SB118Ops Mission Logs/Sal Taybrim/First Encounters of the Squirrel Kind

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Mission Summary

Prologue:

On a strange ship out in the cloud, a squirrel-like species struggles for survival. Generations prior, their planet had been made uninhabitable, and thus their people were forced to create geodesic dome ships and traverse the universe, seeking out a new home. Over the course of time, their people slowly began to die out from some strange disease, until only one final ship is left. Most recently, their leader, entitled the Speaker, had died, leaving his daughter, Ki’yara, to seek the voice and desire of her people. Now they seek a place to call their own so that their kind can survive and, hopefully, thrive.


The ship comes to an area known as ‘the crossroads’, full of volatile gas clouds that make navigation difficult. Unable to use long range sensors, they decide to send out a few smaller ships to scout ahead. One of the elders, Pa-rhi, though old, volunteers to be one of those sent out.

Act I:


The crew gets assigned to study a phenomenon located in the Jenatris cloud. The anomaly appears only every 106 years, a strangely exact time. On the Rahuba, Commander Dal sets out with the crew to study this unique occurrence.

Upon arrival, the crew finds the anomaly right where expected. After preparing the probes, the devices are launched. Suddenly, the anomaly begins to react and moments later, the ship shudders, then everyone blacks out.

When they come to, it is obvious all systems had shut down for some time, but only minor injuries are reported. There is no sign of the anomaly, but a large mass of tachyon particles and temporal radiation is read by ship sensors. From behind them, an ionic storm develops and thrashes the ships. Lieutenant JG Trovek is sent along with Lieutenant JG Tito to seek out the injured and take them to sickbay, while Lieutenant Blackwell and Ensign Y’zyr head down to help in Engineering. Lt. Commander DeVeau takes Lt. Commander Kasun and meets Ensign Kevlak in a science lab to figure out where, and when, they are, while Commander Dal, Lt. Commander Maxwell hold the fort on the bridge. A moment later, they discover the approach of a strange vessel.

Tito and Trovek seek out the injured to assist and find an Andorian whose leg is trapped under heavy containers that fell during the blackout. With transporters not working, and the damage to the leg too severe to save, Trovek elects to amputate. She calls for assistance, is joined by Dr. Taisa Ayala, and the trio are successful in saving the Andorian’s life.

Down in engineering, Blackwell and Y'zyr meet up with Hael and offer their assistance. Lieutenant Guard is with him, and asks Blackwell to help purge the scrubbers, and the four get to work. In the middle of this, Dal calls Blackwell back to the bridge for help in interpreting the strange language coming from the ship that had appeared. Engineering is able to get enough power to transporters for one trip and Blackwell works on interpreting and communicating.

DeVeau, along with Kevlak and Kasun, works in the science lab to seek answers. Using the probes already launched, they connect and begin to sort through the data, trying to find the anomaly. As they prepare to maneuver the probes and get more information, Dal warns the crew of the impending ionic storm. The Rahuba weathers it with little problem, but the other ship is greatly damaged - and the Starbase crew decide to assist.

Back on Starbase 118 Ops, Commodore Sal Taybrim sits down for tea with Lieutenant JG Taelon. With a direct connection to the Rahuba, they monitor the progress, only to witness a strange energy spike. Being El-Aurian, Taelon is sensitive to time fluctuations and particles,and feels something odd about the event. Taybrim calls for a boosted signal and attempts to get more information, and discovers the appearance of another ship, one of a completely unknown origin.


Act II:


After the storm passes, Commander Dal calls Trovek to the bridge, then opens healing frequencies to the strange ship. The voice that answers is young, and most of the language is still not translated by the universal translator, but one message gets through - the one who responded is called the Speaker. Eventually, more words are understood, and she asks to meet. After discussing possible cultural and political misinterpretations that might occur, the crew of the ship prepare for a first contact and to lend aid.

They connect with Ki’yara, the young Risuan who is the leader of her people known as the Speaker. Each agrees to meet and Blackwell heads toward the shuttlebay, but before Dal can leave the bridge, Kasun returns. He briefs her on the upcoming first contact and asks her to join him. The two head down to board the shuttle Lockwind and meet up with Blackwell and Trovek, who has joined the away team.

DeVeau had sent Kasun back to the bridge, then calls for help from Tito. She, the intelligence officer, and Kevlak continue their investigation as to what happened to the anomaly. Thanks to moving the probes close to the ship in order to take advantage of the shield, they weathered the storm, and are sent back out to gather more info. As they work, Tito wonders if the drive coils frequency of the probes could have been what caused the anomaly’s reaction. The team considers the idea, just as a strange call comes through.

Down in engineering, Commander Hael calls Ensign Velix to assist him and Ozai. There, Velix learns for the first time about the ship that they have encountered. Together, they scan the vessel to determine its schematics, how it works, and how they might be able to help fix it. Hael wonders if certain particles in the cloud are affecting the way their ship is functioning. Dal contacts them and then connects them with Ya’faemi, the Risuan engineer.

On the Si'laan, speaker Ki'yara tells Se'vayan that she will ask the strangers for help, but there is concern about their motivation. She cannot sense any ill will, so hopes for the best. Se’vayan doesn’t like the decision, and they all wonder how to board a ship when their skimmers aren’t working. After Ki’yara leaves, Se’vayan pokes at the console and asks to speak to someone ‘smart’. He manages to somehow establish a connection with the science team on the Rahuba and is introduced to Lt. Commander Alora DeVeau.

Dal, Blackwell, Trovek, and Kasun safely travel to the Si’laan to meet Ki’yara, the Speaker of her people, along with Ya’faemi, one of their engineers onto the shuttle. As the Speaker is telepathic, she elects to connect with them in that manner in order to facilitate communication about their predicament. They discover the Risuans are a squirrel-like species, and only the Speaker is telepathic. She communicates information about her people and Dal sets teams to help fix their ship as well as assist with finding an answer for a strange malady that has plagued them. Meanwhile, Dal and his team prepare to go in and help get people out of areas that are about to collapse. As there are multiple pathways through the rubble, the team elects to split, Trovek going with the Speaker and Blackwell while Kasun and Dal remain behind to clear a path through to the main passage.

The first rescue team is shown some of the areas, and Ki’yara is able to sense those who are trapped within. Due to the relative stability of the area, the group decide to go to one that is in more danger of collapsing and helping those trapped there first. A tricorder scan reveals lifesigns below the rubble and Trovek warns Ki’yara that if she reaches out, they may be in distress. As she waits for the Speaker to ‘speak’, she hears sounds of moving rubble and fingernails on metal. Blackwell suggests they use the Rahuba’s transporters to get people out of the rubble. Ki’yara is asked to determine which of the injured are in most dire need and reassure them about the transportation. Once warned, Blackwell initiates transportation to the Rahuba.

Meanwhile, Dal and Kasun begin to work on clearing the main passageway using anti-grav devices. The two make their way forward, then discover a hull breach poached with organic material. Signs of past space fights are also present. Dal also ruminates over the mindset of the people and what’s going on emotionally and how the speaker might be connected to it all even as they come across a place where moving the rubble is more precarious. As they work, they ponder, and Kasun wonders if there is some connection between the people and the speaker.

After speaking to Ya’faemi, Hael, Ozai, and Velix replicate the requested parts and prepare to meet the new species, complete with EV suits. Ya’faemi gives a brief rundown of the status of the ship, but also indicates the catastrophic consequences that will occur if the damage is not repaired. An alarm goes off when they enter the engine room and Ya’faemi indicates the core is becoming unstable. With automatic systems damaged, it becomes necessary to manually purge the core. It is easier said than done when Velix accidentally breaks one of the levers. She then contacts Y’zyr and asks him to join them - and bring a hyperspanner, no questions asked. He arrives and the group try to figure out how to do repairs. Velix suggests they extend Rahuba’s shields around the Risuan ship.

In the meanwhile, DeVeau and Tito beam over to the Si’laan and meet with Healer Se’vayan. In exchange for information on what the Risu know about the anomaly that sent them to their current location, they agree to aid him in determining the cause for a mysterious illness that plagues his people. The illness presents as a form of depression or similar, and the three of them begin their research.

Back on Ops, Taybrim and Taelon are able to contact the strange ship. At first, the language is not understandable, but as they continue to speak back and forth, the translator starts picking up more and more of the words and they are finally able to communicate. They discover that the single occupant is a female by the name of Pa’rhi. After some conversation, they decide to meet. With damage to her ship preventing her from moving, Taybrim calls for the Aegis to prepare, then he and Taelon board to meet the stranger.

Pa’rhi arrives and is greeted not only by Commodore Taybrim and Lieutenant JG Taelon, but by Nijil who had been called by Taybrim to join them. They keep a field separating them for a moment, but Taybrim provides a holopad to allow the Risuan to create a comfortable place to sit while Nijil and Taelon engage in decontamination protocols.



Act III:


Dal decides to contact Doctor Bailey who joins him and Kasun a few minutes later and begins triage, handing out heat-reflective blankets as a first measure to combat the drop in temperature. In the meanwhile, after several batches of moderately to severely injured Risu are beamed aboard the Rahuba, Trovek is asked to return to the ship to assist in sickbay. Blackwell and Ki’yara rejoin Dal, Kasun and Bailey, and continue triage.

As DeVeau and Tito collect samples of the sick Risu, Se’vayan reveals that he too is suffering from it. He comes to the conclusion that escaping the Cloud should take priority, and willingly provides the crew of the Rahuba with the information they had asked for. After necessary measures and completed, the three of them beam into the Rahuba’s science lab and begin researching the anomaly and working on a way out.

In the Si’laan’s engineering department, Yzyr’s mechanical spider Geoff ‘assists’, much to the disgust of Hael and Ya’faemi. Before the situation can escalate, Velix find a way to extend the shields - but only for a little more than ten minutes. A call with the Rahuba’s Science Department however reveals that a solution to escape the cloud still has not been found. Frustrated, Velix finds herself a spot to sit in, and Y’zyr joins her. Taking a look at a weird looking plant Velix points out, he notices that it crawls with bugs that are invisible to normal eyes. Geoff catches some of them, and scans reveal that the insects are existing in a state of hyper-accelleration. Neither Hael not Ya’faemi are particuarly happy about the discovery of bugs aboard the Si’laan.

Due to her telepathic link, Ki’yara feels He’liseka, a religious Risu leader, getting heavily injured. Kasun notices a shift in time and inquires with sickbay about whether He’liseka has already been rescued with the other Risu. Trovek reveals that He’liseka is on the Rahuba and ‘not in any pain’.

Dal and Bailey split in search of further injured, while the others remain grouped together. Back on the Rahuba, several Risu in sickbay overhear Trovek as she reports on He’liseka, and begin to panic. When they notice Lieutenant Sh'shyllerh, the Andorian officer Trovek treated earlier, they mistake her for a Valcarian and the situation slowly begins to escalate. Trovek calls Kasun and asks her for help.

DeVeau, Tito and Se’vayan are able to locate the anomaly, discovering that it seems to move and circulate around an unknown source. They have five days before the anomaly will appear in a location they can pinpoint. Se’vayan is happy at first, but quickly grows anxious about what will happen to the Si’laan, and if the Rahuba will leave them behind to fend for themselves. Tito expresses his annoyance with the Healer, which causes his reassurance to come across as a threat. Before the situation can escalate, DeVeau dismisses him and sends him to sickbay to report to Trovek.

Just after Tito leaves, the results of Se’vayan’s scans are ready, and it is revealed that the part of the Risu brain connected to telepathy is more active in recent scans than in former ones. Se’vayan explains that the Speaker is the only truly telepathic Risu, and that the illness began when her father died. He also notes that he feels better since he came to the Rahuba. A few minutes later, he indicates that he is feeling the symptoms of the illness again and, on a hunch, DeVeau checks the ship logs and finds out that Ki’yara had just beamed aboard. This confirms the theory, and she is determined to speak with the Speaker and hopefully kindly communicate the problem in an effort to fix it.

On Sickbay, Trovek is joined by Blackwell, Kasun, Ki’yara, and by Tito who joins not much later. While Tito protects the Andorian, Kasun and Blackwell support Ki’yara as she reaches out to the upset Risu. After some back and forth, Ki’yara breaks down and projects the memory of the loss of her father, the encounter with the Valcarians and her grief. The Risu are finally convinced, and Kasun, Blackwell and Tito decide to get them settled somewhere outside of sickbay. DeVeau and Se’vayan have come to the conclusion that it is Ki’yara who is causing the illness through her telepathic link to the other Risu, and go to sickbay to talk to her. Trovek however convinces DeVeau that now is not the time for it, and argues that the young Risu leader is in no state to take such news. DeVeau elects to take the advice.

Dal and Bailey have found a nursery with several Risu children of varying ages, and an injured caretaker. Bailey hands out blankets while Dal makes sure the nursery is accessible and the trapped Risu can be freed. One of the younger children has sustained injuries and is treated by Bailey. Together, Dal and Bailey manage to rescue the children and bring them to safety.

Once Dal returns to the Si’laan, DeVeau confesses her concerns about taking the Risuans back in time with them. After providing more details about the situation that she was unaware of due to her work in the lab, he feels the responsibility weighing heavy upon his heart and doubts his ability as a Starfleet Officer. DeVeau tries to reassure them as the Rahuba heads back to the anomaly and toward home.



Dramatis Personae


Dramatis Personae
Speaker Ki'yara Risuan Alive Created/Simmed by Sal Taybrim Ki'yara young, inexperienced leader of the Risu has recently lost her father and is now tasked to find a new home for her people. As the only telepathic Risu, she hold the position of the Speaker and can commune with the living and a collective memory referred to as the ancestors.
Healer Se'vayan Risuan Alive Created/Simmed by Trovek Arys Se'vayan is an aged healer who has learned not to trust outsiders. He too suffers from the mysterious, depression-like illness that affects a portion of the Risu population, and eventually learns to trust 'Scientist DeVeau' and the crew of the Rahuba.
Chief Engineer Ya'faemi Risuan Alive Created/Simmed by Ishani Kasun As chief engineer, Ya'faemi is largely concerned with bringing the Si'laan out of the Jenatis Cloud. She does not mind taking help from strangers, but even her patience runs out at some point.
Elder Pa'rhi Risuan Alive Created/Simmed by Alora DeVeau Elder Pa'rhi outlived children and grandchildren, and volunteered to take a skimmer and function as ambassador of the Risu. The temporal anomaly pulled her 106 years into the past, where she met Sal Taybrim and asked for help.
He'liseka Risuan Deceased Created/Simmed by Alora DeVeau He'liseka was the religious leader of the Risu and plagued by visions of impending death and destruction of their species. When the ion storm hit, He'liseka and her two students Tu'pia and Ku'kari were buried underneath the rubble. He'liseka and Tu'pia died before they could be transported to sickbay.



Participating Crew


Participating Crew
Name Position Notes
Ishreth Dal Commanding Officer Played by Sal Taybrim
Alora DeVeau First Officer
Ishani Kasun Chief Security Officer
Ozai Y'zyr Tactical Officer
Arturo Maxwell Chief Tactical Officer LOA Midway
Drevas Matthel Tactical Officer LOA Midway
Aine Sherlock Tactical Officer
Prudence Blackwell Comm/Op Officer
Sheila Bailey Medical Officer
Trovek Arys Medical
Ashley Yael Counselor
Vitor Tito Intelligence Officer

Gallery and Quotes


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