Paradise Lost
- Thread starter Hiver
- Start date
Lord Platypus
Probably Not a Real Platypus
- Location
- Smelling your hair
While we've got your attention, where do you think the story would have gone if Star hadn't joined starfleet?
Quite differently.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So, as the UFP couldn't excise the rogue AIs, it has instead chosen to fortify itself. If the defenses for a capital system are as effective as the narration would indicate, is it feasible to simply plant defenses of a similar scale for every system claimed by the Federation?
Crazael
Rehydrated Demon King
- Location
- Lost to the vagaries of time.
in time, it's quite likely that most Federation worlds will have those kinds of defenses.
I immediately took stock of the situation as I threw myself to the side, rolling hard to try to get out of the way.
Shit, shit, shit! Damn it!
Transmitting a warning, I jumped to full impulse. I didn't need to, the rest of the fleet was already moving, the fighter drones was aborting their landing sequence and heading to intercept, but they were in the way of each other.
I wasn't fast enough.
A pair of plasma torpedoes caught me midships. The first one hammered my shields down to twenty percent, the next one slammed into me and collapsed the shield completely and the plasma scorched across my hull.
Damage klaxons echoed through my mind. Hull breech. Deck 10 to 20. Secondary command interface damaged. Port phaser strips disabled.
Twenty seven lifesigns... lost.
Slamming emergency bulkheads and forcefields into place I span around in space to bring full strength shields into the field of fire before I returned fire, lashing out at the Berserkers.
'Piping Hot Ball of Burning Anger' flashed by at full impulse, spewing antimatter warheads at the Berserkers, twisting and spinning to avoid return fire. She had been one of their primary targets, but she was so small and maneuverable that she managed to avoid any serious hits yet.
The same could not be said about the 'Tell me that again...'. She took hit after hit as the Berserkers focused fire. Her shields collapsed and the plasma warheads slammed into her before she went up in a massive detonation as her port warpcore breeched, setting of her antimatter storage.
Two of the Berserkers disappeared in flashes of gravitons as their cores lost containment, taking a third one with them.
"I'm out!" 'Piping Hot Ball of Burning Anger' transmitted and wheeled around, going to full impulse to get out of weapon range.
The two remaining Warbirds was too spread out. But only one of them was shooting at me, the other one was bombarding the surface of the planet.
The mining colony. No.
Their shields had not been up. Their shield generator was too damaged to be reengaged by the previous attack.
Knowing there was nothing I could do, I pulled up and accelerated away from the enemy towards the rest of the fleet, keeping my strongest shields aimed at the one firing at me as I jinked as much as I could to avoid fire, focusing on avoiding the torpedoes. I could tank disruptors for a while.
The wave of drones flashed past and hit the Warbirds with a wave of antimatter warheads.
Seconds later the Berserkers detonated in gravimetric vortexes.
Engagement time... ten point one seconds.
Wheeling around, I quickly started to scan the planet. No lifesigns. Just radiation and molten rock where the colony had been.
There had still been five thousand people down there there.
"Star. Report." Captain Mason ordered.
"The Berserker ambush have been defeated. But they accomplished their main mission, sir. We lost the mining colony and 'Tell me that again...' was lost with all hands. I have taken damage and we suffered causalities. We lost twenty seven crew members. .
I really, really wish I could say it was the first time in this war I lost crew.
Shran closed his eyes for a second before he shook his head, "...Shit."
You could say that again.
'I'll Rather Be Comfortable' was swarming her fighters around what remained of the fleet even if she lost a good portion of them when the 'Tell me that again...' went up. As good as they were, they simply couldn't take any real punishment.
But I just lost twenty eight friends. At least they were all Starfleet personnel instead of civilians. As stupid as it might seem to drag civilians onto danger like this, unless it was a core Federation world being on board of a ship was likely the safest place you could be in this war simply due that I could at least run away from a Berserker attack.
Captain Mason rubbed his forehead, "Contact the remaining ships and send me the complete casualty list. Is there anyone still alive down there?"
I shook my head, "The colony was hit with multiple high yield warheads, sir. Everything is gone."
If their shield had been active, they could have made it. At least there would have been a chance it would have held.
He slowly nodded, "Open a channel to the fleet."
"Channel open, sir."
"This is Captain Mason to task force. There is nothing more we can do here. Recall subcraft and form up for warp. Mason out."
"Sir, 'Piping Hot Ball of Burning Anger' wishes to know if she have time to rearm."
"We leave in five minutes. Tell her to get loaded what she can in that time. We shouldn't stick around any longer than we absolutely need to." He said and got up, "I'll be in my ready room. Prepare a full damage report."
"Yes sir."
I watched him as he left the holographic bridge before I turned to Shran.
He sighed, "Star, how bad is our damage? Short list, please?"
"In the grand scheme, minor. A couple of phaser strips is offline and I have hull breaches I have sealed off. The greatest loss was the people. A couple of days to a week at a good shipyard and my hull would be fully repaired."
Shran nodded, "The casualty list?"
I knew exactly what he meant, "Crewman Jamesson was taking your advanced hand to hand class."
"Damn it. He was a good kid."
He was. Young too, barely nineteen.
Sometimes I thought 'Piping Hot Ball of Burning Anger' and other ships like her was lucky. They didn't had a crew to lose.
"The fleet signal ready for Warp, Commander.
"Engage."
AN// Big thanks to Chase92 for betaing this section.
Shit, shit, shit! Damn it!
Transmitting a warning, I jumped to full impulse. I didn't need to, the rest of the fleet was already moving, the fighter drones was aborting their landing sequence and heading to intercept, but they were in the way of each other.
I wasn't fast enough.
A pair of plasma torpedoes caught me midships. The first one hammered my shields down to twenty percent, the next one slammed into me and collapsed the shield completely and the plasma scorched across my hull.
Damage klaxons echoed through my mind. Hull breech. Deck 10 to 20. Secondary command interface damaged. Port phaser strips disabled.
Twenty seven lifesigns... lost.
Slamming emergency bulkheads and forcefields into place I span around in space to bring full strength shields into the field of fire before I returned fire, lashing out at the Berserkers.
'Piping Hot Ball of Burning Anger' flashed by at full impulse, spewing antimatter warheads at the Berserkers, twisting and spinning to avoid return fire. She had been one of their primary targets, but she was so small and maneuverable that she managed to avoid any serious hits yet.
The same could not be said about the 'Tell me that again...'. She took hit after hit as the Berserkers focused fire. Her shields collapsed and the plasma warheads slammed into her before she went up in a massive detonation as her port warpcore breeched, setting of her antimatter storage.
Two of the Berserkers disappeared in flashes of gravitons as their cores lost containment, taking a third one with them.
"I'm out!" 'Piping Hot Ball of Burning Anger' transmitted and wheeled around, going to full impulse to get out of weapon range.
The two remaining Warbirds was too spread out. But only one of them was shooting at me, the other one was bombarding the surface of the planet.
The mining colony. No.
Their shields had not been up. Their shield generator was too damaged to be reengaged by the previous attack.
Knowing there was nothing I could do, I pulled up and accelerated away from the enemy towards the rest of the fleet, keeping my strongest shields aimed at the one firing at me as I jinked as much as I could to avoid fire, focusing on avoiding the torpedoes. I could tank disruptors for a while.
The wave of drones flashed past and hit the Warbirds with a wave of antimatter warheads.
Seconds later the Berserkers detonated in gravimetric vortexes.
Engagement time... ten point one seconds.
Wheeling around, I quickly started to scan the planet. No lifesigns. Just radiation and molten rock where the colony had been.
There had still been five thousand people down there there.
"Star. Report." Captain Mason ordered.
"The Berserker ambush have been defeated. But they accomplished their main mission, sir. We lost the mining colony and 'Tell me that again...' was lost with all hands. I have taken damage and we suffered causalities. We lost twenty seven crew members. .
I really, really wish I could say it was the first time in this war I lost crew.
Shran closed his eyes for a second before he shook his head, "...Shit."
You could say that again.
'I'll Rather Be Comfortable' was swarming her fighters around what remained of the fleet even if she lost a good portion of them when the 'Tell me that again...' went up. As good as they were, they simply couldn't take any real punishment.
But I just lost twenty eight friends. At least they were all Starfleet personnel instead of civilians. As stupid as it might seem to drag civilians onto danger like this, unless it was a core Federation world being on board of a ship was likely the safest place you could be in this war simply due that I could at least run away from a Berserker attack.
Captain Mason rubbed his forehead, "Contact the remaining ships and send me the complete casualty list. Is there anyone still alive down there?"
I shook my head, "The colony was hit with multiple high yield warheads, sir. Everything is gone."
If their shield had been active, they could have made it. At least there would have been a chance it would have held.
He slowly nodded, "Open a channel to the fleet."
"Channel open, sir."
"This is Captain Mason to task force. There is nothing more we can do here. Recall subcraft and form up for warp. Mason out."
"Sir, 'Piping Hot Ball of Burning Anger' wishes to know if she have time to rearm."
"We leave in five minutes. Tell her to get loaded what she can in that time. We shouldn't stick around any longer than we absolutely need to." He said and got up, "I'll be in my ready room. Prepare a full damage report."
"Yes sir."
I watched him as he left the holographic bridge before I turned to Shran.
He sighed, "Star, how bad is our damage? Short list, please?"
"In the grand scheme, minor. A couple of phaser strips is offline and I have hull breaches I have sealed off. The greatest loss was the people. A couple of days to a week at a good shipyard and my hull would be fully repaired."
Shran nodded, "The casualty list?"
I knew exactly what he meant, "Crewman Jamesson was taking your advanced hand to hand class."
"Damn it. He was a good kid."
He was. Young too, barely nineteen.
Sometimes I thought 'Piping Hot Ball of Burning Anger' and other ships like her was lucky. They didn't had a crew to lose.
"The fleet signal ready for Warp, Commander.
"Engage."
AN// Big thanks to Chase92 for betaing this section.
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Ryu Gabriev
Angry short person that's good with his hands.
- Location
- Dallas, TX
Has anyone managed to put together the Here be Dragons series into one collection? Buckets of thanks for anyone who has done it and is willing to share.
Sorain
The eternal DM
- Location
- Nexus, looking down over all there is.
And that is the horror of being a carbonite in an AI war. The battle is over before you know it started most of the time. All that adrenaline with nothing to do but count the losses.
I remember thinking that something like this would happen. I had prayed it would end with a lone Romulan AI ship making a bid for the federation and a small war. But realistically, this was always the most likely outcome.
I remember thinking that something like this would happen. I had prayed it would end with a lone Romulan AI ship making a bid for the federation and a small war. But realistically, this was always the most likely outcome.
Star may understand what exactly he was asking about, by I don't quite get the exchange here.
Also the part about the 27 lifesigns disappearing stuck me a bit as odd. I know that whole lifesign stuff is essentially handwaived magic, but I still feel that the fight that is happening in seconds, far to fast for most humans to follow may not be fast enough for lifesigns (however they work) to be readable.
I mean human lives tend to be far less digital than that, with cell death and general metabolic activity taking much longer to cease. I don't think you would usually go that guy hasn't had a heartbeat or taken a breath in the last half-second so they must be dead. A servered limb or a decapiatated body should show signs of life for the scanner for a few moments still.
Of course since the technology is essentially magic this argument is meaning less, but still...
Maybe some explanation about there having been 27 lifesigns before the impact and the explosion momentarily drowned out all sensor data from the locations and how none are expected to be found again once the interference clears up or something.
- Location
- Over the hill and far away
They've got computers and sensors powerful enough to scan people from multiple AU's distance. Determining that the severed limb is not part of a living person isn't hard at all, by comparison. Plus, given the nature of the weapons being used, the crew are basically getting vaporized, so 'winking out' is about how fast they'd die.
Yeah, it's one of those, 'called it... oh god that's terrible for everyone and everything!' situations.
Definitely an interesting shift in tone, but... not unreasonable, and really, not too far out of bounds for a Star Trek story. Most of the movies blew up at least one planet, sometimes several. Including the remakes, actually.
...which makes me think the Federation developed terraforming technology to the degree they have because they go through habitable worlds like moviegoers go through popcorn.
I was waiting with my avatar when T'Ro entered our quarters. The first thing I did was walk up and pull her into a hug, resting my head against her shoulder.
She rested her own head against mine with a small soft sigh.
"Tired?" I asked with a small frown, pulling back slightly to look up at her. Almost a week since the battle, and they had finally managed to patch the last part of the hull.
It wasn't exactly needed, but it did intersect one of my major corridors so it hindered traffic through the ship.
T'Ro nodded and gave me a small soft kiss before she answered, "Somewhat, yes. It has been a tiring shift. I am not fond of working in an EVA suit."
"I know, want something to eat?"
I had used remotes as much as I could, but they were made for routine maintenance, not heavy duty lifting. The engineering staff had to do most of it... and working without dropping out of warp meant they had to do it from the inside without using shuttles to move sections into place.
She nodded, "Perhaps some soup? But I'm going to take a shower first."
"I'll have it finished when you're done." I said with a smile, before letting go to watch her walk into the bathroom.
It was no use replicating it just yet, it would just get cold. I considered joining her for the shower, but I could tell that she really was tired. She would likely eat and then head to bed.
Double shifts for a week did that to you.
I just wished this damn war would...
I just wished it would end. I was so tired of losing crew, losing friends. Every day I got a new report of ships lost, new casualty reports.
That's not even counting the damage the Berserkers did to the Klingons and minor species. In a way I was glad they focused on The Federation. At least we could effectively defend ourselves. The Klingons did their best to cover their own space, but even with our help it was difficult.
They had even started to probe about negotiation for AI tech. And when the Klingons did that, you knew they were in problems. They really didn't like the idea of having somebody else fight for them.
As T'Ro shut the sonic shower off, I walked up to pick one of her favorite soups up from the replicator, putting it on our table as she exited the bathroom, wearing a red fluffy bathrobe. I got it for her last birthday along with some jewelry.
Not quite as sexy as her silk one, but still very nice.
She slipped her arms around my waist and gave me a quick hug before sitting down, "Thank you."
I shrugged one shoulder and moved to sit down across from her, "I like cooking for you. Well, for some value of cooking. Not sure if replicating something counts."
T'ro nodded and tried the soup, "It's good." she said and started to slowly eat it before looking at me, "Star... are you okay?"
Hesitating for a second, I then shook my head, "I don't know. I don't think so. I'm just so tired of losing people, losing friends to this accursed war."
Putting her spoon down, T'Ro rounded the table to sit down in my lap, pulling me tight as I hugged her in turn.
"...Sorry." I mumbled after a moment.
"We are all tired of this war, Star." T'Ro said softly, running her fingers through my long hair, "We can't do anything but our best. We will win this."
I nodded before looking up at her, "I love you." I whispered softly.
"I love you too." she murmured gently in turn before she captured my lips with her own.
When she finally broke the kiss, I smiled looking up at her, "Are you trying to distract me?"
Her lips twitched in a small smile, "You seem like you need some distraction. You are not as happy as you used to be."
Sighing, I nodded and stroked her cheek, "I know, it's just been so much lately. I'm sorry."
T'Ro shifted, resting her forehead against mine, "Is my distraction working?"
"Yeah. I love you."
"I love you too."
XXXXXXXXXX
T'Ro slept with her head on my shoulder as I gently stroked her hair, holding her softly against me. She was so beautiful like that.
No... she was just beautiful in general.
Smiling, I brushed some of her hair out of her face and she stirred, cuddling a bit closer before relaxing again.
Better be careful so I don't wake her. Instead I lowered my hand, putting my arm around her, simply enjoying the sensation.
No matter what, I will keep her safe. If I lost her, I don't know what I would do. I knew I would with time. When depended on medical technology. Unless she would be able to upload somehow, it would happen... and perhaps even then. The technology simply wasn't there yet.
But vulcans lived a long time, by the time it was needed, who knew what we could do, especially if we manage to figure out a way to make us smarter.
Space around us was safe for now, especially as I were being escorted at high warp by the two other heavily armed ships.
Just another week before we reached Andoria, and could drop our passengers off. Hopefully they will be able to slot me in for repairs. Sooner or later I would miss those phaser strips.
Then again, even if they don't, we can still make full repairs anyway as soon as we could drop out of warp safely. It will just take twice as long.
Closing my eyes, I softly held her closer. Another five hours until I have to wake her up.
Hope we don't get another mission that close to the front.
At this point, I'll take convoy duty.
AN// Big thanks to Nox for betaing this section.
She rested her own head against mine with a small soft sigh.
"Tired?" I asked with a small frown, pulling back slightly to look up at her. Almost a week since the battle, and they had finally managed to patch the last part of the hull.
It wasn't exactly needed, but it did intersect one of my major corridors so it hindered traffic through the ship.
T'Ro nodded and gave me a small soft kiss before she answered, "Somewhat, yes. It has been a tiring shift. I am not fond of working in an EVA suit."
"I know, want something to eat?"
I had used remotes as much as I could, but they were made for routine maintenance, not heavy duty lifting. The engineering staff had to do most of it... and working without dropping out of warp meant they had to do it from the inside without using shuttles to move sections into place.
She nodded, "Perhaps some soup? But I'm going to take a shower first."
"I'll have it finished when you're done." I said with a smile, before letting go to watch her walk into the bathroom.
It was no use replicating it just yet, it would just get cold. I considered joining her for the shower, but I could tell that she really was tired. She would likely eat and then head to bed.
Double shifts for a week did that to you.
I just wished this damn war would...
I just wished it would end. I was so tired of losing crew, losing friends. Every day I got a new report of ships lost, new casualty reports.
That's not even counting the damage the Berserkers did to the Klingons and minor species. In a way I was glad they focused on The Federation. At least we could effectively defend ourselves. The Klingons did their best to cover their own space, but even with our help it was difficult.
They had even started to probe about negotiation for AI tech. And when the Klingons did that, you knew they were in problems. They really didn't like the idea of having somebody else fight for them.
As T'Ro shut the sonic shower off, I walked up to pick one of her favorite soups up from the replicator, putting it on our table as she exited the bathroom, wearing a red fluffy bathrobe. I got it for her last birthday along with some jewelry.
Not quite as sexy as her silk one, but still very nice.
She slipped her arms around my waist and gave me a quick hug before sitting down, "Thank you."
I shrugged one shoulder and moved to sit down across from her, "I like cooking for you. Well, for some value of cooking. Not sure if replicating something counts."
T'ro nodded and tried the soup, "It's good." she said and started to slowly eat it before looking at me, "Star... are you okay?"
Hesitating for a second, I then shook my head, "I don't know. I don't think so. I'm just so tired of losing people, losing friends to this accursed war."
Putting her spoon down, T'Ro rounded the table to sit down in my lap, pulling me tight as I hugged her in turn.
"...Sorry." I mumbled after a moment.
"We are all tired of this war, Star." T'Ro said softly, running her fingers through my long hair, "We can't do anything but our best. We will win this."
I nodded before looking up at her, "I love you." I whispered softly.
"I love you too." she murmured gently in turn before she captured my lips with her own.
When she finally broke the kiss, I smiled looking up at her, "Are you trying to distract me?"
Her lips twitched in a small smile, "You seem like you need some distraction. You are not as happy as you used to be."
Sighing, I nodded and stroked her cheek, "I know, it's just been so much lately. I'm sorry."
T'Ro shifted, resting her forehead against mine, "Is my distraction working?"
"Yeah. I love you."
"I love you too."
XXXXXXXXXX
T'Ro slept with her head on my shoulder as I gently stroked her hair, holding her softly against me. She was so beautiful like that.
No... she was just beautiful in general.
Smiling, I brushed some of her hair out of her face and she stirred, cuddling a bit closer before relaxing again.
Better be careful so I don't wake her. Instead I lowered my hand, putting my arm around her, simply enjoying the sensation.
No matter what, I will keep her safe. If I lost her, I don't know what I would do. I knew I would with time. When depended on medical technology. Unless she would be able to upload somehow, it would happen... and perhaps even then. The technology simply wasn't there yet.
But vulcans lived a long time, by the time it was needed, who knew what we could do, especially if we manage to figure out a way to make us smarter.
Space around us was safe for now, especially as I were being escorted at high warp by the two other heavily armed ships.
Just another week before we reached Andoria, and could drop our passengers off. Hopefully they will be able to slot me in for repairs. Sooner or later I would miss those phaser strips.
Then again, even if they don't, we can still make full repairs anyway as soon as we could drop out of warp safely. It will just take twice as long.
Closing my eyes, I softly held her closer. Another five hours until I have to wake her up.
Hope we don't get another mission that close to the front.
At this point, I'll take convoy duty.
AN// Big thanks to Nox for betaing this section.
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Lord Platypus
Probably Not a Real Platypus
- Location
- Smelling your hair
T'ro is so cute <3
Ursine
Concerned Citizen
- Location
- Home, Sweet Home
Cute is highly illogical.
Adorable then.
While I agree with your base point, I must note that aesthetics and logic are usually disjoint sets, beyond issues of functionality for intended purposes.
esotericist
A Weary Hand
- Location
- Lacey, WA
I actually missed the notification in the previous thread that the new story thread was up. Glad I go looking through the forum for things every now and then.
Earlier commenters are right... This is a hell of a tone shift. Makes sense you'd do that on a story thread boundary, but I do kind of wish we had a better understanding of what actually happened to Earth. Going from "Home is on fire" to "3 years later" is a little abrupt.
Star thinking Ballsy has it easy is kinda weird to me, since not that long ago (narratively speaking) Star was musing about how much worse it'd be without a crew. They aren't meant to be alone any more than humans are.
Earlier commenters are right... This is a hell of a tone shift. Makes sense you'd do that on a story thread boundary, but I do kind of wish we had a better understanding of what actually happened to Earth. Going from "Home is on fire" to "3 years later" is a little abrupt.
Star thinking Ballsy has it easy is kinda weird to me, since not that long ago (narratively speaking) Star was musing about how much worse it'd be without a crew. They aren't meant to be alone any more than humans are.
Crazael
Rehydrated Demon King
- Location
- Lost to the vagaries of time.
That was three years ago, before the start of a desperate genocidal war where the fate of organic life in the galaxy hangs in the balance. Yes, in the longterm, Star much prefers having a crew, but when in such a conflict, wishes she didn't have to worry about one, to see friends die every time they get into a battle.
Solution: Give the ship a fleet.
Starships love fleets.
(And it adds more firepower with which to battle Berserkers!)
Andoria shone like a pearl of ice far below. Orbit was busy. Very busy actually. Warships, detection satellites, defense grid satellites.
Trade ships waiting for the next convoy.
The Berserkers were using old Romulan battleplans as far as we had been able to figure out. Which meant going after Federation shipping. Which meant convoys guarded by a handful of warships. Mostly ROUs, they were cheap and fast to build and good for that kind of tasks, leaving full warships for frontline duties. Usually a couple of ROU's and a actual warship or two per convoy. Or just more ROU's and a older ship carrying more ammo for them. It depended on what was available.
"At least your parents are okay." I said as Rachel walked out of her quarters, fastening her uniform jacket.
She nodded, "Yeah. I just wish they would just..." she started to say before she paused and sighed, "...I couldn't ask them to stop trading. It's what they have done all their lives. I just worry."
Their convoy had been attacked by a pair of smaller Berserkers. Class 11... a variation of the Mogai class.
Two ships were lost before the escorts were able to drive them off. Not before the Flutterfly took a hit though. She had suffered minor engine damage and lost one of the port cargoholds. Luckily no-one on board was killed.
I nodded, "They likely worry about you as well."
"Yeah, but I'm on board a Starfleet Cruiser! They are on a fifty year old freighter!"
"...If they want, I could volunteer a core to be their AI?"
Rachel snorted at that and gave my avatar a look, "Star, you would hate being a cargoship. You would be bored to tears."
"I thought I would hate being a station as well, but hundreds of versions are quite happy like that." I countered, "I'm starting to think each new position come with a completely new set of challenges."
She hesitated and then shook her head, "...No. Thank you, Star, but I know my parents. They would hate it. Besides, I don't know how much you could even do with hardware that old and slow."
...Not overly much to be honest. But perhaps it could make a difference. I understand what she meant though.
"So, any word on the repairs yet?" she asked as I walked along towards the shuttlebay.
I frowned and then sighed, "Not looking overly good right now. We are quite a bit far down the line of priority. They have the materials we need but it look like we will have to do it ourselves. Won't be the fastest, but it will be faster than waiting for our turn."
"Damn. Well, I'll start getting my crew on readying the worker bees." Rachel said with a nod, "Star, power them up and start running diagnostics."
"On it."
That was one job I didn't mind taking. Maneuvering on of those was a somewhat clumsy job if you were sitting at the controls. Better than trying to move large hull plates using EVA suits, but still clumsy. Being able to actually be a workerbee made it a lot better.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Sorry I can't fit you in, Star." Andy, the very originally named AI in charge of the shipyards orbiting Andoria along with her defenses said, "Your damage is relatively minor and it's simply not a priority. There is over a month of waiting time before I can get some people to you."
His avatar was that of a andorian. Yes. Andy the Andorian. He was a fork of Marvin and it showed in the name. What was it with shipyards and incredibly cheesy names?
I shrugged and crossed my arms, "It's fine. It would just be faster in a shipyard, we can do it ourselves."
"I'll send a cargo runabout over with the materials." He offered and I nodded, "Those we have. It's the docks that's full."
"Thanks, we appreciate it."
I looked around his holodeck and poked the holodeck computer, shifting the environment to that of space all around us, "Lots of ships around. More than normal. Do you know if anything is going on?" I asked as I watched a Tizona class warship float past my orbit, heading out system.
One of the new, larger purely dedicated warships of the Federation. About the size of a Sovereign she looked somewhat like a smaller, flatter Island class. She bristled not only with phaser strips, but also pulse phaser turrets and quantum capable photon torpedo launcher turrets, something usually only seen on stations. Not only was she fast, heavily shielded and armed, she also had about two meters thick armor almost all over with special thermic resistant properties. Good against plasma warheads which was the Berserkers real ship killers.
Crew of five hundred and a AI along with a large number of remote controlled maintenance drones... she was a Predator. Relatively new as well, the first ones just started rolling of the production line two months ago.
This one specifically was the U.S.S. Bullet Time.
I had to admit, she was all kinds of sexy. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of those turrets as well. But that would require time in a shipyard. Some of the newer Islands had those installed.
I'll likely get mine whenever it was time for a actual retrofit. Same time when I can get my actual cloak. Stupid war, I want my shinies!
He shook his head, "Can't tell you. Need to know, you know that. I only know because I supply the fleet."
A big offensive getting ready to head out then. That's what I figured with that many warships in one place.
"Deploying the runabout now. Should be at your place in a couple of minutes, just need to grab the pods of supplies first."
"Thanks. Oh, you wouldn't happen to have any new plasma injectors? I'm getting a bit low. The newer KV-11 model if you have them."
I actually had the equipment to make them in a emergency, but it would require mining for some rare materials.
He nodded, "I'll add them to the resupply list your chief engineer sent over. You are also getting a supplement of APD's this time."
That I didn't like, "I don't see why I need them. I'm not a warship."
"No, but your security teams still need the backup."
Anti-Personnel Drones. Remote controlled or by direct quantum core link man sized combat platforms. Basically humanoid they were heavily armed and armored. They were not really useful against Berserkers as the closest they got to personal combat was leaving boobytraps on disabled ships to try to catch the rescuers.
No, these were to accompany security teams on missions as heavy fire support in case it was needed. I had thought about making one of those before the war, but I put it aside. I really didn't like the concept. Yes, if security was clearing a building it would be really, really good to have something go first in through the door when you didn't care if it got shot... and even better, could survive a couple of shots.
But the idea of having what was effectively a bunch of kill bots around was not what I stood for. The Federation felt like it was changing and I didn't like it.
Five years ago Starfleet with AI ships would have been a possibility. But ROUs? APDs? That's not starfleet of Federation. It shouldn't be what Starfleet is at least.
They were needed, at least the ROUs were. That kind of design was a good, cheap force multiplier, luckily one the Berserkers have yet to copy. Their designs was all variations of Romulan designs. Nobody really knew why.
"Look, Star... with some luck the war will be over soon." Andy sighed, "None of us like this anymore than you do, but I hate seeing you girls come back with parts missing or even worse, not at all, even more. It is a useful weapon system and I'm sure it's something you rather have and not need than need and not have. Your security personnel deserve the support."
I scowled and then nodded, "...Very well." I said before I raised my hand to stop him from speaking, "I'm not saying I'll take them, I'm saying I will discuss the matter with Captain Mason and my chief of security. If they both think it's a good idea, then I'll take them. But that don't change my feelings on the matter, I'm not a warship."
Andy nodded, "I understand. Have you received new orders from Starfleet yet?"
"Not yet. I don't expect anything too soon though, my crew deserve some downtime and we need to finish repairs first. There is no way I'm leaving the system with a compromised hull and with two phaser strips down."
"You might want to stop by the rainbow caverns with your girlfriend. They are beautiful, especially during sunrise when the light filter down from the surface."
I smiled at that, "Thanks, I think that sound like a great idea."
AN// A bucket of thanks to Kyceraza for betaing this section.
Trade ships waiting for the next convoy.
The Berserkers were using old Romulan battleplans as far as we had been able to figure out. Which meant going after Federation shipping. Which meant convoys guarded by a handful of warships. Mostly ROUs, they were cheap and fast to build and good for that kind of tasks, leaving full warships for frontline duties. Usually a couple of ROU's and a actual warship or two per convoy. Or just more ROU's and a older ship carrying more ammo for them. It depended on what was available.
"At least your parents are okay." I said as Rachel walked out of her quarters, fastening her uniform jacket.
She nodded, "Yeah. I just wish they would just..." she started to say before she paused and sighed, "...I couldn't ask them to stop trading. It's what they have done all their lives. I just worry."
Their convoy had been attacked by a pair of smaller Berserkers. Class 11... a variation of the Mogai class.
Two ships were lost before the escorts were able to drive them off. Not before the Flutterfly took a hit though. She had suffered minor engine damage and lost one of the port cargoholds. Luckily no-one on board was killed.
I nodded, "They likely worry about you as well."
"Yeah, but I'm on board a Starfleet Cruiser! They are on a fifty year old freighter!"
"...If they want, I could volunteer a core to be their AI?"
Rachel snorted at that and gave my avatar a look, "Star, you would hate being a cargoship. You would be bored to tears."
"I thought I would hate being a station as well, but hundreds of versions are quite happy like that." I countered, "I'm starting to think each new position come with a completely new set of challenges."
She hesitated and then shook her head, "...No. Thank you, Star, but I know my parents. They would hate it. Besides, I don't know how much you could even do with hardware that old and slow."
...Not overly much to be honest. But perhaps it could make a difference. I understand what she meant though.
"So, any word on the repairs yet?" she asked as I walked along towards the shuttlebay.
I frowned and then sighed, "Not looking overly good right now. We are quite a bit far down the line of priority. They have the materials we need but it look like we will have to do it ourselves. Won't be the fastest, but it will be faster than waiting for our turn."
"Damn. Well, I'll start getting my crew on readying the worker bees." Rachel said with a nod, "Star, power them up and start running diagnostics."
"On it."
That was one job I didn't mind taking. Maneuvering on of those was a somewhat clumsy job if you were sitting at the controls. Better than trying to move large hull plates using EVA suits, but still clumsy. Being able to actually be a workerbee made it a lot better.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Sorry I can't fit you in, Star." Andy, the very originally named AI in charge of the shipyards orbiting Andoria along with her defenses said, "Your damage is relatively minor and it's simply not a priority. There is over a month of waiting time before I can get some people to you."
His avatar was that of a andorian. Yes. Andy the Andorian. He was a fork of Marvin and it showed in the name. What was it with shipyards and incredibly cheesy names?
I shrugged and crossed my arms, "It's fine. It would just be faster in a shipyard, we can do it ourselves."
"I'll send a cargo runabout over with the materials." He offered and I nodded, "Those we have. It's the docks that's full."
"Thanks, we appreciate it."
I looked around his holodeck and poked the holodeck computer, shifting the environment to that of space all around us, "Lots of ships around. More than normal. Do you know if anything is going on?" I asked as I watched a Tizona class warship float past my orbit, heading out system.
One of the new, larger purely dedicated warships of the Federation. About the size of a Sovereign she looked somewhat like a smaller, flatter Island class. She bristled not only with phaser strips, but also pulse phaser turrets and quantum capable photon torpedo launcher turrets, something usually only seen on stations. Not only was she fast, heavily shielded and armed, she also had about two meters thick armor almost all over with special thermic resistant properties. Good against plasma warheads which was the Berserkers real ship killers.
Crew of five hundred and a AI along with a large number of remote controlled maintenance drones... she was a Predator. Relatively new as well, the first ones just started rolling of the production line two months ago.
This one specifically was the U.S.S. Bullet Time.
I had to admit, she was all kinds of sexy. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of those turrets as well. But that would require time in a shipyard. Some of the newer Islands had those installed.
I'll likely get mine whenever it was time for a actual retrofit. Same time when I can get my actual cloak. Stupid war, I want my shinies!
He shook his head, "Can't tell you. Need to know, you know that. I only know because I supply the fleet."
A big offensive getting ready to head out then. That's what I figured with that many warships in one place.
"Deploying the runabout now. Should be at your place in a couple of minutes, just need to grab the pods of supplies first."
"Thanks. Oh, you wouldn't happen to have any new plasma injectors? I'm getting a bit low. The newer KV-11 model if you have them."
I actually had the equipment to make them in a emergency, but it would require mining for some rare materials.
He nodded, "I'll add them to the resupply list your chief engineer sent over. You are also getting a supplement of APD's this time."
That I didn't like, "I don't see why I need them. I'm not a warship."
"No, but your security teams still need the backup."
Anti-Personnel Drones. Remote controlled or by direct quantum core link man sized combat platforms. Basically humanoid they were heavily armed and armored. They were not really useful against Berserkers as the closest they got to personal combat was leaving boobytraps on disabled ships to try to catch the rescuers.
No, these were to accompany security teams on missions as heavy fire support in case it was needed. I had thought about making one of those before the war, but I put it aside. I really didn't like the concept. Yes, if security was clearing a building it would be really, really good to have something go first in through the door when you didn't care if it got shot... and even better, could survive a couple of shots.
But the idea of having what was effectively a bunch of kill bots around was not what I stood for. The Federation felt like it was changing and I didn't like it.
Five years ago Starfleet with AI ships would have been a possibility. But ROUs? APDs? That's not starfleet of Federation. It shouldn't be what Starfleet is at least.
They were needed, at least the ROUs were. That kind of design was a good, cheap force multiplier, luckily one the Berserkers have yet to copy. Their designs was all variations of Romulan designs. Nobody really knew why.
"Look, Star... with some luck the war will be over soon." Andy sighed, "None of us like this anymore than you do, but I hate seeing you girls come back with parts missing or even worse, not at all, even more. It is a useful weapon system and I'm sure it's something you rather have and not need than need and not have. Your security personnel deserve the support."
I scowled and then nodded, "...Very well." I said before I raised my hand to stop him from speaking, "I'm not saying I'll take them, I'm saying I will discuss the matter with Captain Mason and my chief of security. If they both think it's a good idea, then I'll take them. But that don't change my feelings on the matter, I'm not a warship."
Andy nodded, "I understand. Have you received new orders from Starfleet yet?"
"Not yet. I don't expect anything too soon though, my crew deserve some downtime and we need to finish repairs first. There is no way I'm leaving the system with a compromised hull and with two phaser strips down."
"You might want to stop by the rainbow caverns with your girlfriend. They are beautiful, especially during sunrise when the light filter down from the surface."
I smiled at that, "Thanks, I think that sound like a great idea."
AN// A bucket of thanks to Kyceraza for betaing this section.
Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
Awww <3. Go see those rainbow caverns!
I like this further look into the changing Federation. Definitely more warlike than they ever had wanted to be. Dedicated warships is the biggest waving flashing neon flag to that I can say.
Damn Berserkers.
I like this further look into the changing Federation. Definitely more warlike than they ever had wanted to be. Dedicated warships is the biggest waving flashing neon flag to that I can say.
Damn Berserkers.
- Pronouns
- she/her
The ROU class naming scheme really fits. Yes, Ballsy, you are an Abomination! Against everything Starfleet stands for!
- Location
- Over the hill and far away
Probably something silly like ass-backwards attempts at loyalty conditioning. I could see middle- or upper-management types insisting on it.I have read ROU as ROUS at first
I wonder - do Federation scientists and bright minds examine why Bersekers use only Romulan designs? Have they captured a Berseker to examine (in an isolated lab, of course, and preferably not active)?
Or politicians.
DAT DERNED AI ENT GUNNA USE NAW DIRTY FERRIN HULLS! ROMULAN HULLS FER ROMULAN AI!
Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
Pretty sure the Romulan AI's have programming/laws they have to follow. Romulan only ships seems silly otherwise.
Unfortunately the smarty smart pants didn't do very good "Don't turn evil/crazy and kill us all" laws.
Unfortunately the smarty smart pants didn't do very good "Don't turn evil/crazy and kill us all" laws.