RP Log: A Plan Comes Together
| Roleplay Log | |
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Stardate:
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| 2025-04-19 16:42 | |
- XO's Office - Saucer <USS Phoenix NCC-170100-A>
- The XO's office is a mirror of the Captain's Ready Room on this deck. It is separated into two sections by a low railing and a small step. The first tier is at the same level as the main bridge, and is for more formal meetings with the Executive Officer, and includes a wooden L-shaped desk with a single chair on the far side, beyond it is a sliding door into a private lavatory.
- The lowered tier, down a single step between the low railing, has a long sofa along the outer bulkhead just below a window. A small glass oval coffee table is in front of the sofa. A food replicator is also available along the far bulkhead. A section of the sofa can pull out, revealing a single-sized bed, should the XO not be able to get below to their quarters.
- Out the viewport: A sky filled with countless stars.
Ramirez nods his head and moves up to the desk. "Sir."
Worthington gestures to the seat across from him in front of the desk. "Please have a seat," he says. "Can I get you anything?"
Ramirez eases into a seat, shaking his head. "No, sir. I just ate, but thank you."
Worthington nods, taking his own seat. "So, to business then," he says. "The way I see it, we have only a few options for making contact. We have, in my mind, 3 assets to choose from, or rather, 3 asset categories. Those would be the valkyrie fighters, the Hadfield, and one of the Arrow-class runabouts outfitted with a cloaking device, as was done on the last contact with the Hur'q."
Ramirez nods. "The last method of contact was low risk and effective last time. Hatter is the obvious choice to be on the boat. In my opinion, it's best to risk as little as possible for the first contact." He considers. "Are we expecting any kind of Dominion response? Forget the Hur'q response. We're not going to roll in there with enough force to win any kind of armed conflict, so."
Worthington nods. "I would expect some form of Dominion response," he says. "Hur'q ships are about as stealthy as Dominion ships. Well, not stealthy at all. One thing the Dominion are good at is intelligence gathering. If some of our own people discovered the Hur'q were here, you can bet on the Dominion at least knowing about it by now."
"In fact, I would be surprised if there was not any form of Dominion presence in-system, which is why I would personally opt for a cloaked approach. While Hadfield is our best stealth craft, she cannot land on a Hur'q ship."
"Transporter scans might set them off on their uncontrollable aggression response, and docking would render their ship immobile, neither of which is great in my book." He pauses. "The question remains then, which of our smaller ships to outfit with a cloak and send in?"
Ramirez nods. "Well, what are the goals, sir? If there /is/ a Dominion response, do we intend to fight them or flee, sir?" He motions between him and Worthington. "Because doesn't that really decide it? If we want to be sure we can defend ourselves against a Jem'hadar fighter while still retaining a low profile? The Hadfield. If we want to keep it as low resource as possible? An Arrow."
Worthington considers. "To be honest, I think the Magdalena is more tactically capable than the Hadfield, especially in the ordnance department. Her shields are slightly better last time I checked. The key there is, a jem'hadar fighter. That's about all either ship could take. A swarm of them? That will not end well."
He pauses. "We want to avoid fighting them at all costs. Fleeing is more apt. Any one of those ships can get into slipstream. Put a cloak on one, and it can get clear of the system. If we land on a Hur'q ship, that ship would be the tactical consideration, and I hope those aboard would encourage self-preservation on behalf of the crew, given that we know little of how many Hur'q actually survived the attempted genocide."
"My main issue, and the reason I am not ready to send Hadfield in without a second thought, is the size. If the size was not an issue, Hadfield would be great as a support ship, though a bit pricey to lose. Very pricey, in fact."
He pauses. "I'm expecting that a key part of this mission will involve giving some of the fungus to the Hur'q while Miri continues to work on her synthetic alternative." He pauses. "The main question for me is, which runabout do we send in? Dniester is the status quo ante of what Alazeya was. Same class, same specs, same capabilities."
"Magdalena has less interior space, no cabins aboard, and improved tactical capabilities. I'd wager that both vessels would fare similarly in running, especially if they got their cloaks up. Dniester would be more liveable for anything long term, just like Alazeya. It ultimately comes down to whether we think we'll end up in a fight or not. I hope not."
Ramirez nods. "Then the Dniester is the clear choice, sir. We might need to stay for an extended time, and running is the goal, not fighting. One assumes Lieutenant Hauser can mount the cloak just like in the other Arrow." He shrugs. "Given those considerations, sir, I'd suggest the Dniester, with the cloak fitted, and we further try to find a way to make it easier to run."
Worthington nods back. "I'll talk to Jessica. The ship should be ready to go post shakedown," he says. "Provided the cloak is in good working order, and she did have it repaired and pulled from the Alazeya, this should be a viable plan."
Ramirez nods. "The only thing I'd add, sir? Is there some way to rig some sort of decoy or distraction that would allow us to get away, just in case? Also. I'd suggest, given what happened the last time we did this, if we could have everyone issued one of the new prototype EVA suits."
Worthington considers. "That's a Jessica question on the eva suits," he says. "The key thing is hopefully, this time, there won't be any exploding planets to consider. We can cloak a ship prior to launching it, so if we had to leave the Hur'q ship in a hurry, it is possible to do so rigged for silent running, with a minimal risk of detection."
"Of course, whoever's piloting should go to full impulse immediately to get out of the way of any incoming weapons fire, but once clear of the Hur'q ship, the runabout should be good to go at that point. I do think those prototype eva suits are a good addition to the mission. Though if Doctor Hawthorn ends up going, you know, she's a bit small for standard eva gear, and I'm not sure what it would take to get something more her size."
Ramirez nods. "That's also a Jessica Hauser question, I think sir." He hmms. "And, fair. So long as the cloak is good to go, we should be able to run." He shrugs. "Other than that, though, the mission template from the last contact should work. We need some security personnel, Telula (for her telepathy and science skills, and her knowledge of the Hur'q,) Hatter, Hawthorn, and Coil."
Worthington nods, getting to his feet. "Indeed," he says. "Though everyone who goes who has not contacted the Hur'q before needs it impressed upon them the kind of response violent thoughts and actions can trigger. Such things can get people injured or killed, and can compromise the entire mission." He moves to the door. "I want to talk to Miri for a bit. Thank you for coming by."
Ramirez nods, pushing to his feet. "Yes, sir. Have a good day, sir."