Arrival

Posted on Wed Oct 30th, 2024 @ 6:17pm by Captain Abigail Laurens & Commander Ichiko Gail

Mission: Let The Games Begin
Location: Space

== Captain's Cabin - ICS Frontier's Gambit ==

A Son of Ts'usu sat behind a simple desk, port windows closed and sealed. Blue Alert did that. Looking out into the depths of the Dark had... unintended effects this deep. A chime sounded, which broke his mood. "Enter." he called, and his second stepped in.

"Sir. Twenty minutes out, as requested." he reported, and the captain of the ship gave a nod and rose. "Excellent. I'm on my way." a pause, "Was there more?"

Waiting for the door to close behind him, the ship's second spoke up, "A personal matter, sir." and the Captain gave a nod, "We've been deployed for two years. Speak your mind." and with that, the other Ts'usugi gave a nod, "I'm... worried about this. Not the mission, not the Federation, just.... this. Kinetic is ours, sir. It's our culture. It's our entertainment, it's what my children watch. Sharing it with these outsiders could just be the first step. What if they want more? What if they want everything? What if we lose who we are to become them?"

The Captain gave a nod, and reached to his desk to pick up a datapad, and handed it over for inspection. "I received a notice thirty hours ago. Dietary requests. Restrictions." a smirk, "So rather than telling us the menu, they're asking us."

"Keep reading. Half of those words I had to look up. There's food and cuisine from two dozen races I've never heard of. A society that embraces the cuisine of others isn't looking for their next meal. It's looking for variety." and the ship's Second considered, "Still, I'm worried. There's so much to this... Federation. Is there room for us?"

The shipmaster considered this concern. It troubled him too. To be fair, it troubled any Ts'usugi with a heart for their home. "Consider a reservoir. All the water to drink, but there are times it runs low. It must be tended to, it must be refilled. New water must be added, in addition to all the water that comes back."

"We are the new water. We are needed for society to thrive. And in turn, we'll perhaps find something in there that we need as well." and with that, the second in command's fears were abated, at least for now.

"We're needed on the bridge, Shipmaster." and it was back to business. The doors opened, and with the first step out on to the deck, the ship's second called out, "Shipmaster on deck." though, the crew was busy working to stand and come to attention. Their ears did all perk in unison, though. Attentive for the next command. "Continue." was the order.

The mood on the bridge was tense as the sleek alien craft eased its way out of Dark Space. The lighting on the bridge was a soft blue, perhaps their version of a yellow alert, or just a hue to indicate their transition through warp space. Eerie quiet ran through the hull as standard reports were being updated to the second in command, who in turn kept the captain aware. Different terms, same tasks. With hardly a shift, the blue lights around the bridge dimmed and transitioned back to normal lighting, as the view on the screen shifted from blank and empty void to the pinpoints of stars.

"Sir, transition from Dark Space to Normal Space successful. We are at normal depth. Speed and heading as we were." a helmsman reported, and the second in command turned to the master of the ship, "Sir, we're in normal space. Speed and heading as orderer." The moment was quickly approaching. ETA fifteen minutes to the rendezvous. A week's worth of prep time, and now it was down to the final fifteen minutes. Thirteen minutes. Closer. "Comms, open a channel to the Astraea."

"Comms, hail the Astraea." The ship's second echoed, and a Ts'usugi on a console replied. "Hai, hailing the Astraea."

On the Astraea, the moment was quickly approaching. Comms on the Astraea chirped, and then the call went out fo the Captain. "Captain, we're receiving a call from the ICS Frontier's Gambit. Shall I patch it through to you?"

"Patch it through to my ready room," Abigail replied, trying to keep any hint of emotion from her voice. She cast a glance toward Ichiko who nodded reassuringly before she drew in a deep breath, murmured 'it begins' and activated her console.

The comm came through on a screen. On the other side was a Son of Ts'usu, crisp black uniform with grey hexagons in a pattern. On his lapel was a trio of silver pips on a silver bar. Shipmaster. Their version of captain. Now it was time to see if the Ts'usugibito language primer for the universal translator paid off.

"Captain Laurens." the Ts'usugi started. If she were anyone else, Abigail might not know how to read a Ts'usugi's features. Indeed, there may only be one or two others on this ship that could read the subtle nuances of their expressions. As nervous or expectant as she might be, this Shipmaster was nervous. As much as she wanted this to go right, there was a fantastic chance he was feeling the same.

"I apologize for our delay." He said, being right on time. "We are five minutes out from your location. Upon arrival, we can begin transport of equipment and personnel at your convenience." he paused for a moment, "We have shuttles and transmat on standby. Just let us know where you want things."

A smile, a slight nod of the head, a gesture intended to convey respect, and finally Abigail fixed a curious gaze on the comm screen. "Shipmaster," she spoke warmly, her voice portraying a confidence that almost caught her by surprise. "I will have transporter beacons set in the cargo bay, you can transport anything you need there. We have accommodations ready for you and your people aboard the ship, and of course, we've done our best to prepare for the match itself. If it pleases you, you are more than welcome to assess before you begin transport?"

It was now the Shipmaster's turn to be impressed. The notion of being this prepared went a long way. "I appreciate your diligence in this matter, Captain. I'll be sending my Ship Second over to inspect as per your invitation once we're in range for a more stable transmat. Some of the Nebulae members are superstitious about the transmat, and thus they'll be arriving via shuttle. The Flames...." there was a pause. "I'm certain they'd swim over if the chance presented itself." a casual look beyond the veil of weaponized courtesy.

"As for a timeframe of events, once everything receives an internal seal of satisfaction, the event coordinator Sugo Namari will take over. They'll request a stable comm link between the Astraea and the Frontier's Gambit. We'll handle the Buoy connection. Everything that your ship transmits will be delayed and under your authority. If it takes a week to meet your security scrutiny, then it takes a week."

Abigail cast a confused look in Ichiko's direction. 'Our security scrutiny?' was the only thought she could form. Instead of vocalising the words, she smiled and gave another polite nod. "We will do our best to ensure that there are no delays. I understand the importance of this game to your people."

Ichiko gave her the universally recognized 'After' gesture, which wouldn't need to wait long. "Kinetic, and the bridge between our people that I hope it can build. We shall contact you again once we arrive." and with good tidings, the Shipmaster disconnected.

"On Ts'usu..." Ichiko started, "We screen any transmission or image heading out of our sector to scrub it of any clues or indicators of Ts'usu's location. Our home is our best kept secret. He assumes the federation has something similar in mind. It will be a bit of a culture shock that the Federation doesn't take that bit as serious as we do, but it is because everyone in the Federation protects each other. Defenders and Explorers."

"That..." Abigail began, "Makes sense. We'll have security make sure that there's nothing confidential being broadcast, but other than that I see no reason it can't go out straight away." She offered a weary smile. "How many days until this is all over?" she asked, only half joking.

"There's the pre-show, probably some banter and script before the match, the actual match, the resolution, the hook, the closer, the chaser.." Ichiko started to list off, with a straight enough face to question which were real and which weren't.

"And you KNOW you're going to have to meet them. Including your newest fan." a smirk. Was she teasing Abigail?

The dark haired commanding officer gave a small fake cough and smirked back. "I think I'm coming down with something, better not get too close, wouldn't want to make our visitors unwell," she replied lightly.

Ichiko softly smiled, "I have every confidence in your capacity. Though if you were relieved of duty medically, that would just put me in the chair for the time." a pause, and then Ichiko faked a cough as well.

"It's contagious." she smiled. Very few people actually got to witness a Daughter of Ts'usu's honest smile. Abigail was one of them.