Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

[ShadowWolfSBI]

For the most part, the space lanes of the Epsilon Leonis Sector are awash with various mercantile ships, escorts, and automated communications relays spamming various corporate slogans and advertisements. Some areas are avoided though, such as the Gromov-Erebus run that passes by Rawlanger Station, a travel route often given the same wide berth reserved for rural roads passing by Bedlam House-style insane asylums... For much the same reason.

The military ships of the Planetary Defense Corps have also been more present of late, due to the rising number of "incidents" occurring within the sector. Some have whispered that some manner of shadowy, organized effort to cause the incidents exist... And some have claimed that an equally shadowy force exists, attempting to halt this trouble before it starts.

Now, the push is on... Since the rumors claim that the mysterious Triptych Research Station is the key to the mystery, many claim the time is ripe to turn legend into reality.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

Captain Diana Sylvane is standing at a specially-made console in the Captain's cabin of the BTCS Perseus, a look of concentration on her face. Her right hand is clinging to an odd rod... a rod covered with small metal panels that allowed the cyborg to interface directly with the ship's computer and to directly receive short-wave and long-wave transmissions through the hull. She reaches out with her left hand, pressing a button.

"Chief Engineer. Excellent work on another flawless FTL operation. Standby to activate the stealth device--I want us undetectable from the moment we enter the Epsilon Leonis Sector. You have authorization to activate the stealth device when ready."

She then presses another button.

"Navigator. Excellent work. I'm sending you coordinates now--our first destination is a deep-space transmitter relay station. We're going to head there first. If we get no information there, I've got a secondary location derived from transmission sources regarding our target... but we check this transmitter first."

The captain opens one more communication, to the ship's supply officer (colloquially known as "Suppo").

"Suppo. Double-check those environmental suits we brought. We're unlikely to need them just yet... probably standard space suits, if this next location is damaged. But make sure that the environmental suits are in perfect condition--I don't want any unnecessary risks to the crew."

 

[Caulder]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

To the ships in this area of space, a frightful, bone-chilling song can be heard, as suddenly a brutish, crude ship with what looked like a maw made of metal and rock drops out of FTL, coming within meters of the invisible ship as it moves with a singular purpose, the sound of its brutish occupants able to somehow be heard by all others in the area.

"Fifteen Orkz on a dead man's hulk!"

"Lookin' down the barrel of a gun!"

"Gruntin' to each other!"

"Through big sharp teeth,"

"Sayin' this one'll give us some fun!"

As the crude, barbaric song rings out across the ships in the area, the moving scrapheap that is Kruttz' Krooza chugs along, bits of metal and loose shell casings from the myriad of different weapons mounted on its hull falling away as it cruises.

"Fourteen Orkz on a humie's ship!"

"Killin' anything that isn't green!"

"Gruntin' to each other!"

"Through big sharp teeth,"

Sayin' times be gettin' lean!"

The song rings out, as the ship slows to a halt, the engines behind it petering out before a hailing frequency goes out to all nearby ships. Should they accept, they are soon met with the crude, horrid tones of the KAptain of the vessel. "OI! Anyone what can hear dis' hold yer fire. We love a good bash but we'z lost! We dun wanna krump none'a'yah 'less you wanna good scrap yerself!" the voice says, as any psychics nearby will feel a rather prevalent psionic presence on the strange ship.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

Diana frowns, receiving the sensor data faster than the crew manning the bridge. She releases the odd-looking metal rod, which slides back into her console, and the cyborg turns, moving the short distance to enter the ship's bridge. Maria Tolwyn, the Executive Officer, is standing near a young helmsman, receiving a report from a member of the crew. She turns as the captain enters.

"Captain, it appears to be a space vessel... well, part of a space vessel, jury-rigged to somehow be space-worthy and armed to the teeth. We wouldn't normally be able to tell without an active scan, but they passed within meters of our vessel, and the ship's visual scanners picked it up." A recording shows on the ship's main console of the craft passing by.

A technician speaks up from a nearby console. "No records of any craft matching that description, partially or fully... and the architecture is... not of any known race."

The Captain nods. "First contact, then. Very well... bring us to three-fourths of our missile range. We'll decloak and hail them. I want stealth systems ready to activate before they can close the distance, and I was missile systems fully online before we decloak."

At this point there's a male voice from another console. "Bridge... this is Psycho." ("Psycho" was the abbreviated title for the ship's "psychic officer.")

"Psycho, Captain. Go ahead."

"Yes, Ma'am. They've got a psychic onboard. A strong one. Not sure if it can tell we're here or not."

"Very good, Mister Callum. Report to the bridge."

"Aye, ma'am."

Diana turns to the Executive Officer. "Are we ready to decloak?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very good. Decloak and respond to their hail. Audio only." The ship materializes a good distance away from the ork vessel, and a responding voice comes back along the same hailing frequency.

"This is Captain Diana Sylvane, of the mercenary vessel BTCS Perseus. Our intentions are peaceful. Please do not make any effort to approach our ship. Are you in need of medical or repair assistance?"

 

[Caulder]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

"Oi! Please ta meet'cha, whatever ya are!" the Kaptain of the vessel responds with enthusiasm. "Name's Kruttz, Kaptain of dis 'ere Krooza! Me'n me Boyz wuz just lookin' fer directions to some place called 'Trip-Tek' or summin'. Ya wouldn' 'appen ta know where dat be would ya?" the brutal-sounding Kaptain says, though before he can hear a response, there's a commotion and a loud clang. "I toldja not ta go near me button yah grot!" he shouts, as there's the sound of what must be some manner of small creature being brutally slaughtered in the background. The ship itself does stop moving, several...What must be periscopes of some kind...Rotating around to look at the space around them.

"Sorry 'bout dat! Insubordinate Grot needed a krumpin'. So, ya know where dis Trip-Tek place be?"

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

Diana nods, frowning. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Kruttz. This is Captain Diana Sylvane, of the mercenary vessel BTCS Perseus. I'm afraid we are unsure of the location of the Triptych Research Station. May I ask what your interest is, in locating it?"

She turns to look at the technician, who is doing everything he can to research the voice frequencies from the ship, the names, and the vessel itself... and coming up blank. Diana sighs, waiting for a response from the odd but refreshingly plain-spoken creature.

 

[Caulder]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

"Shame dat! We wuz hopin' you'd know. We'z lookin' to find the place 'cuz we heard it wuz packed fulla' powerful tekeology we might be able ta use'n find our way 'ome." the Ork says, as there's sounds of laughter and arguing in the background. "Oi! Knock't off ya grotz! Tryin' ta be friendly 'ere!" he shouts, as aboard his ship, it's a regular party, his Boyz singing and arguing over whose teef is whose, or, more importantly, who has the best hat, as the Mekboyz do what they do best. Hitting things with hammers until they're fixed.

"If ya like, 'Umie, we could 'elp ya look fer the place, long's we get ourselves a fair cut!" he says, a stupid grin on his face despite there being no video feed. "Also me Mekboyz're askin' if you got scrap ya can spare. Slim pickin's when yer not shootin' errything what gets close."

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

The captain signals to a technician, who mutes outgoing audio for a moment. "We could offer to split the bonus with these creatures, fifty-fifty. After all, it would also give us the chance to study a new species... and Bray-Tell Corporation offers a sizeable bonus for information regarding unknown species."

The executive officer nods. "Sounds like a smart business plan. We split our profits, but make even more from first contact."

"Very good, Number One. Check to see what scraps can be sent, without compromising Bray-Tell policy or intel. We should have something to send them via shuttle."

"Aye, Captain."

"Bring up the video feed." The video comes up with the audio this time, and Diana is standing in the center of the transmission, looking quite composed with her hands behind her back, giving the camera a small smile. Behind her and to the viewer's left is another human female, a blonde human in her mid-twenties, the ship's executive officer.

Diana smiles at the ork captain. "We'll be happy to split our bonus from the investigation of the Triptych Research Station with you, Captain Kruttz. We are checking for scrap metal now--we should be able to give you a small supply of medium-to-high-grade ship metal. Our first stop is a small deep-space transmitter relay station, and they may have some scrap metal to spare as well, but I can make no promises in that regard."

 

[Caulder]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

The Ork Kaptain grins, showing his grimy, yellow upper teeth as the camera turns on and shows mostly his face, and the massive red button behind him. "Much obliged, 'Umie. Don't go compromisin' yer ship now! I may be a Ork, but I'm not a bad'un." the Ork says with a smile, though it's only seen on his upper lip, his lower jaw being one big, crude piece of steel shaped to fit his face, barely, and squeaking and groaning with each move of his mouth to speak, as a tiny, diminutive green humanoid runs around behind him, being followed by what can only be described as a pumpkin with massive, razor-sharp teeth and tiny, spindly legs. As well, a much, much smaller version of it sits on the Kaptain's shoulder, growling and nipping gently at the hunk of metal there. "No promises needed, Kap'n Die-Anna. Jus' yer help'n the matter be more'n I could ask for without bein' a impolite git. Course I'm already impolite, HAR HAR!" he laughs, seeming to be rather amiable, despite looking like he'd just as soon eat someone whole as make a deal with them.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

"On the contrary, Captain Kruttz, you have been quite cordial under the circumstances. I'm afraid that you have us at a loss, however. You seem to know about humans, but we have no information whatsoever about... Orks. May I ask how you would describe your people to foreigners?" Diana remains utterly calm, practically placid, calmly smiling even as the executive officer struggles not to react to the bizarre scene unfolding on the viewscreen. "Number One. The scrap metal?"

"Aye, Captain." The executive officer moves off-screen to coordinate a small transfer of scrap metal to the Ork vessel, to be hauled by shuttle craft.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

A third ship arrived on the scene, a fair bit smaller than the other two, the four pod-mounted engines flaring to life as it started moving once more.

"Arrived, scan started. We appear to have company." Alberik said, his small hologram standing behind the captain's chair. Down the short hall, Ariana glanced up towards the image of the stooped old man, seated in the living space with a small meal.

"Oh? Do they look hostile?" She asked, sliding it into a contained area and stepping away form the table, hitting the button to fold it back up, waiting for his answer to decide whether to go for the captain's chair or the snub fighter in the back.

The wizened image gave a shake of his head. "The larger one I am unfamiliar with, but the other one is a friend. The Perseus. I'm sending standard greeting codes to her Captain now."

"Ah. Been a while since we've stumbled across Diana." Ari answered with a smile, brushing off her casual clothing and heading for the Captain's chair, swivelling it around to show the expanse of space, and expanding the images of the two ships, focusing on the larger one. As they neared, she reached out towards it, and recoiled suddenly. The psychic presence on the ship was massive, roiling, wild, and uncontrolled. "What in the stars is on that ship?"

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

"Captain. New contact bearing 316-mark-4. They're sending us a standard hail... it's the Tobias, Ma'am." The officer of the deck relays the report, and Diana nods.

"Interesting. Captain Arkanian. You get three guesses what she's here for."

The young officer opens his mouth, and Diana smiles. "No need to guess aloud, Mr. Finch. Hmm... invite Captain Arkanian to join our hailing frequency, in a three-way call. Might as well make proper introductions between our old friend and the new." The officer of the deck nods, punching the request through in a console, sending the invitation to the Tobias.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

"Hail request coming back. Combined transmission, the other ship is included." The AI spoke, frowning slightly, having noticed the woman flinch. "Is everything alright?"

"Just... Keep an eye on that other ship. It doesn't feel right." She replied slowly, composing herself before opening the channel. "Captain Sylvane, good to see you. Who's your new friend?"

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

As the conversations progressed, long-range sensor scans would pick up the transmitter relay... And would give clues as to the reason for the recent activity around it. Although the station itself has been repaired, a debris field around it is present. The field appears to be comprised of former pieces of the station itself, as well as fragments and chunks of what had once been a sizable comet.

Any in-depth scans directed towards the station itself would show that the environmental control system, as well as most of the lights, were active. However, it would seem that the artificial gravity for the station was not. There are also a number of smaller debris fields around some of the airlocks, mostly of smaller damaged electronics, mangled work suits, and what appeared to be mop buckets.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

Diana smiles at Ariana. A young captain, but competent... and capable of psychic powers which the cyborg could observe and research but never truly understand. Psychics are an inconvenience for Diana--she had an organic brain, designed to throw off sensors with regular brain activity and to conceal her CPU, but a skilled psychic would realize sooner or later that Diana's brain was merely emitting static.

"Captain Ariana Arkanian, it's a pleasure to see you out here. May I introduce Captain Kruttz, the commanding officer of Kruttz' Krooza. As it turns out, he seems to be looking for the same research station that we are... and that I presume you are?"

At this point one of the technicians speaks up. "Captain... readout on the relay station."

Diana looks over the console. "Very good." She smiles, turning back to the view-screen. "Captains, we're near the relay station now. It seems to have environmental controls and lights working, but there's debris around the station, and a lack of gravity." She leans in to another console, pressing a switch. "Suppo... we might not need space suits or environmental suits, but please bring out some of the mag-boots. And... re-breathers with short-term air supplies. Just in case."

She turns back to the captains. "Well. I suppose we'd best get ready to board the relay station."

 

[Caulder]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

Kruttz laughs as Dianna begins sending the cargo ship full of scrap to him. "Much obliged, Die-Anna. Me Mekboyz'll be singin' yer praises for the next few days." he says as there's a loud shout from another Ork, and the transmission switches to a three way call. "Oi, pleased ta meet'cha, Kaptain Ark-Anian. Me'n me boyz're just lookin' fer the Trip-Tek station, or whatever it be called by you 'Umies." he says as his upper lip pulls back in what serves as his grin. "Once we'z found it'n made our claim, I'd be happy ta sit down'n talk wif ya at length, Die-Anna. Fer now, me boyz're sayin' that the relay's seen better days." he says, laughing heartily as he examines the newcomer's face through his video feed.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

The face on the screen was angular and pale, the look of someone who has spent far too long in zero-G, but she still managed to look athletic, at least, from what the warboss could tell. Brown hair framed her face, her expression somewhere between concerned and confused.

"I... see. Not sure about this station you speak of, we were following reports of instabilities, but we can check for that in the area simultaneously, so we may as well help out. Good to meet you, Kruttz." She answered, her ship coming around and entering formation with the Perseus.

 

[Caulder]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

"Same t'you, 'Umie." the Kaptain says as he sways, his ship suddenly turning towards the transmitter array as it slowly chugs along. "OI! I didn't say we wuz goin' nowheres yet! Stop makin' me look like a grot in front'ah the nice 'umies!" he shouts, his right hand catching a flying wrench and flinging it right back at the owner, a loud grunt of effort offscreen. "Sorry 'bout dat. Me boyz're a little anxious ta 'ave a scrap. Brawlin's in our blood, see. 'Course, fer some reason me'n me Boyz're a lot less insane den most. Though not by much."

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

"Excellent. A pleasure to meet you, Captain Kruttz. I hope this is the beginning of a prosperous partnership. Captain Arkanian, looking forward to working with you again." Diana gives the viewscreen a polite nod, then the hail ends and Diana presses a button on her console. "All department heads, this is the Captain. Briefing on the relay transmitter, in my ready room, in five minutes."

Diana then pulls up another screen, writing an encrypted message to send that the Tobias would be able to interpret. She relays the initial meeting with the Ork vessel, enclosing the logs. The message finishes with, "Not sure of their intentions, but thus far they seem friendly. They seem to know about Triptych Research Station, so we definitely want to figure out what they know... but it's also first contact with a new species, and the BTC always pays well for that. Very Respectfully, Diana." She double-encrypts the message, transmitting it to the Tobias for Ariana's eyes only.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Epsilon Leonis Sector Space Thread

Ari answered with a simple nod, letting the transmission drop and standing, heading for the lockers. She was going to need to suit up, just to be sure.

"Secondary transmission coming in, encrypted." Alberik spoke up. "Record of their original meeting, short message added in."

"Pass me the message, thanks. Anything interesting in the rest?" The psychic asked, glancing back at the main screen, Reading the message as it appeared. "Huh." She said, typing out a quick reply.

[Massive mental presence there, but disorganized, chaotic. Damn near painful, to be honest. Send me what you can about the station, we were looking for spacial distortions.] She typed out, encrypting it under the same key and sending it back.

"Not much of note. Similar speech to when you spoke with it, hints at unrest on the ship. Very violent race, it seems. I've also scanned the ship, and... I don't know how it runs. Engines lack connections, weapons lack effective trigger mechanisms. And yet, it all seems to be used, engines fire, the weapons we can only assume for now. Biological scans are overwhelmingly plant matter, filling nearly every nook and cranny of the ship. It's possible they're vegetarians, and I also posit that the plant matter is partially how they seal their ship against the vacuum. " The AI explained, now that Ariana was finished with the message. She listened as she hit the lockers, slipping into a form-fitting suit that would protect her from space, slipping on her outer layers on top of that, and a helmet to seal fully. Sidearm, scanner, a few emergency tools in the utility belt, and she was all set to explore the station.

"Are the other ships pressing through the debris, or sending out smaller shuttles? I could use the Merlin, if need be."