Sheer Bliss (Constitution)

USS Constitution-B
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Player Characters in the mission
Name	Position	Notes
Jalana Rajel	Commanding Officer
Edward Spears	First Officer	LOA
Maxwell Tannhauser	HCO Officer	LOA
Atan T'Seva	Chief Tactical Officer
Lystra	Security/Tactical Officer
Rachel Flores	Engineering Officer
Arion Merin	Engineering Officer	Joined 239910.11 - LOA
Cade Foster	Chief Medical Officer
Talia Kecia Ohnari	Medical Officer	LOA
Evelyn Veir	Medical Officer	Joined 239910.11
Kante Soho	Counselor	LOA
Lazarus Davis	Chief of Science/2nd Officer
Shedet	Science Officer

MSNPCs
Name	Position	Notes
Nimo Hayna'an	Species Xindi Aquatic	Groom, Played by Shedet
Balanomi Amph'ail	Species Xindi Aquatic	Bride, Played by Cade Foster
Efluvian To'dosha	Species Xindi Aquatic	Officiant / Wedding Planner/ Elder, Played by Edward Spears
Fyen Hayna'sen	Species Xindi Aquatic	Groom's Siblings & Advisor, Played by Jalana Rajel
Shii Tano	Species Chelarian	Daaka Colony Inhabitant, Played by Lazarus Davis
Mo’kana	Species Xindi Aquatic	Attending Team 2, Played by Cade Foster

OOC Briefings

OOC Briefings are information for the players that our characters may not have, such as mood, theme, goals or general information about mission Specifics. They get posted for each Act for the mission to keep everyone on the same page. Prologue: OOC Briefing Act 1: OOC Briefing Act 2: OOC Briefing

Mission Brief

Jalana Rajel: HQ assigned us a new mission and this one is a first for me. We are going on a dive. We are being invited to a state wedding in an Xindi Aquatic Colony on Daaka. The groom comes from another Colony on Hobiru and we are going to escort him to his new home and the ceremony. But that is not all, we are invited to attend the wedding as well. As you can imagine that means a lot of preparation for us. None of our equipment is specialized for underwater missions, and neither are we. While we know Zero-G being underwater is a whole lot different. So we will have to take care of Equipment, Refreshers on Xindi and so on. A lot list of tasks.

Prelude

Initial Tasks

• Work on an aquashuttle. While various forms may already exist they cannot be supplied. Old plans and schematics are available and based on those with some upgrades. Conny Engineers and Scientists work on new versions. They are to equip 3 small vessels or two medium vessels with the capabilities to dive and stay underwater for an extended amount of time.
  • We also will need diving suits because our crew will be proper underwater for this mission. Long term diving. How will they have enough oxygen or withstand pressure once they leave the aquashuttle?
• Pilots need practice in simulations on how to maneuver said vessels, which will still be slightly different because the ships don’t exist yet. But underwater works differently from space be it in a vessel or outside.
• Science, OPS and Medical (If familiar with Xindi Aquatics) need to prepare part of the cetacean lab tanks to support Aquatic Xindi for transport.
• Medical will need to brush up on possible conditions our teams could be affected by when going underwater for prolonged periods of time.
• Counseling check on conditions that are of mental nature of spending days underwater.
• Counseling make an overview of any diplomatically important Aquatic Xindi details (traditions, habits, culture, customs and such) to be prepared for interaction
• Security/Tactical might not be necessary just going by the mission description but they never go unprepared. So find ways to make weapons work underwater!
• COMM (OPS) would work on implementing the Sonar to Speech and Speech to Sonar translator modules at the tank. We also will need portables and/or adjusting universal translators for it.

Challenges

• Underwater and space are quite different in their physical properties, even though both require similar safeguards–such as EV suits. The biggest challenge we will face is resistance caused by pressure.
• Our standard EV suits
  • are designed to account for a variety of pressure variances. However, they are not designed for long excursions. They also rely on the assumption of operating in a gas or vacuum for purposes of heat dissipation.
  • The propulsion systems built in are likely insufficient to move through water. There may be additional factors to consider. We want a suit that does not kill its occupant in the event of a power failure, as we will be at pressures hostile to most, if not all, people present in this briefing.
• Our shuttles
  • Structural integrity fields can accommodate the expected pressure, but that will tax the power systems, and a failure in the EPS grid would spell disaster.
  • Shuttle propulsion systems are sufficient in terms of thrust, but the heat they generate will boil the water around it, making navigation difficult.
• The composition of the ocean itself may create challenges.
  • The ocean consists mostly of water, but the mineral profile is somewhat unique.
  • The water itself is relatively conductive to electricity, and we need to take care not to risk exposing ourselves or others to electrical shock.
  • The vacuum of space is a decent insulator, so we are not used to the degree of caution necessary to maintain safety in this environment.

Act 1

• Preparations continue while the Constitution heads off to Horibu where the Groom, his sibling (advisor and witness) and the officiant are received.
  • They are going to be brought right into the Cetacean aquarium section prepared for them.
• While we are on our way to said planet, the Senior Crew undergoes some simulations for training. Walking, talking, working underwater in our diving suits may be way different from land or in Zero G. We may need a few pointers.
• Pilots also do their crash underwater diving flying course to get familiar with the controls and the waters of Daaka
• Last preparations are being finished

Act 2

Briefing Notes

Shortly before Arrival at Daaka the Senior Officers are holding a meeting to update each other. The following has been shared:

Engineering

• Aquashuttle
  • Type-11 shuttles refit for underwater travel.
  • Can fly at normal impulse and under maneuvering thrusters, but not at warp.
  • There are articulated propellers on the back of the shuttle that take over underwater. Shutters will close over the impulse engines and thrusters so we don’t cause any inadvertent damage to the environment.
  • The rear compartment will also function as an airlock so suits can be donned or repaired underwater.
  • They glide to the surface and then submerge.
  • Removed the warp part of the warp nacelles, so now they are mainly ballast tanks. They will fill with seawater and allow the aquashuttle to get all aqua.
• Diving suits:
  • So’Mior developed two ways to secure life support even if containment of the suit is breached. And that no one gets electrocuted.
  • As to the physical structure of the suits, less than desirable. Think less a suit and more a portable shell for your body. Flexibility will be limited but it’ll get the job done.
  • There will also be a standard Starfleet wetsuit underneath the main shell.

Medical

• Two-prong protection plan
  • Medicine that will help any away team members adapt to the pressures and stresses of the underwater environment.
    • It's adjusted to each member based on blood chemistry, so no swapping doses. Not a long term fix. ** Everyone should still plan on spending at least eight to twelve hours of rest time back on the Constitution per day.
  • They also developed a topical compound to be worn under the suit, it will allow a smoother adherence as well as protect the dermis from the extreme climate.
    • It’s a skin protectant that will prevent infection or unexpected contamination should you have a suit breach or come into contact with unfiltered water for any reason.
    • The formula was adjusted so it shouldn't overpower the nasal passages while breathing in the suit.

• Possible medical conditions
  • There are a few potential intoxicants from the local food and drink that will vary depending on species.
    • There will be specific recommendations for each senior staff member on what they should avoid based on their specific body chemistry.
    • The medical suggestions are based on all the available research on the environment we're entering. When in doubt, double check.

Counseling

• Possible Conditions
  • As always with a very different atmospheric makeup as that we may be used to
    • Changes in the air or liquid may affect respiration and this in turn can lead to psychological changes, such as dizziness, change of mood, anxiety etc..
• Customs
  • Be mindful that they respect decision making and do not like to be rushed.
  • They tend to over-analyse things and take their time, allow for that.

Security and Tactical

• Possible defenses and weapon adjustments
  • There are several martial arts techniques that can be practiced underwater
  • Three types of weapons: Fishing Net based, a tranquilizer speargun and ink bombs to provide cover.
• Each member of the Senior Team was suggested to visit the Holodeck to practice defending themselves with their defense of choice. Practice should include the suit and can also be extended to the tanks for a more realistic environment to practice. Security Personell will be available to assist.
• Emergency Transports
  • In case of hull breaches both suits and shuttles are programmed to trigger the escape transporter. Using the buoys people can beam out immediately.
  • Spare suits will be available.
  • Every member of the team should be fitted with an emergency transporter enhancer patch before getting into suits.
  • Portable transportation beacons can be used as well.

OPS

• Communications
  • Multi-layered approach with buoys to short, mid, and long-range communication both underwater and for subsurface to orbital communications. Standard Scientific props were used to redesign them into said relay buoys.
    • One will float on the surface, trailing a receiver down into the ocean that will pick up signals from our suits or the aquashuttles. Those signals will then be transmitted to orbit.
    • It was made sure that the buoys are protected without having a negative effect on the local fauna.
  • Communications to translate Xindi to standard and back was successful
  • Travel of language under water has been adjusted and verified
• Transporter possibility
  • If the signal strength is high enough between suits or shuttle and receiver the buoys can also be used to relay transporter signals. But a transporter signal requires much higher integrity than a simple audio transmission, and that signal drops off quickly as we move away from a receiver even with the modifications we've made.
  • Suggestion of Emergency transporters will help with this too (See Security)

Flight Department

• Flight Simulation
  • A training simulation was created based on the data of Daaka. There are some variables programmed in for weather and underwater conditions, enough to keep us on our toes for whatever Daaka may throw at us.
  • The simulation is open for regular pilots and those interested in flying the aquashuttles in general. Recommendation is to attempt it in the diving suit - holographic version is in the database and should suffice for practice.

Science

• Research
  • Still ongoing, one last scan when entering the system will make sure we have the up to date data.
• Assistance
  • Science collaborated with other departments and is willing to continue to do so where needed.

Final Diving Suit

Reference: The diving suits are a more modernized version of these Deep Dive Suits, meaning they are hard shell, but ours are updated for a more modern material, finger movements and some embellishments and functionality. (Click on image for bigger view)

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Aquasuits (The Flores Tidesuit)

A bulky hardshell deepsea diving suit made from a metallic alloy. Soft suits would need too much pressurizing to counter the water pressure, so hardshell is the way to go. They are not as manoeuvrable, but they will get the job done. Once the protective shell was established, it was easy to mount other, lighter decorative elements on top of the suit.

As to the physical structure of the suits -think less of a suit and more of a portable shell for your body. Flexibility will be limited, so sorry to those who were hoping to swim around with some grace. A standard Starfleet wetsuit is worn underneath the main shell.

Includes

• a system that limits the effects of the conductive minerals, a way to back up the existing suit systems and secondary containment of the suit’s power systems to prevent accidental overload.
• an emergency transporter enhancement patch so that in case of a major suit breach, the person could be immediately transported out of the water and back to the ship. They are programmed automatically initiate an emergency transport in case of a precipitous drop in oxygen or system shock indicators, for example, a tear or leak in the hard shell
• a retractable drinking tube (like a straw) to be able to have a sip of a drink from an internal water tank, that helps not to fully dehydrate but cannot be used for other outside drinks.
• Colored fibre optics and tri-chromatic electrochromic material! Ability to add patterns and additional ambient light with minimal extra weight.
• Arm patch with the Starfleet logo and the Constitution logo
• Gold piping for rank on the suit arm
• Lights in the grooves between limbs display the department colour
• Extra lights for the darkness of the deep sea. The lights are not in the view of the wearer to not be distracting. Light elements are around the shoulders, the legs and the back of the helmet in form of light-up trims around the joints
• Sensors for augmented view

The display embedded in her visor began augmenting the scene around her. The computer picked up on the little bit of light in the distance and compensated for the bioluminescent structures around them to artificially brighten the seafloor beyond for her eyes. ~ Rachel Flores

Process of donning the suit

• Apply goo (with a texture like a whippy frosting with a glaze finish) all over your body, every bit of skin exposed and not exposed.
• Wear a wetsuit
• Attach any gear you may need to the suit’s tool hinges and hooks.
• Once the wetsuit is worn climb into the top of the Aquasuit and allow the mechanisms to close up the suit and secure the helmet to the suit.
• Do a system and seal check.
• If needed ask someone to help you.
• Once you wear the suit you won’t be able to fly the shuttle or adjust much, so make sure to do all you need before, that includes a snack if you are hungry.

Example from Jalana’s Process

Jalana nodded and walked over to her 'armour' as she could clearly see by the rank and departmental markings, and grabbed her undersuit and the container of goo before she stepped aside into one of the little alcoves and stripped down to her underwear to goo up. She took a good portion out of the container and raised it to her nose. Mhm, Minty. But subtle, not too much. It smelled... fresh. She grinned and began to cover her skin carefully, lathering it on real nice. She was lucky that her picking up dancing again was helping her to be able to reach her back and everything without help. It felt surprisingly refreshing. Once she had done that she grabbed the undersuit which was like a classic dive suit, skin-tight, Starfleet edition in a boring dark gray with the conny logo on the check, none of which would be visible under the 'armour' deep dive suit. Once she was in that suit she closed the mechanism which luckily in this day and age was on the side instead of the back and stepped out again. To see if anyone needed help. Jalana stepped to her 'armour', she really liked that word for some reason. Reaching for her own medication she pressed the hypo to her neck and injected it. Just then she stepped inside the legs and straightened up. Thanks to Starfleet tech, the closing up of the suit was automatic on button press. So she pressed the button and listening to the moving of the parts she slipped her arms into the arm tunnels and adjusted herself to the proper position for the suit to be able to align and seal itself shut. This thing was clunky, yeah but just like during her test runs in preparations, she was still surprised that it was not too hard to move in it. Well, she moved the arms, for a test, moved the fingers, and made a fist. The controls worked fine. Her hands were not that big, and her body wasn't either, she was not sure she knew anyone who filled this out fully really, but that was why the hands were on control panels inside the cone that formed the suit's hand. That was also why they all had to practice this during the flight, to make sure they would be able to move around with this properly. Once she had done her tests to make sure it was properly aligned, she moved her arm to the side, pressing another button and the helmet lowered onto her suit and into proper position, since the suit itself had not moved yet, and sealed shut. The mechanism worked in a way that the lights would light up if everything was properly put together and only then. Her rank and department lights as well as the patch lit up just as it was supposed to. At the same moment, the oxygen supply began to work, like the suit was eager to move out. Rajel: “Ready to go. How's it looking over there?” That was also the test for the coms, which would now come automatically through the suits comm systems. Since every suit was assigned to someone the gear needed had been put into compartments or hung from fixtures on it during the flight so they didn't have to deal with that later on. That proved to be useful now.

Afterwards, the officers enter a pressure chamber to decompress and not be overwhelmed by the water pressure outside the vessel. Flooding and pressurization in the chamber takes about three minutes.

The bussard collectors outside hummed to life and water started pouring into the compartment. From feet to shins and up to their knees, it didn’t take long for the seawater to pour in. The rear compartment team had done seven or eight test runs and could completely flood or drain the compartment in just under three minutes. It was an impressive feat on their part. It didn’t take long for the water to pass chest height and up above their helmets. As it did she looked down at her left wrist. The schematic of her suit was up on the control panel. There were no yellow or red markers, no indications that the suit was having trouble or leaking. When she moved her arm, she could feel it was a bit more difficult. The water was putting up a fight against her as the pressure increased to match the outside. The shuttle ramp lowered down, unburdened by the pressure now that the shuttle’s interior pressure matched. ~ Rachel Flores

When returning, step into the compartment and drain it. It takes about three minutes to drain and bring the pressure to the one in the inside of the shuttle. After that, you can re-enter the aqua shuttle.

Other updated tech

Breathing apparatus for Sarek

As a Dolphin he needs oxygen. Engineering worked on creating a breathing apparatus for him that uses the water’s oxygen and converts it for him to use, based on the way Xindi “breathe”.

Sadly, he couldn’t spend a lot of time down deep, because he was an air breather like the rest of his pod. It just worked out to be many hours that he had to wait, swimming back and forth in the Cetacean tanks in a blur of anxious motion while the smart Engineers made him something that would let him breathe underwater for long periods of time without having to surface. Eventually, they’d finished the breathing thing they’d been working on and a few of them had put on those skin-tight wet suits they wore when in the tanks. Sarek knew they wore those because it helped them to handle the water’s temperature better. It had taken almost a half hour for them to put the harness onto Sarek that would let him breathe for many hours underwater. It felt weird, and somewhat tight and it took him a little while to adjust to swimming with it on. But the crew had told him that the thing they put on him, that covered his blowhole, would draw oxygen from the water around him and let him breathe. And even better, they said they could make it better and smaller and lighter in the future if he wanted. This one was bulky because they had a short time frame to work on it. Sarek of course told them yes! The best part of all? It was Shiny!!!!!! Sarek had two shinies on him now. The one around his body, covering his blowhole and oddly angled so it didn’t interfere with his fin and flippers. And he still had the shiny near his tail. The one that let them beam him back and forth from the ship and let him communicate with everyone that wasn’t Xindi.

Holoemitters

For Mark Two Foster and Georgio to go to the planet, they had to make adjustments to their holoemitters. They were updated after a mission in Endaasi and now upgraded again to make sure they could easily visit the colony. So they were equipped with waterproof shields for their emitters in a frequency that did not interfere with the water make up of Daaka.

Gallery

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  Xindi Colony, Daaka

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  Xindi Colony Garden, Daaka

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  Xindi Colony Ruins, Daaka

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  Wildlife, Daaka

• Upon arrival at Daaka the groom's party was beamed to the surface of the planet. Since the water interferes with the transporters they were beamed as close to the waterline as possible from where they would drop into the water itself and head to the colony.
• The Senior Crew assembled in the Main Shuttle Bay to prepare for departure and were instructed in medical precautions once more:
  • 'The Goo' is provided by medical and is applied onto the skin before getting into the undersuit and diving suit.
    • It "will create a protective, anti-microbial barrier on your skin that, in case you come into contact with any foreign substances, will prevent you from getting horrible infections, parasites, rashes and even worse things". It is applied on "every inch of skin you don’t want sea-yeastworm on. Leave areas unexposed at your own risk. [...] Besides, it’s moisturising and good for your skin." ~ Cade Foster
  • Medicine that will help any away team members adapt to the pressures and stresses of the underwater environment is provided as well. It's adjusted to each member based on blood chemistry, so there is no swapping doses. Not a long-term fix.
  • The away team members shall not be more than twelve hours in the suit.
    • "You will need to go back to the Constitution in shifts to decompress and rest. I think you’ll all be highly motivated to do so, since eating, drinking and toileting in the suit is uncomfortable. So I shouldn’t have to tell you – no sleepovers. But I’m telling you – no Xindi sleepovers." ~ Cade Foster

• The teams head out. Each shuttle should consist of 2 pilots and 1 medical officer, the rest is mixed up.
  • Shuttle 1
    • Lystra, Edward Spears, Kante Soho, Lazarus Davis, Jalana Rajel
    • Heading straight to the Bride's estate to meet her.

• • The other shuttles
    • Heading to the colony to explore, meet inhabitants and exchange knowledge. From culture, to science, to tech just explore and get to know the colony, enjoy yourselves!

((OOC: Discoveries are going to be added to the Wiki soon! ))

Act 3

The day of the wedding celebration beginning is here. After a 12 hours rest on the Constitution, the Officers of the Constitution are invited to return to the surface and join the celebrations! The mood is great and everyone seems to be elated and really happy! In some cases TOO happy and a bit loopy.

Meanwhile, bride and groom meet again - including the advisor. Are there any cold flippers around on the day the couple is to be married? And are the three just as happy about how things are turning out?

Act 4

Well into the celebrations some people realize that something is wrong.

• Mark Two joins the celebration with Georgio and notices that the singing, dancing and otherwise strange behavior of the crew makes the impression of them being drunk. He addresses Jalana who does not seem to see anything wrong going on but agrees that he can scan the area if he wants to. Mark starts to scan the officers to find out what is going on.
• Fyen - inside Balanomi's residence - stumbles over passed out Xindi and alarms the bridge and groom. They check out the affected Xindi and Balanomi discovers they are exhausted, but they had not overworked themselves or didn't sleep enough. They move the sleeping Xindi into guest suites and try to figure out what was going on. Balanomi states something like that had happened before many years ago during a big argument.
• Nimo offers to check on the other Xindi and also finds a few that have seemingly fallen asleep while celebrating. He overhears Starfleeters -Cade and Georgio- talking about something being off and addresses them utilizing them for help.
• Jalana continues to sing and 'dance' outside at the party being in her own little world, though Nugra addresses her as he too notices something is wrong - because he is relaxed and he never is.
• Mark meanwhile helps other officers, as Rachel's oxygen supply gets blocked by kelp, and then leads them to the shuttle where they not only eat and drink something but he can get a clearer scan from them. Once they enter the shuttle, Lazarus discovers that he starts to feel more sober.
  • Mark's scans result in discovering that the event is not why everyone is in such a great mood. Instead it is a chemical imbalance.

Mark: It’s not the mood of the event. I’m reading a perceptible change in your brain chemistry causing feelings of euphoria and disconnecting from any concerns or pain. [...] No, it’s not permanent. In fact I’m showing a drop in the chemical imbalance just in the fifteen minutes we’ve been in the aquashuttle. [...] No, you haven’t eaten or drank anything alien. So it has to be something absorbed through the water that is processed into your oxygen. Something that is evading our filters.

• The final results determine that the effect is coming from Pheromones released in the water, which have a different reaction in Xindi than other humanoids.

Foster: Cortisol is a hormone that is released whenever the body goes through a high stress ordeal. Cortisol is a Glucocorticoid – meaning it will process other body fuels into glucose. Now Xindi biology is a little different than Humanoid biology but the principle is the same – super high stress response means your body releases chemicals that pump the blood full of quick release energy – basically sugar – and if it is severe enough the blood sugar spikes and… this is weird version of a diabetic coma.

• While Cade helps the other officers he sends Georgio off to find the source of the pheromones. He follows the trace and finds the source in Balanomi, the bride himself, caused by her stress and strong emotions.
• The Crew returns to the ship and medical works out a cure for their crew and pass on their help to the Xindi as well.

Epilogue

On the day after the events Jalana and Lazarus returned to the surface to meet with Balanomi. She informed them that she had realized the marriage as was planned would not work for any party. But she has an idea: Bringing Fyen into the family.

Amph'ail: I must speak with Nimo. I must make an agreement before moving forward. He is a good soul. I care for him. But clearly an arranged marriage from several decades past was a poor idea. I value Nimo, but I am worried that he will not find happiness on Daaka. This is not his homeworld, nor is it the stars he wanted to explore. This is my place, not his. Our families want us to marry to produce offspring, which both of us are amenable to. But will he be miserable staying here, not doing what he seeks? Will I be miserable knowing that we are friends, but not partners? I have a close bond with Fyen, Nimo’s sibling. Fyen is not considered by their family for offspring, so they were never an option for marriage. But Fyen and I share something that completes one another. Something that is different than the bond between married Xindi, but strong. I am hoping Nimo will be amenable to letting me bring Fyen into this house, part of the family.

The plan is to have the wedding later when these plans are thoroughly talked about and details are hammered out. The Conny Crew will of course be invited.