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A Distant Hope (FT, INTRO, OPEN)

PostPosted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 7:52 am
by -The Interstellar Alliance-
Lieutenant Keylara ‘Knight Twelve’ Ky-Nomi
Undesignated Star System


Knight Squadron was an elite starfighter unit within the Alliance Military for two reasons. The first was that its pilots were made up of the best and brightest pilots available, chosen by the Squadron Leader. The second was the identity of the Squadron Leader; Commander Kelveste Ravni; who had once upon a time been a Jedi Knight of the Old Republic. As a result, Commander Ravni was not only an extremely capable pilot but also a formidable warrior and a leader that any member of Knight Squadron would follow to hell and back. The Squadron had been designated as a special tasks unit, and was kept secret from the majority of the Rebel Alliance; including the young force-sensitive boy, with the name of a famous Jedi, who had destroyed the Death Star. Commander Ravni had argued strongly in favour of being allowed to reveal himself to the young Skywalker, however he had been overruled by Alliance High Command, arguing that survivors of the Great Jedi Purge were few and far between, and knowledge of them had to be kept strictly secret. As a result, Commander Ravni and Knight Squadron had played a vital, if largely hidden, and if its membership was a closely guarded secret, its reputation preceded it.

It was perhaps hardly surprising, therefore, that when a Rebel scout had located a hyperspace wormhole, appearing to lead to a distant and previously uncharted galaxy, Alliance High Command had chosen Knight Squadron to be the first major Rebel unit to explore the far side.

Amongst the twelve T-65B X-Wing starfighters, the backbone of the Alliance Starfighter Corps, was Lieutenant Keylara Ky-Nomi, a Twi’Lek of only sixteen years. She had been taught to fly by her brother, who had fought against the Separatists on their homeworld of Ryloth during the Clone Wars, from a young age and she had lived a blessed life, at least until the Empire came to Ryloth, and she along with millions had fled the planet. Her family had been particularly unfortunate, as their fleeing transport had been set upon by pirates and she had been captured; her brother and every other of her family, killed. She would have been sold as a sex slave, despite her then-tender age of only ten years, however she remembered what her brother had taught her and was able to escape; stealing a Z-95 Headhunter she had escaped the pirates and was picked up a few days later, exhausted and dehydrated, by a Rebel warship.

The Alliance, unwilling to employ children in combat, had refused to allow her to fight, instead embarking her upon a period of intense schooling to regain some of her education, before at age fourteen, allowing her to take on non-combat roles and to embark upon advanced flight training, with a promise that she could fight once she turned sixteen. Sure enough, he superiors had kept their word and they had commissioned her into the Starfighter Corps, where she soon gained the attention of Commander Ravni who surprised everyone by offering the young, undoubtedly skilled but inexperienced, Twi’Lek a place in the Squadron. This was her first ‘combat’ mission with Knight Squadron, although not the first time she had seen combat, and in any case there was no intelligence to indicate that the Empire had any knowledge of this place and as such they weren’t expecting to encounter enemy forces. What they were expecting to encounter, and part of the reason why Alliance High Command had sent a Jedi, was the unknown, and that as exciting as it was terrifying, and although Keylara couldn’t speak for the others, adrenaline was flooding her system as the squadron emerged on the other side.

“Scopes clear,” Knight Two, the squadron’s second in command, reported crisply after a few moments. “No hostiles.”

Keylara let out the breath she had been holding and tried to force herself to relax. They had treated this as a combat jump, and every other combat jump she had been involved in had resulted in Imperial forces upon them in very short order; everything from a squadron of TIEs to an Imperial Star Destroyer. By contrast, this felt almost like a routine jump, even if her eyes were still twitching all around her looking for any trouble. Forcing herself to breath deeply she looked down at the sensor display, powered by the very capable sensor suite in her X-Wing’s nose cone, and took in the system that they had found themselves in. Looked like a main sequence star with a dozen or so planets, rock and gas giants, spread across the system; no indication of habitation as far as she could see. Leaning forwards she punched a query into her system and the computer dutifully confirmed that the fourth planet appeared to be habitable.

“Looks like we’ve got a habitable planet,” Commander Ravni, Knight Leader, commented over the net even as Keylara was thinking the same thing. “Alright Knights, maintain formation and follow father; let’s go take a look.”

Keylara nodded to herself and followed the others as the squadron surged forward towards the planet. It didn’t take them long, for the hyperspace wormhole was in between the fourth and fifth planets of the system, and they were soon slipping into orbit of the lush garden world. Keylara ran a few quick scans and confirmed that the atmosphere was breathable and the climate was temperate.

“What you say boss, fancy a trip to the surface?” Knight Two queried, asking the question everyone in the Squadron wanted to ask.

There were a few moments of silence as the Commander clearly considered the request.

“Sure, why not,” Commander Ravni replied, resulting in cheers across the squadron. “Not so fast, Knights Seven and Eight, you’ve got the short straw; four-hour combat air patrol.”

Groans answered, but the two X-Wings separated from the rest of the squadron and assumed a patrol orbit above the planet even as the rest of the Knights began to make their way towards the planet.

Knight Squadron touched down on a patch of grass above a coastline, golden sand below them looked inviting to say the least. Keylara completed the shut-down procedure and popped the canopy of her X-Wing and smiled with pleasure as she felt real honest sunlight on her face for the first time in a long time. Climbing out of the cockpit she took off her helmet, and was grateful for the nearby presence of water as she felt the sweat from the inside of her helmet. She kicked off her boots and peeled off her flight suit, leaving her in the vest and shorts that went underneath and set off at a run towards the waters edge; glancing to her left and right she could see that she was not the only member of the squadron that was running towards the sea; after all they had all been stuck in space for force only knows how long. It was the best feeling imaginable as she hit the surf and felt the shock of the cooler water on her hot skin.

Keylara swam for a few minutes before rolling over onto her back and floating, looking up at the sky, enjoying the feel of the water on her skin and the sun on her face; for all she was used to life in space she never forgot what being planetside was like and was determined to enjoy it for as long as possible. Truth be told, she was hoping that the Alliance would, at least, be able to set up a permanent planetary base out here, if they were actually outside the reach of the Empire; more importantly, if they could bring the countless displaced refugees of the Empire’s brutality out here and give them a chance at a new life. As far as Alliance Intelligence could determine, the Empire had not discovered this hyperspace wormhole themselves, and there was already a fairly sizeable cell within AI at work to ensure that they never did, for this was what they never could have had back in their own galaxy; a true safe haven.

After a time, Keylara swam towards the shore and fought her way through the shallows to the beach, deep in her own thoughts about everything they were doing out here, and about the cause.

“Credit for your thoughts, Lieutenant,” Commander Ravni queried, almost appearing out of nowhere given how distracted she had been. “You look troubled.’

“Just thinking of the war back home,” Keylara sighed heavily. “It almost feels almost hopeless sometimes.”

“I know the feeling, it can sometimes feel like we can’t have a hope against the sheer size of the Emperor’s military, and yet we have proven time and again that we are capable of fighting, and defeating, them when the need arises,” Ravni replied. “We must trust in the Force, Lieutenant; the Force showed us this place, far beyond the reach of even the Emperor, where we can build a safe haven, evacuate the countless refugees of the Empire’s brutality, so that, even if the worst should happen back home, we have somewhere where hope will survive.”

“I know, Sir, but it just seems like a drop in the ocean,” Keylara sighed. “We could save billions and still leave countless more under tyranny.”

“Enough drops make a flood, Lieutenant,” Ravni smiled sadly. “And a flood washes away everything in its path.”

Keylara nodded thoughtfully, considering the Jedi’s words.

“You should get some sleep, the first transports are going to start coming through in six hours, I want you flying CAP,’ Ravni told her. “There’s going to be a lot of ships, Alliance and independent associate vessels, you’ll need to be on your toes.”

Sure enough, some six hours later, Keylara was sat back in the cockpit of her X-Wing overseeing the arrival of the first batch of transports. Although only Keylara, and her Wingman, Lieutenant Corran Hextar (Knight Eleven), were actually in space the rest of the squadron were on alert down on the surface, either in their cockpits or very close to them. With every group of transports there was a risk, no matter how many precautions were taken, that the Empire had followed them and would set upon the gathering. So far, so good.

Once the transports arrived they were immediately vectored towards the planet; the logic being that they were safer on the surface than they would be in space if something happened. Once on the surface what they would do next would depend on the type of vessel; Alliance ships would start the process of setting up military bases and key civilian infrastructure, whilst independent vessels associated with the Alliance would set up their own communities or indeed isolated homesteads. The entire purpose of this initiative was to give the displaced and desperate a new place to call home, and the Alliance a safe haven from the Empire. It was something of an ad hoc affair, as there had been judged to be no time to perform detailed scans, surveys or analysis; the recent destruction of Echo Base on Hoth had spooked Alliance High Command to say the least. At least the Alliance ships were following something that resembled a proper plan, and even the independent transports were making sure to lodge their positions and claims with an Alliance traffic control team that had been one of the first military units on the surface, after Knight Squadron of course.

It was in the midst of all of this (barely) organized chaos that the sensors of Keylara’s X-Wing picked up an unknown contact on long range scanners; a ship certainly, it was too big to be a fighter but at this range she couldn’t get more than that. Whatever it was, it had not come from the hyperspace wormhole meaning that it was from this Galaxy. Keylara swallowed heavily as she quickly commed down to Commander Ravni who quickly got his people into action and a few minutes after the ship first appeared the rest of the Squadron was assembling on Keylara’s wing. Once they were in formation, and the transports backing away as a courier was sent back through the wormhole to encourage any Alliance warships to expediate their transit, Knight Squadron began to move away form the planet towards the unknown contact.

As they approached, Commander Ravni broadcast a message.

“Attention Unknown Vessel, this is Commander Kelveste Ravni of the Alliance; this system has been claimed by my Government. State your identify, and your intentions, immediately.”


OOC NOTE: All are welcome, although I ask that if someone has already posted to claim the ship entering the system in my post that you TG me first to discuss further. I also ask that any replies be of a decent length, as I do not want short single paragraph answers. Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

PostPosted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:15 pm
by The Wholly United Earth
redacted

PostPosted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 6:17 pm
by Trecdom2
When Nog rose to the rank of Captain, he was offered command of any new ship rolling off the proverbial assembly line at Utopia Planitia. For a long time, he was split between a Sovereign-class and an Intrepid Class ship. While Voyager had proven the smaller Intrepid-class could hold her own, he preferred the larger Sovereign class. It had much the same scientific functions of the Intrepid with greater tactical and diplomatic capabilities. With that decision being made, he was soon given command of a brand new Sovereign-class ship, the USS Chin'toka. After a successful shakedown cruise, the Chin’toka was assigned a region of space on the edge of Federation space near both Klingon and Romulan territory. When the need arose they were assigned to Vanguard Station, but often spent months out on their own.

Nog had just retired to his quarters when the voice of his first officer reached him over the comms.
=/\=Sorry to bother you sir, but we have a priority message from Vanguard.=/\=

=/\= I’ll take it in my quarters. Thank you, Commander. =/\=

Inputting his access code the Ferengi was greeted with the face of the station’s CO, Captain Harry Kim.

“Mr. Nog, how are things in the Kwajalein sector?”

“Things are going well sir. Stellar cartography is liking this tour, but I doubt that’s why you called.”

“Correct, a civilian freighter passing by the Ibriea sector picked up potential activity. You are to rendezvous with the Phalanx and investigate further. This is to take top priority, understand.”

Located in an area of space claimed by both the Klingons and Romulans, the Ibriea sector was heavily contested and thus uninhabited. However, as both Empires rebuilt from the Dominion War it had been seemingly abandoned by both sides. While the internal workings of either side was none of Starfleet’s business, a renewed conflict had the potential to affect the entire region.

“Understood sir. We’ll be underway ASAP. Chin’toka out.”

(8 hours later)

The two ships dropped out of warp just outside the last planet in the star system. While a Sovereign and Akira class were both formidable ships, neither captain had the desire to drop into the middle of a potential firefight. Sensor scans revealed a flurry of activity around the 4th planet, although the details were sketchy. There was no sign of weapons fire or ion trails matching that of either the Romulans or Klingons. Proceeding at 1/2 impulse, the two ships continued forward.

Aboard the Phalanx, Lieutenant Ch’ezhakrohr studied his tactical display. There were ships out there, that much was certain, but they didn’t match anything in the Federation database. About that time, a flurry of small contacts lit up his screen.
“Ma’am, I’m reading several small craft heading our way. The configuration is still unknown, but judging from their size and formation I’m guessing they’re fighters of some sort.”

As soon as he finished his report, Ensign Akioka spoke up from Ops.
“We’re being hailed, audio-only.”

“Attention Unknown Vessel, this is Commander Kelveste Ravni of the Alliance; this system has been claimed by my Government. State your identify, and your intentions, immediately.”


While Nog was the senior Captain by 2 months, Captain Trisim had some leeway with her response. The Denobulan wasted little time.
“We’ll let the Chin’toka respond to the hail. In the meantime, tell our fighters to standby. I don’t want to be caught flat-footed should this be an attack.”

The Alliance was a broad enough term that could refer to any number of political groups so their hail did little to inform Nog of their origin.
“Mr. Hollens, bring us to a full stop. Mr. Zeamik, take us to yellow alert. Miss Boggess open a channel to the other party, audio-only.”

“Aye, sir” came three simultaneous replies. Nog knew that the Phalanx would see their change in speed and respond in kind. With a nod from his Ops officer, Nog knew the comm channel was open.

=/\=Alliance vessel, this is Captain Nog Kribar of the Chin’Toka. Our two ships represent Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. We are on a peaceful mission of exploration when we noticed activity in this sector. As it has been uninhabited for over a century, we decided to investigate.=/\=

PostPosted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 2:51 pm
by -The Interstellar Alliance-
Lieutenant Keylara ‘Knight Twelve’ Ky-Nomi
Undesignated Star System


“Given the size differential you have to assume that the larger ship is a capital ship, which would make the smaller one a cruiser of some sort, but even the capital ship is less than half the size of an Imperial Star Destroyer,” Knight Two commented over the squadron net as they cruised towards unknown ships. “Significantly less bulky as well, looking at the sensor returns both those ships look positively sleek and compact, although those outrigger structures look like tempting target, I wonder what they’re for, presumably something important.”

Keylara smiled wryly to herself; Knight Two was well-renowned across the Squadron for being something of a ‘Ship Nerd’, he loved learning everything he possibly could about every ship he ever came across, warship or civilian. Doubtless, if these people turned out to be friendly he would pour over the ships as much as possible, or indeed if they were hostile, and a dozen X-Wings managed to take out two warships, pick through the wreckage. Before joining the Squadron, Knight Two had been part of the Alliance Special Operations cell that had assessed the new Imperial-II Class Star Destroyers as having thousands of potential design flaws, from the significant to the miniscule, and Keylara could just see him pouring over stolen technical specifications. By contrast Keylara had only seen a handful of ships, and the majority of those had been fighter craft, although she knew her X-Wing like the back of her hand. Never the less, even an amateur ship-spotter like her knew that those ships registered like nothing they had ever seen before, and couldn’t help but feel excited about seeing these ships up close.

However, as they raced towards the unknown Keylara could not help but feel more than a little nervous. Against the Empire, they at least knew what they were up against and their capabilities; they could reliably engage and defeat TIE Fighters one-on-one, and could move fast enough to avoid the defensive turbolasers of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Against these unknown ships they had no idea about their weapons, their defences or any fighters that they might carry, and as such any attack against them would be fraught with difficulty, to say the least. Moreover, conventional wisdom dictated that a dozen fighters, even as powerful and versatile as the X-Wing, could not take on an enemy warship on their own, much less against two of them, meaning that any engagement would be a holding action at best. The arrival of a Rebel Warship was essential, but not anticipated for several hours at least.

“They’ve come to a stop either way,” Red Six added. “Guess that’s a good sign.”

“Cut the chatter,” Commander Ravni ordered crisply. “They’re responding.”

Keylara found herself frowning as she listened to the response from the unknown ships. It was comparatively unusual to find ships on exploration missions back in the home galaxy; after thousands of years there was vey little that needed to be explored and what was explored was done by drones, which was particularly important as the most profitable form of exploration (for new hyper routes) was extremely dangerous. Under the Empire, what commercial exploration there was had been strictly curtailed and the Imperial Starfleet had no desire to do so either.

Keylara didn’t have any time to think any further, as Commander Ravni was responding.

“Captain Kribar, this is Commander Ravni. Your presence here is unexpected, but not unwelcome if your intentions are as peaceful as you claim. Unfortunately, our claim of the system is very new and we do not have any facilities to meet face-to-face. Never the less, I’m sure my Government would appreciate any information you have about this region.”

PostPosted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:52 pm
by Trecdom2
(Phalanx)

“Aye ma’am.” Lieutenant Neilas opened a channel to the flight deck.

=/\=Bridge to flight deck. We have a dozen small craft heading our way. The Captain wants the fighters on standby incase things escalate.=/\=

=/\=Acknowledged, we’ll be ready and waiting. Flight deck out. =/\=

A boatswain's whistle was soon heard over the ship’s intercom, followed by an announcement.
“All pilots report to the briefing room. Repeat, all pilots report to the briefing room.”

Across the decks, personnel headed the call. The twelve pilots already on duty headed straight for the briefing room, while the other 36 made a brief detour to the locker rooms. There they would swap their current outfit for the predominantly black and gray flight suit. (https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mem ... -prefix=en)
Had this been a dire situation the pilots already on duty would have already launched. As the current situation gave them the luxury of time, a combat launch was not needed.

(Chin’toka)

Having switched to a tactical display on the view screen, Nog was pleased to see the Phalanx take up position above them and off to the left. She then rotated 90 degrees to allow the fighters to launch straight towards the oncoming craft.

Nog than turned towards his First Officer.
“What are your thoughts Commander?”

Had the Bajoran/El Aurian remained in Starfleet, she might have risen to the head of Starfleet. Instead she resigned her position to join the Bajoran Resistance. It wasn’t until the Dominion War that she rejoined.

“They haven’t shown any open hostile intentions, although they could just be delaying while waiting for backup. Considering their unfamiliarity, it’s likely they came through the wormhole. Although where it leads is anyone’s guess. As for their claim on this sector, legally they have that right. I say we keep talking and see where it leads.”

A quick poll of the bridge crew showed no objections. With that settled, Nog pulled up the relevant information before responding.

“Historically this system has had competing claims from the Klingon and Romulan Empires, and therefore has not been settled. However, for the last 15 years their focus has turned inwards and thus this area of space has been ignored. There are eleven planets, with the first two being too close to the sun for colonization. The fourth planet is capable of supporting life, with the third and fifth theoretically being suitable for colonization with extensive terraforming.”

The whole thing was theoretical as Starfleet had only relied on the occasional long range scan of the entire system. Like so many others, Starfleet’s priority after the war was rebuilding.


“If you wish for a face to face meeting that can be arraigned. We can bring you aboard, or can meet you on the planet’s surface.”

From a security standpoint he preferred a shipboard meeting, but a planetside meeting would give them more info on the newcomers' tech level.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:24 pm
by -The Interstellar Alliance-
Lieutenant Keylara ‘Knight Twelve’ Ky-Nomi
Undesignated Star System


“Understood, Chin’Toka; our colonial presence in this system is extremely new, so we do not have any facilities to greet you planet side, so I will accept your gracious offer to come aboard,” Commander Ravni replied after a moment. “I’ll come aboard with three of my pilots, the remaining eight X-Wings will escort you closer to the planet, I ask that you stay clear of the civilian ships and follow traffic control.”

Keylara held her breath as Commander Ravni turned over to the squadron net and picked the three pilots that would accompany him aboard the Chin’Toka, and was thrilled a moment later when he choose her as one of the three. After a short period of organisation four X-Wings detached from the main group, that was itself moving into position to escort the two Starships, and began their approach towards the designated hanger bay. For members of the rebellion, who operated from ships far more often than they could ever hope to do so from a planetary base, landing on even an never before encountered ship was almost second nature, and the X-Wings were piloted with the casual ease of expert pilots with thousands of flight hours, even Keylara was a seasoned pilot, even if she had not yet seen combat.

What the X-Wings were not, it had to be said, were spit-and-polished; all four of the fighters that were landing on the Federation Starship had clearly not just come off the production line and were bruised and battered, with more than a few having obvious combat marks and weapons scoring. All of the ships were clearly operational and in combat shape, but Alliance flight engineers had precious little time to concentrate on cosmetics, indeed various victory markings and ‘kill counts’ were the only concession to cosmetic appearance. Moreover, the X-Wings were clearly craft designed for war; fast, well shielded and equipped with four powerful KX9 laser cannons, which could make short work of enemy fighters. In co-ordination, particularly from numerous fighters, the KX9s could punch holes through the shields of warships long enough to follow up with proton torpedoes, which the X-Wing could also carry, giving the craft some anti-ship capability. In short, the X-Wing was the backbone of the Rebel Alliance and was heavily used as a result, indeed getting an X-Wing production facility up and running out here was a top priority.

The four pilots that climbed down from their X-Wings were equally lacking in spit-and-polish. All four wore the distinctive, principally orange-coloured, flight suit of the Alliance Starfighter Corps, but were all clearly well-worn and scuffed. Keylara, Corran and Knight Five were armed with DH-17 blaster pistols, the standard issue sidearms of the Alliance Military, whilst Commander Ravni was visibly equipped with only a metallic cylinder, although the three Rebels with him knew that this was, of course, his lightsaber.

The group moved towards whatever welcome committee had been sent for them, Commander Ravni in front wit the three pilots in a line abreast behind him, their eyes looking around with interest and excitement. Of the four of them, Keylara was the only non-human amongst them, although by no means the only one in the Squadron.

“I am Commander Kelveste Ravni of the Alliance Starfighter Corps,” Commander Ravni said by means of introduction.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:16 pm
by Trecdom2
After brief consideration, Nog settled on using the secondary shuttle bay on the rear of the engineering hull. It was smaller, but also only half full and therefore had plenty of room for the X-wings.

=/\= Confirmed Commander. We’ll send two shuttles out to escort you to the shuttlebay. I will meet you upon landing. =/\=

“Commander Lado, let’s go meet our guests. Commander Zeamik you have the bridge. Tell the main shuttlebay to send out two type 11 shuttles as an escort. Maintain alert status and standby to follow the other fighters to the planet. Lt Boggess, send a coded subspace message back to Vanguard informing them of our plan.”

Orders handed out, the Ferengi joined his XO in the turbolift.

(Shuttlebay)

Once the control panel showed green, indicating a positive atmosphere, the Starfleet personnel entered the room. Judging from her position in front of the other pilots, Nog presumed the lead pilot was the leader. They were all dressed in orange flight suits with what appeared to be a breathing unit on top of a vest. Three of them carried what appeared to be sidearms while the leader carried some sort of metal cylinder instead. As Nog and the Commander were armed, as were the security escorts waiting in the hallway, no mention was made of the weapons.

“Greetings. I am Captain Nog Kribar, welcome to the Chin’Toka. This is my first officer Commander Erkosh Lado and the ship’s chief diplomatic officer Lt Commander Azaloh Zh’ralis.”

Both women gave a slight wave when introduced. While outside the chain of command, the Andorian still wore the gold-trimmed uniform of Command Staff. Looking slightly out of place was a Betazoid male wearing a civilian suit.
“We also have Edegun Ubraa as an Ambassador from the United Federation of Planets.”

While they performed similar roles, some governments responded better to a civilian so it wasn’t uncommon to have both positions on the larger ships and starbases.

“If you’ll follow me to the Conference Room, we can get started.”

(Deck 20)

The four honor guards, wearing white uniforms with silver highlights, snapped to attention as the group approached. The Klingon in the group addressed Nog.
“The Conference Room is ready Sir.”

For more formal events, it could take a while to set up the room, but not for this particular reason.
“Thank you Petty Officer.”

Dismissing the security escorts, Nog punched in the code to open the doors to the Conference Room. They slid open to reveal several windows running along the outside wall. An extensive stage covered one of the shorter walls. A podium sat in the middle with two large screens mounted on the wall. On the opposite wall was a copy of the ship’s dedication plaque as well as the Starfleet and Federation flags.

Azaloh motioned towards the large oval table in the center.
“Let’s take a seat and go from there.”



OOC: I'm using the Discovery uniforms but changing the rank pips to the right collar bone as in Enterprise

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/St ... 230s-2250s)

PostPosted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:25 am
by -The Interstellar Alliance-
Lieutenant Keylara ‘Knight Twelve’ Ky-Nomi
USS Chin'Toka, Undesignated Star System


Keylara and her two fellow pilots had followed Commander Ravni after the Federation officers with more than a degree of trepidation; albeit with good reason. After years of fighting for their freedom against an almost omnipotent and invasive Empire, it was very disconcerting to be descending so deeply into the ship of another Government. As a general rule, Rebels had a very firm view on the size and role of government, which was ironic given that the Rebel Alliance’s current Chief of State ruled as, effectively, an elected Dictator, but such a set-up was required to ensure a clear, unquestioned chain of command during wartime. The Correllian Treaty, which had founded the Alliance, the position of Chief of State would be abolished as soon as the Emperor was deposed, killed or otherwise resigned his position of power, at which point a constitutional convention would be assembled to form a New Republic. It was generally accepted, however, that the majority of Rebels would advocate for a very hands-off form of government, one where the majority of the power was held be elected representatives, with as little power collected together into the hands of one being as possible.

Never the less, Commander Ravni clearly trusted these people, and all of Knight Squadron, who of course knew that Ravni was a Jedi, had long learned to trust his judgement. So they followed their Commander’s lead and took their seats at the table without comment.

Commander Ravni leant forward and spoke first.

“Before we begin, I really ought to get all of our cards on the table, to borrow a pazaak phrase, as I sense that I can trust you,” Commander Ravni commented. “I identified ourselves as the Alliance… you should know that the full name is the Alliance to Restore the Republic.”

Ravni paused slightly, just for a moment to allow him to observe these people for any reaction to his words, as he would after his next sentence, before continuing.

“We are a Rebellion, fighting against a tyrannical Empire in our home galaxy that has consistently deprived the people of their voice, their rights, and their very lives in many cases, and that is without discussing the countless atrocities they have committed,” Ravi continued, a shadow crossing his face as he recalled the Great Jedi Purge. “As such, I cannot guarantee that the Empire will not follow us here, and that if they do so they will attack us without hesitation, and will likely attack anyone else ‘consorting with Rebels’, so I cannot guarantee the safety of your ships in such a situation, but I believe you deserved to know.”

PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:10 pm
by Trecdom2
The four of them listened to the explanation given by the newcomers. More than just a group that got lost while exploring or searching for riches, they were resistance fighters opposing what they saw as a tyrannical government. Judging from the condition of their fighter-craft, this was a long-lasting conflict. Nog looked at Erkosh and Anirris for recognition of the name but got none. Grabbing a Data Padd he instructed the ship’s computer to run a full search of the name in the off chance there was something in the database. Just because no one on the ship had heard of the Alliance to Restore the Republic didn’t automatically negate previous encounters between them and the Federation. While Nog was doing that, Anirris spoke up.

“On behalf of the United Federation of Planets, I welcome you to the Milky Way Galaxy. The Federation consists of 157 member worlds, spread across 9,000 light-years. Each world sends a representative to serve on the Federation Council which is lead by a President who is democratically elected for a four-year term. As long as they meet certain criteria set forth in the Federation Charter and Constitution, member worlds are given a fair amount of autonomy.”


It was the standard opening speech when meeting with new cultures unfamiliar with how the Federation was structured. Anymore it mainly meant planets that had just recently achieved FTL technology and were new to the concept. Most other entities were at least familiar with the concept of the Federation, even if they chose not to join. While he hadn’t scanned their guests telepathically, he hadn’t picked up any dishonesty in their stories.

Erkosh was the next to speak up.
“You have my sympathies Commander Ravni. My own people were oppressed and fought for their freedom. Hopefully, your people soon gain their own independence. As for any other ships that come through the wormhole, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Hopefully being a third party will allow us to act as an intermediary. If not, we are more than capable of defending ourselves. Starfleet’s primary mission is that of peaceful exploration, but exploration has always come with a fair amount of danger. When the need arises, Starfleet also acts as a military arm of the Federation. The Chin’Toka and Phalanx represent two of the most powerful designs currently in use by the Federation. That being said, we do appreciate the warning and will keep an eye out for any other ships entering the area.”


She remembered being awed by the Constitution and Excelsior class of ships, which were now obsolete designs.

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:20 am
by -The Interstellar Alliance-
Lieutenant Keylara ‘Knight Twelve’ Ky-Nomi
USS Chin’Toka, Undesignated Star System


Commander Ravni nodded, sensing the feeling of relief from his three pilots as their hosts explained the nature of their Government; a democratic system not dissimilar to the Galactic Republic, as it had once been. It was possible that they were lying, of course, but Ravni felt no deception from them. As a Jedi, he respected their belief in it being possible for them to act as mediators, although as an Alliance Officer he rather doubted that the Empire would be in any particular mood to negotiate or even talk. It would be far more likely that an Imperial Squadron would simply open-fire on the Alliance ships, and any others ‘consorting’ with them, and leave it at that, but he was also reassured by their confidence in their own defensive capabilities. If there was one thing that the Rebel Alliance had shown over the last few years it was that, powerful as it was, the Imperial Military was not unbeatable, and that even the mighty Death Star had fallen to a mere X-Wing. Never the less, he hoped that the Empire did not find them here, as that would destroy the entire purpose of the Alliance settling out here.

“Once one of our warships arrives, I’ll request that the technical schematics of all known Imperial Warships be transferred to you, just in case they make an appearance here during your stay,” Ravni said simply. “The Alliance will be stationing a decent sized naval and ground force here to defend the system in any event, but you deserved to know our situation before you got caught in the crossfire of our war.”

Ravni paused.

“The purpose of our expedition out here is to establish a safe haven in case the Empire is successful in destroying the Rebellion; our spies indicate they are building a superweapon, a second Death Star, a massive space station with the capability to destroy entire planets,” Ravni explained. “The Alliance High Command is assembling a fleet to attack the Death Star, still under construction, in the hope that we can destroy it before it can be used to destroy the Rebellion, but we’re here to make sure that the Alliance has somewhere to fall back to.”

PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:42 pm
by Trecdom2
(Conference Room: USS Chin'Toka)

As Nog listened as those from the Rebellion conversed with his crew, he also scanned Starfleet guidelines on the Prime Directive. While they didn't appear to have Warp Drive, they did have another form of FTL travel. Therefore, that aspect of the Directive did not apply. However, there was the argument about not interfering in the internal affairs of other cultures/governments. That was what kept Starfleet out of the Klingon Civil War and more or less prevented involvement during the occupation of Bajor.
While the members of the rebellion had initiated First Contact, it was more stating their presence than directly asking for help. That would limit the level of official involvement.

"I doubt my superiors will authorize military assistance. However, we might be able to help you get situated in this sector. Commander Zh’ralis, what's your take on the diplomatic front?"

The Andorian took a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking up.
"Assuming the Romulans continue in their isolationist ways, it's unlikely they'll cause trouble. As for the Klingons, I'm sure they'll at least take notice. I will reach out to the Embassy when we're finished here, inform them of the situation. The Cardassians and Breen won't be a concern, both due to politics and location. The Orions and Nauscians won't cause trouble officially, but there may be an occasional raider. The Tholians and Gorn are the biggest wildcards. Diplomatic relations with both governments have historically been sketchy at best. The Klingon Empire or the Nyberite Alliance may even propose a formal treaty. That will be something for your leaders to decide on for themselves."

PostPosted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 4:14 am
by -The Interstellar Alliance-
Lieutenant Keylara ‘Knight Twelve’ Ky-Nomi
USS Chin’Toka, Undesignated Star System


“I’m sure our leadership would appreciate it if you were able to provide us with as detailed information as possible around those states you just mentioned, the more information we have available the better prepared we will be for interacting with any of them,” Commander Ravni commented. “That being said, rest assured that the Alliance will position sufficient ships and troops here to protect this system, and that we will defend ourselves against any aggression; we are not about to trade the Empire for a new foe out here, make that clear if you are going to inform anyone of our presence.”

Keylara was moderately surprised to hear such steel in the voice of a Jedi; to hear the stories from those Rebels old enough to remember the Old Republic, and the Jedi at their height, you would almost imagine that they were peaceful to a fault; at least until the Clone Wars descended upon the Galaxy. But then, Ravni had been through a lot, all things considered, and sometimes firmness was more important than subtly, and doubtless the Jedi wanted to ensure that the Alliance’s willingness to defend itself from attack.

“Never the less, any assistance you can offer in getting ourselves setup here would be appreciated; we’ve got a lot of people and equipment coming from that wormhole over the next few days, so we’re going to be rather busy, all things considered.” Ravni added. "I'm sure you'll want to speak to the Admiral, when he arrives, or perhaps you would prefer to wait and speak to the Governor, once she gets out here, or indeed I'm sure both will be happy, and eager, to speak with you."

PostPosted: Wed Dec 18, 2019 6:28 pm
by Trecdom2
They were understandably a determined group. Nog briefly considered their request before responding.
“You’re welcome to secure your borders how you see fit. While warning buoys and patrol ships are popular, there’s no uniform standard. We’re informing the Klingons as they’re your closest neighbor, other than the Federation, with any real power. Once your leaders arrive, we can try to arrange a formal meeting with the Klingons.”

He motioned to a Vulcan male who was part of the Honor Guard.
“Mr Tolvak, download a copy of the standard cultural database for our guests. Thanks.”

Tolvak nodded before leaving.
“Aye sir.”

It was the standard welcome package for first contact. Among its contents was star-maps for the Alpha and Beta quadrants, known starship designs, basic biological/cultural information on Federation members and other major players, as well as directions on how to contact Starfleet should the need arise.

Nog briefly switched topics as thought came to him. Punching in some commands on the computer console, he displayed a holographic image of a Borg cube.
“If one of these appear in your territory, throw everything you have at it. The cubes are the main ship design of a group known as the Borg. Starfleet lost 39 ships in an unsuccessful attempt to stop them. Our second encounter was more successful, but was what the humans call a Pyrrhic victory.”

He switched to a drone.
“The Borg utilize a collective hive mind, allowing them to quickly adapt to changing situations. They will either force you to join their collective, or kill you. The odds of encountering them are low, but I felt you should be forewarned.”

The holograms disappeared.
“Back to the topic at hand. We’d be willing to meet with your leaders as they see fit.”

He was interrupted by the chirp of the combadge.
=/\= Bridge to Captain Nog. =/\=

=/\= Go ahead Lieutenant. =/\=

=/\= Sir we’ve received permission from Command to proceed with non military aid. =/\=

=/\= Understood. Thank you Lieutenant. =/\=

The conversation over, Nog returned to the conversation.
“Well Commander. Looks like we’ll be here for a while. Any immediate needs we can help you with?”