Eh, I think that in case of war/conflict (where smaller ships are probably the best option to quickly build up military forces) a lot of those berths will be occupied with repairs/refits so I think having a healthy reserve is a good idea.
To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)
- Thread starter OneirosTheWriter
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
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- Tags
- star trek exploration fully automated luxury gay space communism top level canon (canon) #hashtagcontent all-encompassing space amoeba cardassian boy bands cardassian magical girls darkest bureaucracy debate makes the qm cackle like palpatine hoh is an empire quest it has to be foreign infiltrators more ships ship happens singers delenda est starfleet this is not an empire quest ur waifu is collective?
Eh, I think that in case of war/conflict (where smaller ships are probably the best option to quickly build up military forces) a lot of those berths will be occupied with repairs/refits so I think having a healthy reserve is a good idea.
I have the capability to make various assumptions about resources, but it's better if we're on the same page. Let me ask you for the next five out years:
How much increase in BR/SR/O/E/T from Affiliates and New Members do you want to assume and in what years?
How much one-time BR/SR from Captain's logs do you want to assume in each year?
How many permanent BR/SR increases from Captain's logs/new mining colonies do you want to assume (I have already factored in those in-progress and the expectation we'll ask for the new SR one this year.)
How much BR/SR LOSS from need to repair ship damage do you want to assume in each year?
How much O/E/T deaths from ship disasters do you want to assume in each year?
Agree on that, and I can reliably estimate what resource we're short on in any given shipbuilding scenario. What assumptions do you think are reasonable?
How much increase in BR/SR/O/E/T from Affiliates and New Members do you want to assume and in what years?
How much one-time BR/SR from Captain's logs do you want to assume in each year?
How many permanent BR/SR increases from Captain's logs/new mining colonies do you want to assume (I have already factored in those in-progress and the expectation we'll ask for the new SR one this year.)
How much BR/SR LOSS from need to repair ship damage do you want to assume in each year?
How much O/E/T deaths from ship disasters do you want to assume in each year?
Agree on that, and I can reliably estimate what resource we're short on in any given shipbuilding scenario. What assumptions do you think are reasonable?
Omake - Debts Incurred - Leila Hann
- Location
- Patriarchova
Consider this a supplement to @AKuz's writeup.
Omake: Debts Incurred
From: Legate First Class Oratun, Chairman Obsidian Order
To: Central Command
The Obsidian Order has now completed its investigation of the Enterprise incident, a task for which I would like to relay my most disingenuous thanks to the Cardassian Defense Force's internal affairs for its assistance. Whenever the Order task force found itself wanting for hysteria, wild speculation, or outright magical thinking, our peers in the military proved more than eager to supply these things, solicited or otherwise. A certain late Legate Cormai in particular proved himself a very counterproductive influence.
The recent sensationalism surrounding the Federation captain Nash Ka'Sharren and the subversive threat she could potentially pose to weak willed Cardassian servicemen has blinded some otherwise rational eyes to the big picture. Nothing about the sequence of events during the battle suggests that the Enterprise massively outperformed the combat abilities we have documented for its ship class, nor have subsequent investigations revealed any hint of treachery from those who were aware of the ambush before its execution. Rather, the answer comes in the form of an intelligence report from our sources within the Federation's sphere of influence concerning their growing integration of a client species known as "Betazoid." Our sources have confirmed that this species is possessed of considerable psionic abilities, potentially exceeding those of the Konen. As you are hopefully already aware, exceptional Konen individuals can, with sufficient experience and training, detect the presence of a sentient mind even across orbital distances.
If the Federation has subjugated the Betazoids to the point where their loyalty can be counted upon, it would stand to reason that each of their capital ships would have such an empowered individual aboard. Another reliable source has informed us of the Federation's penchant for the tactical triggering of solar flares. The obvious conclusion is that the Enterprise's betazoid detected the minds of the Golot's crew when the battlecruiser moved in close for the surprise attack, which gave the enemy sufficient time to reassess the situation and choose the solar flare tactic.
By turning Ka'Sharren into a boogeyman, we have allowed ourselves to forget that the Federation threat is posed by the Federation, not any one of its overly glorified conquistadores. All CDF captains should henceforth assume that Federation telepaths can detect and anticipate them within combat-capable distances. We have already started our own new precautions to protect Obsidian Order operatives from psionic detection.
…
Medical Log: Spec. Cmmdr Asurva, Stardate 22797.1
Ensign Taezae has been placed on medical leave pending a follow-up exam next quarter. My neural scan didn't show any abnormalities beyond the heightened fear and stress levels you'd expect from his story, but I'm not ruling out the possibility of some subtle disorder. There's nothing in his psych exam that suggests he'd be prone to hallucinations, even in a stressful situation like the one we just had with the Cardassians.
Just to be on the safe side, the engineering team did a full diagnostic of the warp core and aortal plasma conduits to check for anything that could have teased his imagination in his anxious state during the battle. Nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly nothing that could look like "something…alive…writhing against the containment field." His choice of words remind me just a bit of the biophage. He has been reading the logs from our previous Five Year Mission, so that might have influenced him.
With that unpleasant business done, I'm ready to just go back to being glad that psychological casualties are the worst thing I'm dealing with. I don't know how the Captain managed to steer us out of that one, but I'm not about to bring a free omnisuit to the diagnostician.
…
"One good turn earns another. Wasn't that among the only things we…agreed about, Captain Nash KaSharren Of The Federation Starship Enterprise?"
Nash floated in the frigid black sea, the liquid air and stars pulling at her face and antennae as she tried to look around. Where…who was she? Why was this?
"Your forgotten friend told you it would cross paths at another junction, Captain Nash KaSharren of the Federation Starship Enterprise. When you…freed…me from between the twin suns, that was why I withdrew my…outermost constituencies…from yourself and your crew.You will remember shortly."
The memory returned hazily, bubbling up from the starry abyss of darkness and time. The two suns, yanking ferociously at the field of exotic particles suspended between them. The radiation sickness that Asurva hadn't seen anything quite like. How she had gotten the Enterprise free in the end…oh ice, how could she have possibly forgotten?
"Your…warp…core…breach…presented an opportunity. Another such junction. Twenty-six such instances in total, on account of my persistance."
A tentacle passed before her face, writhing and squirming against the fractal nothingness. She remembered it all now. She remembered everything. She remembered everything about the Biroth Incident.
"Well, I have taken the liberty of delivering another such…good turn. If I am not mistaken, this would place you in my debt, this time?"
The coldness was inside of her now.
"The next time we…cross paths…I will take additional steps to ensure you retain the memory of my…request. It should only be a small favor. Rest well, Captain Nash Ka'Sharren of the Federation Starship Enterprise."
And then she was back on the bridge, watching the solar flare tear through the Cardassian warships.
(possible omake bonus: Ka'Sharren gets a bonus to survival chances in situations involving exotic physics, but at some point the entity will call in its debt, which may or may not conflict with Federation interests or values)
Omake: Debts Incurred
From: Legate First Class Oratun, Chairman Obsidian Order
To: Central Command
The Obsidian Order has now completed its investigation of the Enterprise incident, a task for which I would like to relay my most disingenuous thanks to the Cardassian Defense Force's internal affairs for its assistance. Whenever the Order task force found itself wanting for hysteria, wild speculation, or outright magical thinking, our peers in the military proved more than eager to supply these things, solicited or otherwise. A certain late Legate Cormai in particular proved himself a very counterproductive influence.
The recent sensationalism surrounding the Federation captain Nash Ka'Sharren and the subversive threat she could potentially pose to weak willed Cardassian servicemen has blinded some otherwise rational eyes to the big picture. Nothing about the sequence of events during the battle suggests that the Enterprise massively outperformed the combat abilities we have documented for its ship class, nor have subsequent investigations revealed any hint of treachery from those who were aware of the ambush before its execution. Rather, the answer comes in the form of an intelligence report from our sources within the Federation's sphere of influence concerning their growing integration of a client species known as "Betazoid." Our sources have confirmed that this species is possessed of considerable psionic abilities, potentially exceeding those of the Konen. As you are hopefully already aware, exceptional Konen individuals can, with sufficient experience and training, detect the presence of a sentient mind even across orbital distances.
If the Federation has subjugated the Betazoids to the point where their loyalty can be counted upon, it would stand to reason that each of their capital ships would have such an empowered individual aboard. Another reliable source has informed us of the Federation's penchant for the tactical triggering of solar flares. The obvious conclusion is that the Enterprise's betazoid detected the minds of the Golot's crew when the battlecruiser moved in close for the surprise attack, which gave the enemy sufficient time to reassess the situation and choose the solar flare tactic.
By turning Ka'Sharren into a boogeyman, we have allowed ourselves to forget that the Federation threat is posed by the Federation, not any one of its overly glorified conquistadores. All CDF captains should henceforth assume that Federation telepaths can detect and anticipate them within combat-capable distances. We have already started our own new precautions to protect Obsidian Order operatives from psionic detection.
…
Medical Log: Spec. Cmmdr Asurva, Stardate 22797.1
Ensign Taezae has been placed on medical leave pending a follow-up exam next quarter. My neural scan didn't show any abnormalities beyond the heightened fear and stress levels you'd expect from his story, but I'm not ruling out the possibility of some subtle disorder. There's nothing in his psych exam that suggests he'd be prone to hallucinations, even in a stressful situation like the one we just had with the Cardassians.
Just to be on the safe side, the engineering team did a full diagnostic of the warp core and aortal plasma conduits to check for anything that could have teased his imagination in his anxious state during the battle. Nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly nothing that could look like "something…alive…writhing against the containment field." His choice of words remind me just a bit of the biophage. He has been reading the logs from our previous Five Year Mission, so that might have influenced him.
With that unpleasant business done, I'm ready to just go back to being glad that psychological casualties are the worst thing I'm dealing with. I don't know how the Captain managed to steer us out of that one, but I'm not about to bring a free omnisuit to the diagnostician.
…
"One good turn earns another. Wasn't that among the only things we…agreed about, Captain Nash KaSharren Of The Federation Starship Enterprise?"
Nash floated in the frigid black sea, the liquid air and stars pulling at her face and antennae as she tried to look around. Where…who was she? Why was this?
"Your forgotten friend told you it would cross paths at another junction, Captain Nash KaSharren of the Federation Starship Enterprise. When you…freed…me from between the twin suns, that was why I withdrew my…outermost constituencies…from yourself and your crew.You will remember shortly."
The memory returned hazily, bubbling up from the starry abyss of darkness and time. The two suns, yanking ferociously at the field of exotic particles suspended between them. The radiation sickness that Asurva hadn't seen anything quite like. How she had gotten the Enterprise free in the end…oh ice, how could she have possibly forgotten?
"Your…warp…core…breach…presented an opportunity. Another such junction. Twenty-six such instances in total, on account of my persistance."
A tentacle passed before her face, writhing and squirming against the fractal nothingness. She remembered it all now. She remembered everything. She remembered everything about the Biroth Incident.
"Well, I have taken the liberty of delivering another such…good turn. If I am not mistaken, this would place you in my debt, this time?"
The coldness was inside of her now.
"The next time we…cross paths…I will take additional steps to ensure you retain the memory of my…request. It should only be a small favor. Rest well, Captain Nash Ka'Sharren of the Federation Starship Enterprise."
And then she was back on the bridge, watching the solar flare tear through the Cardassian warships.
(possible omake bonus: Ka'Sharren gets a bonus to survival chances in situations involving exotic physics, but at some point the entity will call in its debt, which may or may not conflict with Federation interests or values)
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- Location
- somewhere
I don't think we CAN predict that more than 2-3 years ahead of time with any reasonable precision. We can predict that sr will continue to be more likely to be tight than br for the next few years, though not so much that expanding br income is useless, but we can't really say whether sr or techs are going to be the bottleneck in 2312. We can predict when ship classes become available and when builds finish and berths are freed up, but for income we can't really do more than paint likely scenarios and explore the range of possibilities. It's useful to have one reasonable scenario as baseline for discussion, and your sheet serves that role well enough, but I don't think it can really be much more than that. There will still be yearly discussions when the turn comes up and often we will diverge from the sheet, but we'll do it knowingly and after considering whether it ties up berths/resources that are going to be needed for the building wave after a design finishes a few years later or whatever. Does "we will have between 1 and 6 yearly extra techs from current/future affiliates in 2312" help you that much?
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All right, how about this for quick and dirty assumptions?
- Betazeds will provide additional .5O/.5E/.5T and .1 to each Explorer Corps category and 10br/5sr on Federation membership.
- Caitians - War will be over in less than 3 years, Enter Federation by 2311Q1. Upon entry will provide 15br/10sr more and 1O/1E/1T to Starfleet and 0.25O/0.25/E/0.25T to the Explorer Corps. (They are on par with the Amarki as a middle power spacefaring species).
- Caldonians will be 300+ affiliates by 2310Q1 and will provide 15br/10sr
- Indorians will be 300+ affiliates by 2310Q1 and will provide 15br/10sr
- Average yearly income from events is 25br/10sr (taking into account losses from ship damages and evening out)
- Average crew loss is -.75 from each regular category per year and -.25 from Explorer Corps per year
- SR and BR income grows at a rate of +15/two years from additional mining colonies
- Academy expansion and Science Academy expansion this year
- Another Academy expansion in 2311
- Rigellians become members before 2312Q1 and add 1O/1E/1T and additional 15bt/10sr (again, they are a medium power)
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Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Meanwhile the Vulcan Logitechs take this year's Brockian Ultra-Cricket pennant for a record three years running, beating out the Andorian Beatsticks in what commenters are calling "The most technically competent but boring finish since the Logitech game last year".
Sheet updated.
With those assumptions and dropping a Consittuion-B in favor of a Centaur-A.... not that bad. Don't be too alarmed by Tech debts in a couple of Q4s. In practical terms that just means the ships are delayed for 1 quarter until the crews can be recruited from fresh Academy intake in Q1 of the next year. I assume there won't be bad consequences if that's a planned delay.
Under this plan:
2309 - Start 1 Excelsior, start 5 Constitution-Bs, start 2 Centaur-As, and 1 Centaur-refit
2310 - Start 2 Excelsiors, start 1 Constitution-B, start Renaissance prototype
2311 - Start 1 Excelsior, 1 Constitution-B (other berths all full)
Beyond that who the hell knows, but it's a pretty active build plan.
With those assumptions and dropping a Consittuion-B in favor of a Centaur-A.... not that bad. Don't be too alarmed by Tech debts in a couple of Q4s. In practical terms that just means the ships are delayed for 1 quarter until the crews can be recruited from fresh Academy intake in Q1 of the next year. I assume there won't be bad consequences if that's a planned delay.
Under this plan:
2309 - Start 1 Excelsior, start 5 Constitution-Bs, start 2 Centaur-As, and 1 Centaur-refit
2310 - Start 2 Excelsiors, start 1 Constitution-B, start Renaissance prototype
2311 - Start 1 Excelsior, 1 Constitution-B (other berths all full)
Beyond that who the hell knows, but it's a pretty active build plan.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Is this still predicated on starting four one-megaton berths?
The issue is, by spamming small berths and trying to rush a big wave of ships RIGHT NOW, when said ships will not be complete for three years... it is doubtful whether that helps. Others have pointed out that we'll have two Excelsiors and six Centaurs completing in the timeframe before the new megaton berths spit out their first Centaurs. So the question is going to look something like this- not exactly like this, but close:
Do we need more ships so urgently that in three years' time...
"Two explorers and six escorts" is NOT acceptable, and "two explorers and eight escorts after building two more berths" is STILL not acceptable... but "two and ten after four more berths" IS acceptable?"
And if so... how are we even going to survive the next three years, before most of those ships are complete?
The question is not whether to reinforce our fleet with (relatively) small and fast-building ships. The question is how many, and what else we sacrifice in return for accomplishing that goal.
GREAT!
Because in that case, my reasoning is essentially valid, and we have enough crew to man more ships than we can presently build. Since we also have enough resources to make more ships than we presently do, THEN it is not folly for us to expand construction infrastructure and build (some) more ships!
Personally I'm prepared to stipulate that all your assumptions are basically correct on this issue.
Solution: hire operatives who are functionally without mind, and therefore invisible!
- Location
- Patriarchova
[x] Allow (Will occupy UP Berth B for 6 months, +15pp, +10 Relations with Caitians)
Also, new ships from these logs! Yay!
I also tried out my alternate design for the Riala, and like it much better. Also expanded the heavy warbird a bit; its still not nearly as much larger than its Federation counterpart as the D'deridex will be to the Galaxy, but we can see how Romulan construction has been pushing larger and larger.
Also, new ships from these logs! Yay!
I also tried out my alternate design for the Riala, and like it much better. Also expanded the heavy warbird a bit; its still not nearly as much larger than its Federation counterpart as the D'deridex will be to the Galaxy, but we can see how Romulan construction has been pushing larger and larger.
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SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
Lol, that Caitian ship top down perspective.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] Allow (Will occupy UP Berth B for 6 months, +15pp, +10 Relations with Caitians)
2308.Q1 - Betazed Pt 1
- Location
- Australia
Laktok Station, Betazed Orbit, Stardate 22812
From the observation lounge of the station, Betazed is spread out like a picture, multi-hued and gorgeous in a way that Andor couldn't ever really match. They have been at the station for several hours, preparing for the ceremony with meeting after briefing. The addition of the Betazoids themselves actually provides a welcome boost to security, their telepathy able to intercept possible problems. Truth be told, Starfleet feels confident about this one, being just about as far from Cardassian space as it was possible to be without sitting in the Romulan Praetor's lobby. But by the same token, the prospect of allowing a second accession in such quick succession become interrupted is just political death. So no matter how impractical it seems, there are three Excelsiors docked at Laktok Station, the main defence platform of the Betazoids.
"So they still haven't pushed you out of the chair yet, Captain?" asks a voice from behind her.
Nash turns around and her face splits into a broad smile. "Maryam, good to see you again," she says as she clasps her old first officer's hand.
"And you, Captain."
Nash shakes her head. "I've told you, you're a Captain yourself now, just call me Nash."
"That'd just be too weird, Captain," says Maryam with a laugh.
Nash turns to the other woman in the group. "Captain McAdams! I was thrilled to hear you got the Captain's billet."
"Thank you, sir," replies the older woman. "I knew I'd get a command of my own eventually."
"You have a Captain's heart and a Captain's brain," says Nash. "I appreciate the work that Shipyard Ops does as much as anyone; they gave me the best girl in my life, after all," she adds with a twitch of the antennae towards the Excelsior just barely visible out the window. "But you're the sort of officer that Starfleet needs in a command chair."
"Thank you, sir, that means a lot coming from someone like you," says Rosalee, and Nash swears the woman blushes just a touch. Impressive coming from someone who has cracked fifty.
Maryam straightens out her jacket and sighs. "I wanted to stop by to give my regards, but I need to head off to another set of meetings already."
Nash snickers. "We're so worried about Cardassians and the Syndicate, and here the Betazoids are, killing us with meetings. You can tell they'll be perfect for the Fed Council."
"That they are, Captain," says Maryam. "Well then. No rest for the wicked." She grins winsomely and heads back off, leaving Rosalee and Nash behind in the lounge.
There is a silence, gentle and companionable, that settles upon the two ship Captains as they turn to watch the planet below. The blue marble of Betazed turns lazily onwards. The white clouds swirl and cluster about the globe, twisting together into a broad storm in one place, but even this looks picturesque from such a distance.
Rosalee hmm's to herself after a while, the first to break the silence. "You know, in all the time I've known her, certainly all our time together on the Courageous together, there are only two planets that drove my wife mad."
"Oh?"
"Risa, for more obvious sorts of reasons," continues Rosalee in her musing tone. "And here. Betazed."
"Well, that's odd," says Nash, still watching the planet turn.
Rosalee nods at that. "Drove her absolutely stark raving mad. Bonkers. She just couldn't deal with these telepaths, these odd views on privacy, the relaxed way of life."
Nash laughs, trying vainly to smother it. "You know, actually, I think I can see it. She's so well ordered."
"Yes, we all have our little ways of keeping our heads on straight as the universe throws its concentrated oddities at us," agrees Rosalee. "My dear Victoria has her mind all in perfect regimented order to keep it all together. And when something comes along to tip the apple cart, well."
"Problems."
"Quite." Rosalee looks up at Nash, giving her a long look. "It's a hard road. There are very few of us who know what it's truly like."
The senior captain stiffens for a moment, but then slowly sweeps her gaze over, returning the older woman's look. But she holds her peace.
Seconds pass in silence before Rosalee speaks again. "I read the report. The proper one."
Nash doesn't so much as blink. "How did you manage that? Temporal matters are about the only time Starfleet actually gets serious about its secret keeping."
"Well, a humble captain, even an Explorer Panel captain, wouldn't be able to access it. But if you were to, oh, say, if you were to meet the right person. Say a particular Rear Admiral and legend of the Federation."
Nash rolls her eyes. "Our boss gets around more than people think, I guess." She drums her fingers on the windowsill before her. "So why did he pick you?"
"Because I know what it's like to know you couldn't save your crew," she says. "When I was possessed and was forced to lead a mutiny, a prisoner in my own body. To be helpless time and again as events outside your control tale their toll. Now, you got there in the end, a luxury I never got, but by the same token, you know that all those failures didn't have to happen."
"They didn't have to happen," hissed Nash, her eyes flashing. Her breath catches as she realises what she just did. But Rosalee just nods at her, so Nash relaxes again. "I command the pride of Starfleet, the best ship in the Alpha Quadrant. I'll take on anyone who says otherwise. I should have been good enough. I shouldn't have had to watch everyone die so many times. Don't you realise? I simply had to do it until I got it right. A half-trained Redwhale could manage that."
"A what?"
"Uh, monkey would be the human equivalent, I think."
"Ah, I see."
Nash pauses and turns back to the window. "I should have been good enough," she whispers.
"While the Courageous was being patched up after Victoria got the better of my little mutiny, I nearly quit," continues Rosalee. "It was only a long time off with Victoria that let me get my head right." She glances sidelong at her fellow officer. "I'd say that we're not Vulcans, but even Vulcans have problems after experiences like this. They have emotions, the only difference is that when it comes to them they are lying little liars."
"That's no help, I'm still years away from proper leave time," drawls Nash.
Rosalee shakes her head. "We'll be here for days preparing security. Captain Ajam and I can handle things, and your Commander Mrr'shan is quite capable. Go down to the surface. Give yourself a chance to breathe."
There isn't anything else to say. Rosalee leaves at some point as Nash turns it all over in her head, watching the planet turn on and on as well. Finally she grabs her communicator. "Ka'Sharren to Enterprise."
"Captain, Commander Mrr'shan here, we read you."
"Samhaya, I need you to attend my next meeting on the station. I need to head down to the surface."
Nash swears she hear's a note of relief in her first officer's voice as she agrees.
From the observation lounge of the station, Betazed is spread out like a picture, multi-hued and gorgeous in a way that Andor couldn't ever really match. They have been at the station for several hours, preparing for the ceremony with meeting after briefing. The addition of the Betazoids themselves actually provides a welcome boost to security, their telepathy able to intercept possible problems. Truth be told, Starfleet feels confident about this one, being just about as far from Cardassian space as it was possible to be without sitting in the Romulan Praetor's lobby. But by the same token, the prospect of allowing a second accession in such quick succession become interrupted is just political death. So no matter how impractical it seems, there are three Excelsiors docked at Laktok Station, the main defence platform of the Betazoids.
"So they still haven't pushed you out of the chair yet, Captain?" asks a voice from behind her.
Nash turns around and her face splits into a broad smile. "Maryam, good to see you again," she says as she clasps her old first officer's hand.
"And you, Captain."
Nash shakes her head. "I've told you, you're a Captain yourself now, just call me Nash."
"That'd just be too weird, Captain," says Maryam with a laugh.
Nash turns to the other woman in the group. "Captain McAdams! I was thrilled to hear you got the Captain's billet."
"Thank you, sir," replies the older woman. "I knew I'd get a command of my own eventually."
"You have a Captain's heart and a Captain's brain," says Nash. "I appreciate the work that Shipyard Ops does as much as anyone; they gave me the best girl in my life, after all," she adds with a twitch of the antennae towards the Excelsior just barely visible out the window. "But you're the sort of officer that Starfleet needs in a command chair."
"Thank you, sir, that means a lot coming from someone like you," says Rosalee, and Nash swears the woman blushes just a touch. Impressive coming from someone who has cracked fifty.
Maryam straightens out her jacket and sighs. "I wanted to stop by to give my regards, but I need to head off to another set of meetings already."
Nash snickers. "We're so worried about Cardassians and the Syndicate, and here the Betazoids are, killing us with meetings. You can tell they'll be perfect for the Fed Council."
"That they are, Captain," says Maryam. "Well then. No rest for the wicked." She grins winsomely and heads back off, leaving Rosalee and Nash behind in the lounge.
There is a silence, gentle and companionable, that settles upon the two ship Captains as they turn to watch the planet below. The blue marble of Betazed turns lazily onwards. The white clouds swirl and cluster about the globe, twisting together into a broad storm in one place, but even this looks picturesque from such a distance.
Rosalee hmm's to herself after a while, the first to break the silence. "You know, in all the time I've known her, certainly all our time together on the Courageous together, there are only two planets that drove my wife mad."
"Oh?"
"Risa, for more obvious sorts of reasons," continues Rosalee in her musing tone. "And here. Betazed."
"Well, that's odd," says Nash, still watching the planet turn.
Rosalee nods at that. "Drove her absolutely stark raving mad. Bonkers. She just couldn't deal with these telepaths, these odd views on privacy, the relaxed way of life."
Nash laughs, trying vainly to smother it. "You know, actually, I think I can see it. She's so well ordered."
"Yes, we all have our little ways of keeping our heads on straight as the universe throws its concentrated oddities at us," agrees Rosalee. "My dear Victoria has her mind all in perfect regimented order to keep it all together. And when something comes along to tip the apple cart, well."
"Problems."
"Quite." Rosalee looks up at Nash, giving her a long look. "It's a hard road. There are very few of us who know what it's truly like."
The senior captain stiffens for a moment, but then slowly sweeps her gaze over, returning the older woman's look. But she holds her peace.
Seconds pass in silence before Rosalee speaks again. "I read the report. The proper one."
Nash doesn't so much as blink. "How did you manage that? Temporal matters are about the only time Starfleet actually gets serious about its secret keeping."
"Well, a humble captain, even an Explorer Panel captain, wouldn't be able to access it. But if you were to, oh, say, if you were to meet the right person. Say a particular Rear Admiral and legend of the Federation."
Nash rolls her eyes. "Our boss gets around more than people think, I guess." She drums her fingers on the windowsill before her. "So why did he pick you?"
"Because I know what it's like to know you couldn't save your crew," she says. "When I was possessed and was forced to lead a mutiny, a prisoner in my own body. To be helpless time and again as events outside your control tale their toll. Now, you got there in the end, a luxury I never got, but by the same token, you know that all those failures didn't have to happen."
"They didn't have to happen," hissed Nash, her eyes flashing. Her breath catches as she realises what she just did. But Rosalee just nods at her, so Nash relaxes again. "I command the pride of Starfleet, the best ship in the Alpha Quadrant. I'll take on anyone who says otherwise. I should have been good enough. I shouldn't have had to watch everyone die so many times. Don't you realise? I simply had to do it until I got it right. A half-trained Redwhale could manage that."
"A what?"
"Uh, monkey would be the human equivalent, I think."
"Ah, I see."
Nash pauses and turns back to the window. "I should have been good enough," she whispers.
"While the Courageous was being patched up after Victoria got the better of my little mutiny, I nearly quit," continues Rosalee. "It was only a long time off with Victoria that let me get my head right." She glances sidelong at her fellow officer. "I'd say that we're not Vulcans, but even Vulcans have problems after experiences like this. They have emotions, the only difference is that when it comes to them they are lying little liars."
"That's no help, I'm still years away from proper leave time," drawls Nash.
Rosalee shakes her head. "We'll be here for days preparing security. Captain Ajam and I can handle things, and your Commander Mrr'shan is quite capable. Go down to the surface. Give yourself a chance to breathe."
There isn't anything else to say. Rosalee leaves at some point as Nash turns it all over in her head, watching the planet turn on and on as well. Finally she grabs her communicator. "Ka'Sharren to Enterprise."
"Captain, Commander Mrr'shan here, we read you."
"Samhaya, I need you to attend my next meeting on the station. I need to head down to the surface."
Nash swears she hear's a note of relief in her first officer's voice as she agrees.
Technically it only requires 3, but having a small berth constantly open for repair needs would not be the worst idea in the world. I'd still like to get 4 new 1mt berths ordered this year, though if people really want to do an even split between Andor/Tellar I don't seriously object.
I don't know what "acceptable" is. There's no hard line. It's more a matter of the more ships we have, the more cushion we have. Losing a single ship hurts less and we have more ships assigned to each Sector and able to roll for responses to events, possibly being able to reinforce each other. (You notice that we've been getting a lot more multi-ship responses to Events now that how that works has been adjusted.)
We'll survive, but we might have more failed event rolls because no ship could respond, or the only ship that did respond was alone and had no back-up. Maybe more losses like the Polaris, or ships so heavily damaged they need 6 months+ in dry dock. Maybe the Cardassians make more progress from those failed events and undo our diplomatic efforts. So much comes down to the luck of the roll, and more ships can improve our odds but make nothing a certainty.
My goal for Excelisors is that we lay down 1/year as a minimum and 2/year when we can (every 3 or 4 years probably). So an output of maybe 5/4years for the next decade or so, but hopefully rising after that as we get more resources/berths.
(claps) Very nice! Show the rest of us that you've got fiction chops as well and aren't jsut going to leave all the character development to the omakes. I like it.
Oh Sulu, you scamp. Even if his mechanical bonus isn't really doing anything for us, his narrative weight has certainly been felt in this quest. Running the Explorer Corps is a great job for him, and I'm sure he "appreciates" (and genuinely appreciates) that we're about to make his job harder with a 5th ship to manage.
Nice character development for Nash.
Oh Sulu, you scamp. Even if his mechanical bonus isn't really doing anything for us, his narrative weight has certainly been felt in this quest. Running the Explorer Corps is a great job for him, and I'm sure he "appreciates" (and genuinely appreciates) that we're about to make his job harder with a 5th ship to manage.
Nice character development for Nash.
10ebbor10
DON'T PANIC
- Location
- Present
I have a feeling that pointing out the fact that her ship was in fact both outnumbered and outclassed, may not have the correct effects.
In any case, this is kind of worrying. Not being able to understand when you are outclassed by the enemy is not a good trait.
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On the stats alone, the Enterprise should been able to win about 1-in-4 times. That she won without taking a scratch to her hull and barely a couple of dings to her shields was rather miraculous, but victory by itself wasn't in the "takes a miracle" odds, just the "unlikely" odds. No Explorer Captain worth her salt doesn't believe she can beat unlikely odds, and Nash knows that victory was very possible if only she had made all the right decisions.... the first time around.
I think you are missing the core of Nash's words here. Her problem is that she knows that despite the odds the Enterprise could win, it did after all. She's blaming herself for not being good enough to figure out the correct answer the first time.
As she said; even a half-trained monkey could figure out the answer given infinite tries. The job of a Captain, especially an Explorer Captain and triply so for the Enterprise's Captain, is to figure out that answer on her first try.
10ebbor10
DON'T PANIC
- Location
- Present
I believe it's supposed to be United Star Ship.
But yeah, the awkward acronym is definitively a bit of americentrism.
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
It really should be UFSS tbh or even just FSS (Federation Starship), but it is what it is due to..
This.
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It could have been UFS, for United Federation Starship, since they're under the United Federation of Planets.
Next question: We see former Enterprise crew like Spock, Sulu, McCoy and Uhura who are still alive and on duty. Meanwhile, what happened to Kirk?
Next question: We see former Enterprise crew like Spock, Sulu, McCoy and Uhura who are still alive and on duty. Meanwhile, what happened to Kirk?
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
He is missing presumed spaced.
Derek58
Rocket Punch is Best Punch
- Location
- Getter Valhalla
He got pulled into this weird thing called the Nexus in the opening events from Star Trek: Generations, and unless things happen very differently, won't be getting out until Picard's captain of the Enterprise-D.
I'm hoping so, because what happened to Kirk in that was a travesty, and I'm not even that huge a fan of him.
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And then he'll die on the bridge.