Ch 4 : Knock Knock! [Day 1

Ch 4 : Knock Knock! [Day 1 | 1800+]

April 21, 2024, 04:07:32 AM

[ Barpin qi Erudite | Orbital Observatory of the Erudite ] @Brutus @RyeTanker @ob2lander961 @Tae @Eden @Sqweloookle @Griff @Eirual @Dree

It would be illogical to suppose that the moment had arrived sooner than anticipated and yet Barpin felt the tug of one’s perception of time and space to believe this very thing. Only moments before they’d officially passed into the area of operations, they presumed the Infested Savi and their corrupted followers would designate as a border zone, giving them an early warning for any who presumed upon them uninvited. They had no evidence thus far that this was the case, but since their counterparts were of their own flesh in a sense. They would have done this were the roles reversed; the Savi crew on the Erudite were operating at high alert, merely waiting for the alarm signaling a sensor buoy sited or even a scout ship itself.

Barpin glanced at the datapad in his hand and sighed. The Starfleet personnel had made quite a nuisance of themselves and were they not pressed with their backs to the walls facing down the Infested, Barpin doubted they’d ever happily look upon their faces again. It wasn’t so much that they’d nefariously sabotaged any of their systems or mistreated any of their people. More so some had attempted to go everywhere they weren’t supposed to be and touch or scan everything they weren’t supposed to. They had the same ability to mind their manners and follow orders as a primordial ooze, and the sooner they could sunder this alliance, the better. Barpin had always enjoyed the science and exploration of his life on the Flotilla, but ever since the severing of their people due to the Infested influence, his life had turned into one episode after another of “What will the chaotic Federation personnel do next?”

The door slid open, and glancing over his shoulder, Barpin nodded to the bald-headed man coming towards him. He seemed as tired as Barpin felt and Barpin realized that for as aggravating as the Starfleet personnel had been so far on their voyage, they likely would've been worse without this man and his leadership.

“We have passed into the area of operations for the Hobus star station. We have a high chance of encountering a sensor buoy or a scout ship at any time now.” He waited until the man was closer before he continued. “Our forward scans have shown us three major areas of activity. The station itself, the gathering of ships, and what seems to be an installation on a nearby asteroid. We cannot tell the numbers of what we will be facing yet; only these are the areas with the most activity.” Barpin shifted on his feet, uncomfortable with adding the next bit of information for its lack of solid evidence. “There is a high probability that the installation on the asteroid is acting as a backup to many of the data cores on the station or the ships. We do not have more than the probability to go on at present, but as we get‌ closer, we can run more scans to make sure. However, as we get closer, we are more likely to trip a sensor buoy and give away our position.”

From the moment that he'd entered the room, Alistair's attention was on the hologram. After reaching it, and looking comically small among the much taller Savi, he crossed his arms, regarding the holographic display intently.

"That asteroid is a tempting target," Alistair said slowly. "Getting that data could be a critical advantage for both of us, but it's not more important than stopping the supernova. That means conserving most of our resources for the primary mission, but...no. We can't ignore that asteroid. If the Infested plan on more atrocities elsewhere, we need to know. They've already killed millions on my homeworld."

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Logically, that means keeping the Erudite and most of our assault team focused on the primary objective. Starfleet will handle the asteroid on our own." Abruptly realizing that he'd just made a unilateral decision, Alistair looked up at Barpin and added hastily, "Er, if you concur, of course."

“We believe it would be strategically advantageous if you were to launch some of your fighters now to flank around and investigate the asteroid while we bear on directly toward the station. I must warn you that this asteroid is in a field known to suffer from anistrophies and quantum fluctuations due to high levels of baryon matter. The results are equivalent to what the Terrans called “Big Bangs” but on a much smaller scale if not avoided. We do have a map of the most tumultuous areas but they do move about randomly.” Barpin again shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “However, you and your people are here because you have more experience in military matters and we value your insight on this matter.”

"Our pilots should be able to handle that," Alistair replied, "but I'll talk to Lieutenant Valin and see what he thinks. At the very least, this can serve as a diversionary attack, maybe draw off some ships from our main objective. It's worth a try."

Barpin nodded. “Very well. We recommend the launch, if it happens, be within the next hour. We are traveling on what you humans call ‘borrowed time’ presently.”

Looking at the holographic gold orb representing the Hobus star, Alistair winced. "Yeah. No argument here."

As the human left to inform his comrades of the upcoming plans, Barpin likewise returned to his duties as something other than the human “babysitter.” They were a nuisance still, but they did have the most curious terms.

OOC Note: Thanks to @Griff for the JP! This opens up one of the major story prompts of the chapter, which can be more officially kicked off once Alistair confers with the lead on the pilots, which will be the next post. Once that post is completed, all chapter members may post their responses to the launch sequence and arrival at the area of operations.