomena, while Lt. Kader suggested a daring target for them. An Atraxia-class Warship. Large and powerful, yes, but without an escort to harry the Desdemona if things went south. Knowing that the CIC Othello - one of Olivera's previous postings - was in the area, they contacted the vessel for their latest scans of the Atraxia's patrol route, hopeful that these scans could aid them in plotting a good approach vector for the incoming heist. Within an hour, Colonel Thera MGia of the CIC Othello, an old flame of the Human Captain, appears on a safe comm-link and agrees to share their sensor logs with the Desdemona to better their chances of success. The information, however, concerns 2nd Lt. Kader: The Othello is in their mission area, and is moving far slower than its max speed. If it comes to a firefight with the Atraxia vessel, it is very likely that the Colonel MGia, the Othello - and his daughter - will be caught in the crossfire...

• Infiltration Planning Team

Sato, Savel and Dakora examined holographic displays of Shint Warships, trying to find out how to breach the vessels. While initially considering breaching through the sensitive sensor array - thus achieving both entry and a blinding of the vessel, they also considered disabling the ship weapons, to give the Desdemona more leeway. Colonel MacKenzie urged for simplicity, focusing on the likely success of the infiltration team, which focused the following planning. Using some of the scans that Major Stennes had been able to steal away with, it was likely that they would be able to create 'sensor echoes' of the shuttle, hopefully confusing the Shint sensors for long enough to allow the shuttle's approach.
Through brainstorming, the team arrives at a plan for the Heist Team Shuttle to feign at being a group of deserters, shot dead by the Desdemona. Then, while the enemy ship is distracted by the larger threat, the 'inert' shuttle can quietly drift closer, steal the Prismagons and get out of there. A risky plan, but one that might just be insane enough to work. The battleworn Major Stennes still seems out of sorts though, and as he walks to the replicator to steel himself alongside the Counselor, his recurring nightmare nags at him. Who is the mysterious figure he sees every night, and what will happen when he's finally able to grab the extended hand?

The Skirmish

• Desdemona Team: Addison MacKenzie, Genkos Adea, Didrik Stennes, Victor Olivera, Luana Yellir, Flint Kader, Kuva

Upon arrival in the Celendi Nebula, the Desdemona sends off half her senior staff to enact their ploy. After a 'threat' from Major Stennes against the 'deserters', Captain Olivera hits and seemingly disables the shuttle, prompting the approaching Atraxia class vessel to dispatch a fighter squadron to investigate. To cover the infiltration team aboard the CSC Don Pedro, the Desdemona engages the Shint fighters before they get wise to the plan, with Majors Stennes and Adea, as well as 2nd Lt. Kader, going outside in fighters of their own, joining Major Dakora's squadron in the direct attack. The World Ender and Desdemona exchange weapons fire multiple times, but while the Desdemona's weapons seem almost useless against the might of the Shint vessel, their opponents' weaponry batters the old Commonwealth Ship and all but tears through their shields. On his superiors' orders, 2nd Lt. Kuva starts to maneuever the ship into a debris field that Kader located during the planning session. The battles rages on as everyone involved awaits signs that the infiltration teams' endeavours were succesful, even as their every offensive move seems to barely make a dent in the Shint forces. Defeat seems almost certain...

• Infiltration Team: Area 'Romeo' Dakora, Harry Sato, Jovenan, Savel, Gila Thevn, Lux, J

Onboard the CSC Don Pedro and outfitted with the modified prismic shielding technology and communications badges that should allow compensation for Shint jamming tech, the team sets out from the Desdemona, playing at desertion. The World Ender sends out fighters to ascertain the status of the shuttle after the Desdemona's friendly fire, but an interruption from Major Dakora's fighter squadron interrupts their investigation. Meanwhile, on the inside, 2nd Lieutenants Lux and Thevn fix the hull damage caused by the Desdemona while Mediator Jovenan keeps an eye on the status of their prismic shielding. While waiting for the opportune moment to infiltrate the World Ender, Lux and Thevn also manage to get a passive communications feed through the defunct communication console, allowing the infiltration team to hear outgoing transmissions from the other vessels nearby. As Shint voices praise the glory of their Empire, Major Dakora kicks the shuttle into gear and propels it like a speeding bullet into the giant vessel, lodging itself into one of its sensor nodules. Once inside, the infiltration party further splits up into two teams, with a shared mission. Get to a Prismagon Reactor, get the mcguffins and get back to the shuttle within five minutes.

Team Dakora: Leading Jovenan, Thevn and J towards the aft reactor, Major Dakora uses Thevn's knowledge of Shint ship design and protocol to avoid patrols. Upon arrival at the reactor, sensors read Shint lifesigns within, and the group decides to divide and conquer. Thevn and Dakora enter combat with the Shint guards, while Jovenan leads J to dislodge the core of the Prismagon Reactor. The Major gets pummelled by a previously unnoticed Shint, but Thevn manages to kill it and give the Major a temporary reprieve from the concussion he'd earned. Jovenan and J dislodge the core just as an alarm starts ringing throughout the World Ender, caused by the explosives set by Team Sato. Seeing as their cover is well and fully blown at this point, Dakora sets an explosive device of his own and leads his team back towards the Don Pedro. On the way back, their team encounters a group of Mizarian slaves transporting a replacement prismagon core. While the encounter remains peaceful, Dakora does relieve the demure slaves of their cargo while Thevn has an encounter with a Mizarian who seems to know of her. Once again en route to the Don Pedro, Dakora is hit in the leg by a stray Shint projectile, but before he can volunteer to stay back as a distraction instead of slowing them down, the explosive triggers and incinerates their pursuers.

Team Sato: Leading Savel and Lux towards the fore reactor, the team adopts the principle of 'kill them all' as they charge ahead. Eventually, this gets them stuck inside a room that sealed the doors and killed all non-essential systems once all Shint life signs within had faded... They have to find another way back once they have the Prismagon in hand, but for now, they continue on. Using a creative method of hostage-taking, murder and mayhem, the team puzzles their way to the Prismagon Reactor where Savel manages to dislodge the still burning hot core from the reactor. Realizing that their race against time won't be successful if they don't manage to deal with the pursuing Shint approaching them, Lux - who is the only one able to operate her brother's specially designed explosive devices - wishes her teammates good luck and decides to stay behind, taking down as many Shint as she can before finally succumbing to the explosive hellfire of her own devices.

The infiltration party reconvenes back at the Don Pedro with -2 seconds to spare, and lurches back into empty space with their precious cargo. An all-out war occurs once the Shint fighters are alerted to the cargo the reawakened shuttle carries, and seemingly for every impact to the prismic shielding, the prismagon cores grow brighter. The team aboard the Don Pedro becomes aware of the danger posed by their cargo just a little too late, and soon, a Reality Bubble originating from the stolen prismagon cores expand to envelop the Desdemona, the fighters and the World Ender itself. All onlookers say their prayers, ready for the end. Meanwhile, in a reality quite unlike their own, Commanders Adea and Yalu stare in awe at their viewscreen as a rift in space-time opens up and deposits a warzone in front of them, and a voice quite like their Captain's speaks to them from an unfamiliar vessel...

Notable Sims of Act 1
Both Sides Now (SD240009.10)	Major Stennes makes it back to the Desdemona with a suicidal mission.
Ragnarok (SD240009.22)	Cpt. Olivera learns of his daughter's existence, and immediately puts it in jeopardy.
Universal Symbol of Defiance (SD240009.25)	Operation 'Get Ourselves Killed' is underway.
Holy Miriam Margolyes (SD24009.28)	Major Stennes, Colonel Adea and Lt. Kader board the Nurse-fighter craft.
Honey, We're Home!(SD240009.30)	The Don Pedro arrives on the World Ender.
The Shinty End of The Stick (SD240010.05)	Lux makes her final stand.
Two worlds collide (SD240010.06)	The warzone is transported to the Prime Universe, and Cmdr. Yalu attempts communications.

	Crew Manifest

Character name	Rank equivalent	Duty post	Notes
Addison MacKenzie	Colonel	Commanding officer	Counterpart of Addison MacKenzie
Didrik Stennes	Major	Acting executive officer	Simmed by Yogan Yalu
Ares 'Romeo' Dakora	Major	Air group commander	Counterpart of Talos Dakora
Genkos Adea	Lieutenant Colonel	Chief physician	Counterpart of Genkos Adea
Victor 'Vik' Olivera	Captain	Tactician	Counterpart of Vitor Silveira
Luana Yellir	Captain	Engineer, cyber-warfare specialist	Counterpart of Hallia Yellir
Harry Sato	1st Lieutenant	Counselor	Counterpart of Hiro Jones
Jovenan	1st Lieutenant	Science officer	Counterpart of Jovenan
Flint Johnathan Kader	2nd Lieutenant	Navigator	Counterpart of Flint Kader
Savel	2nd Lieutenant	Special warfare operator	Counterpart of Savel
Gila Thevn	2nd Lieutenant	Physician	Counterpart of Gila Sadar
Kuva	2nd Lieutenant	Liaison officer to the Unified Resistance	Counterpart of Kuva
J	2nd Lieutenant	Shock Troop	Counterpart of Jaseb Chevalier
Yogan Yannick	Major	Executive officer	Counterpart of Yogan Yalu. Deceased.
Lux	2nd Lieutenant	Special ops, Quantum mechanics specialist	Counterpart of Luxa Lorana. Deceased.

• Mentioned NPCs:
  • Resistance Cell Leader Sorev - Kuva's father
  • Cyberware Specialist Rasa - Lux's littermate
  • Colonel Thera MGia - Commanding officer of the CIC Othello
  • Vanda MGia - The young daughter of Thera and Victor

	Fun facts

• Many things in the Shint War universe appear to be named after and incorporate themes which appear in the works of William Shakespeare.