driftfleet | Who goes there?

[After weeks of relative silence, our intrepid passengers finally travel within visual range of a blue planet. Marsiva's slow-and-steady course makes it clear that this is the Drift Fleet's next destination--but just as your ships come within scanning range and your computers begin to gather data, a fleet of quick little watchdog ships zip out of the planet's atmosphere, heading straight for you!

They do not swoop in for an attack, but hold their positions between you and the planet. They look close enough to cause some trouble, and any working Communications Officer can tell you that they have weapons locked on the Fleet in warning.

The tell-tale sound of an incoming hailing frequency chimes over your ship's alert system. Someone would like you to pick up the phone. Thanks to their augment, all passengers instinctively know that they'll be looking for the Captain or the Communications Officer of the ship--but no one says someone else can't pick it up first.

On the bridge, the hailing frequency can be viewed on screen, along with the attached subject: "Identify yourselves." The notification chime goes off every seven seconds. These ships don't look like they're going anywhere, but they don't want to be kept waiting, either.

What do you do? Will you accept the frequency?]

ooc → see the July Star System post for details about this event! there is no real rush in this post (we won't even be around to begin responding to it until Sunday afternoon), so take your time, feel free to tag each other in this post (maybe try to get your Comms officers off their asses), and there is no time too late to tag into this post. the element of urgency is all IC, and there is no OOC pressure at all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A. Huntress-wide Private Communications]

[It had been a leisurely few weeks of travel, but now, suddenly things were happening. Cory scrambled around to check on everything. First, he issues personal communications to the rest of the ship. He knows he has to warn the others.]

Hey, hey, everyone. We've got company, and it looks like they're locked and loaded. I am going to talk to them, but um, maybe we should be on our guard just in case? [He'll leave the actual decision to others. He's just going to do his Communications thing.]

B. To The Signal! (others can jack in)

[Alright Cory, calm down. It's time to actually do his job and negotiate with aliens. He can do this. "Identify yourselves". Sounds simple enough. So he finally accepts the signal and tries to speak calmly.]

This is Cory Mattews, Communications officer for the SS Huntress. We mean absolutely no harm at all. We're just passing on through. What can we do you for?

[whoever they are, they are not quick to respond. after the delay, however, an audio channel patches in from the nearest watchdog ship, and the voice sounds human enough--a middle-aged male, by the sounds of it.]

SS Huntress, be clear. Explain your intent.

[Someone human! Ish. Maybe that will make it easier to talk things through? He hopes.]

Our intents? Well, they're peaceful ones. We're part of this thing called the Drift Fleet... It's pretty complicated but I think we're just traveling from planet to planet. And our course is pretty much set right now.

[ Captain is going to jump in from here. It might help. Who knows. This is like the first official thing he's ever done as captain, but shush your mouth. ]

This is Captain Halliwell of the SS Huntress. Uh, Officer Matthews is correct. We have no intent; our ship is on a preplanned course that the ones in charge of programming it don't tell us about. We're not exactly here on purpose.

Is that so?

[oh the skepticism is strong in this one.]

How does this explain the Nunnilis ship present in your fleet?

[ Haha, he gets skepticism. That's his life. He can deal with this. ]

The what? The bug—alien ship? Iskaulit? That's kind of a long story, but... to make it short: it was completely infected when we found it. Everyone on it was basically braindead when we got there and... terminal. We cleaned it out once—they were gone, took it with us in case we ran into any other, uh, healthier ones who wanted it.

[ Not exactly true, Chris can't speak for the rest of the Fleet, but he's not super attached to the thing. He'd readily get it disconnected and leave it behind if it gets them out of a firefight. ]

Infected--

[and here is a pause while the signal clips off, while the ship presumably has a conversation on the other line. and when they do return, it isn't for long.]

Please hold, Huntress.

[just give them a minute.]

Mind if you stay on the line?

[ Chris is fine with waiting, but if that's going to prompt them to shoot the Fleet out of the sky, he wants a little advance warning. ]

[and the signal cuts out halfway through his sentence. so much for consideration.

discussing the fate of the fleet shouldn't take long they'll be with you in just a moment.]

[ As soon as that message goes through, Chris is on the bridge. Like, immediately. Ah, the usefulness of shimmering. ]

You already talk to them? What've you said?

[He's spooked just a little by his sudden appearance, but he quickly composes himself. This is serious business!]

Mostly it's been introductions and trying to assure them that we mean no harm. I'm trying to follow all the protocol I know, you know?

[ His brow raises and he looks unimpressed, but his tone implies some sort of joking around. ]

We have a protocol?

[That's...alarming. Shirley heads for the bridge as quick as she can, and she doesn't waste time once she's come in.]

You haven't found out anything about whoever's there, have you?

Who goes there?

SS Huntress

B

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A;

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A