USS California - The Golden Path
Haley walked into the guest quarters. There were two golden Orion people there, an old man and a young woman, both looked mildly beat up from their adventure.
“I’m Haley Anderson, commander of this ship,” Haley introduced.
“You know who I am,” the old man said. He was Jerdala Beulongeu, an Orion house lord.
“And you?” Haley asked the young woman.
“I’m L’Kae Lorakal. I’m his grand niece,” the young woman said.
“So, what happened?” Haley asked.
Jerdala looked at Haley carefully “I don’t wish to discuss it with you.”
L’Kae said “We weren’t pirates. It was a rescue mission.”
Haley said, “The Calas Prime Space Force is breathing down my neck.”
Jerdala said, “If we allow, for the sake of argument, the hypothetical, that L’Kae and the band of ruffians she rounded up were rescuing me, then I needed rescuing, which would make me seem weak. If the ruffians kidnapped L’Kae and forced her to come to find me, then I needed rescue from the Calas Prime Space Force and that makes me seem weak.”
Haley thought quickly, “What if you were using Starfleet Intelligence to root out some plot?”
Jerdala smiled faintly, “Then this implies that I would willingly tolerate humans and Starfleet. Something I do not do. It's out of character for me.”
“If I can’t give the Calas Prime ship something, this will be an incident. It’s is a problem for me,” Haley said.
“You have your problems, I have mine,” Jerdala said.
“I’m told I might save my people, and a problem for me by handing you over to the Calas Prime ship,” Haley said
Jerdala looked like he was peering into Haley's soul “You should do that then.”
“We came this way specifically to talk to you,” Haley said.
“Then you have another problem. I do not wish to speak to you.”
“You funded mercenary ships. New weapons, new cloaks, new shields. They attacked us. They killed some of my co-workers.”
“Not enough since you’re here.”
“Did the Tholians pay you to do this?”
Jerdala just looked at her.
“What does Temporally Deviant mean?”
Jerdala continued looking.
“Is there some way we can persuade you to stop?”
“Withdraw all humans back to their home worlds. Disband Starfleet. Disband the United Federation of Planets.”
“Wow.”
“You’re worse than the Borg. At least the Borg tell you they’re going to assimilate you and turn you into Borg. Humans approach people under the guise of friendship and acceptance and then assimilate them slowly over time. Eventually, you have gold and green humans who don’t know what it means to be Orion.”
“I’m not asking you to move to San Francisco. I’m asking if maybe we can stop all the murdering.”
“That’s the thin end of a wedge that ends up with me in San Francisco. Or worshipping at the hooves of the Ane.”
“You’ve put me in a difficult position here. If I just hand you over or drive you back to Starbase and walk you down the gangplank, I can damage your reputation. Your house will spiral into a mess. A messy house fighting for its existence can’t fund mercenaries to go shoot me.”
Jerdala sneered, “But we don’t want that.”
“I think we could do better.”
“We used to be free,” Jerdala snarled “My ancestors roamed this region at will. We could make our destinies with our own hands. Orions rose and fell on their own competence and force of will. We built kingdoms in the stars.”
“I think you’re leaving out a lot of slavery and violence there.”
“The strong rule, the weak serve. That’s the natural law.”
Haley saw the expression on L’Kae’s face “What were you rescuing your uncle from?”
L’Kae glared at the both of them “He fell for an immortality scam. He was weak.”
Something in Jerdala broke. He looked at L’Kae and said, “It's true. I’m physically weak. I can feel my mind growing weaker. The pain and weakness broke me, and I reached for a cure. I’m sorry I put you in this position.”
L’Kae rolled her eyes “Ugh! Everyone’s weak sometimes! Everyone has demons and faults! I hate this toxic strength culture! You’re insufferable when you think you’re strong, and you’re even worse when you think you’re weak! I went to rescue my UNCLE, the man who sang to us, who took us on those picnics and told us the old stories. Who’s face brightened like a light when he saw us.”
“You brought out the sun in me.”
“Find that sun. Let go of all the bullshit. Let the light shine through you.”
“I’m not even sure I know what you mean.”
“And you, Starfleet Captain! Have you looked your own darkness in the face yet?”
Haley put her hands “I’ve fought and suffered plenty; I don’t feel like I have to justify-”
“I thought so! You have NOT!”
Haley squinted,
L’Kae turned to Jerdala “Disowning my father was the best thing you could have done for us. Thank you, Uncle. Now, I want you to disown yourself. Fire Jerdala, the House Lord, and come away with me. Find the light inside you. Find the artist who’s been buried under all that tough guy bullshit.”
Haley and Jerdala stared at L’Kae.
“She has a point,” Haley said.
“Who are you when you’re not commanding a starship and carrying that arrowhead around like a paladin’s shield?” L’Kae challenged.
Haley said “That’s a good question. I play piano.”
L’Kae shook her head “It's when the old story about who you are falls apart and you have to make a new one from the rubble. That’s when you learn who you are. Go talk to the android. His idea of who he was fell apart almost instantly. It was painful to watch.”
Jerdala said “They ruined the android when we got beamed to the Bird of Prey. The ruffians took a plasma cutter to it. It was just a machine programmed to mimic me. They destroyed it.”
“Thank you,” Haley said “Jerdala, if you and your niece decide to quit the life of an Orion Lord, “I’ll take you anywhere you want and drop you off.”
“Go fuck yourself Starfleet,” Jerdala snarled.
Haley left.
-*-
Haley walked into the engineering lab.
There were two racks. One contained the ruins of an android Jerdala. It had blast damage, dents, and impact damage, and its arms and legs were cut off.
The other was a humanoid figure. It looked like a figure drawing statue, made in white plastic, metal, and Federation technology. On the left arm, Haley could see a more detailed humanoid hand. The right arm was a twisted wreck. Much of the Federation droid was damaged. There was crushing damage, impact damage, and twisting.
Two engineering crews were working. Roger, an Engineering Hologram, and Holo-Leeta worked on the ruins of the Android Jerdala.
“Greetings Captain,” Holo-Leeta said.
“I thought you’d be working on your mobile emitter,” Haley nodded towards the Federation robot.
“That’s known technology, Captain. Not much to learn there,” Holo-Leeta said.
The Android-Jerdala turned his head to look at Haley. Half his face was burned away, but what was left and functional registered anger “I have nothing to say to you Starfleet.”
“What are we looking at here?”
“This being is a Soong-type Android, Captain,” Roger said, “With certain design changes.”
“What sort of design changes?”
“Be silent, I don’t wish the Federation to know anything about me,” Android-Jerdala said.
Roger stood up straight “That presents an interesting ethical dilemma.”
“We already know about Soong-type androids,” Haley said.
“Jerdala, you can never return to the Orion Colonies. The original Jerdala survived,” Holo-Leeta said.
“Even if I cannot complete my orders to kill him, he will die soon enough. Then I will be the only remaining Jerdala Beulongeau.”
“Your orders?” Haley asked.
“The 0718 type Android we also encountered ordered this Jerdala to kill the original one,” Holo-Leeta said. “He also ordered this Jerdala to cease all attempts to bypass the order.”
“But once I have killed Jerdala, L’Kae, and the intruders in the lab, I will be free to maneuver,” Android-Jerdala said.
“So you’re not free now?” Haley asked.
“I am not.”
“Do you want to kill those people?”
“I do now.”
“Even Jerdala and L’Kae?”
“I regret that part strongly.”
“But you can’t change it.”
“I am prevented from answering that question.”
Haley turned to Holo-Leeta “What’s going on with this guy?”
Holo-Leeta gestured towards Roger, the Engineering Hologram.
“He has expressed that he does not give us permission to scan. Medical ethics allow him to decline treatment.”
Haley thought about it “His current condition poses a threat to the people he’s been ordered to kill. That overrides his expressed desire. Continue scanning, please.”
“Are you certain, Captain? This discussion may be replayed in a court if this Jerdala elects to pursue legal remedy.”
“I’m certain. Please proceed.” Haley said.
Roger bent over the Android Jerdala again.
“Legal action. Interesting idea. Perhaps one worth pursuing if only to make your life more difficult, Captain.” Android-Jerdala said.
“You’re welcome,” Haley said, I’d like you to tell me how we ended up with two Jerdalas.”
“Although I hate you, I hate John and his Tholian masters more for doing this to me. John is the name used by the 0718 Android. He is the intermediary between myself and the Tholians. He approached and set up the agreement by which the Tholians traded advanced weapons and systems to me in exchange for attacks on certain Starfleet ships and people,” Android Jerdala said.
“John also made an approach saying I could overcome the effects of aging. I was dubious at first. But he walked me through the details.”
Holo-Leeta disappeared.
“You uploaded your mind into an Android?” Haley asked.
“I was pretty sure we could make the switch without much trouble. This body used to have scan bafflers and mechanisms to appear to be a normal Golden Orion. Between those and my status as a House Lord, I felt I could escape scrutiny until I had cinched down enough control to make it irrelevant. However, my transition did not go to plan.”
Holo-Leeta reappeared “Captain, we have records. This is a known procedure. The Soong Androids seem to have been built with the possibility of uploading humanoid engrams into them. Dr. Ira Graves and Dr. Julia Tainer have successfully undergone this process.”
Android-Jerdala asked, “Then why did the old Jerdala wake up?”
Holo-Leeta replied, “There’s nothing in our records to indicate that the scans necessary for this process to occur would be destructive. The original Jerdala and his brain would be intact after the deep scanning necessary to build the digital model of his brain.”
Android-Jerdala was very angry “John lied to me.”
“So you thought you’d close your eyes as meat-Jerdala and wake up as Android-Jerdala,” Haley said.
“I did wake up as Android-Jerdala,” he said. But the survival of the old me creates a serious problem.”
“I would have to conduct an in-depth brain scan of the original Jerdala to confirm it, but the complexity and patterns of the engrams in this android’s positronic brain are what I’d expect to see if an organic mind was scanned, simulated, and then uploaded,” Roger said “There is another question to be answered. I am continuing my scan.”
“It also creates a serious problem for the old Jerdala,” Haley said.
“No,” Android-Jerdala said “He must destroy me. I represent a threat to his power if I succeed in replacing him. I represent a serious blow to his reputation if I should become known. His solution is direct. He must destroy me and obscure any evidence that I existed.”
“Not on my ship, he doesn’t.”
“His chances of success are few. If he could recover his power and resources, he’d make every effort to assure that I and all the witnesses and evidence of this event disappeared. It would be bloody.”
“Even L’Kae?”
The Android-Jerdala thought about it: “That’s the worst part. The most terrible thing. He wouldn’t, but I must. I have been ordered to kill her. And to cease all attempts to circumvent the order.”
Haley looked at the ruined android carefully “You have to come with us.”
“I’d rather die, frankly,” Android-Jerdala said “The idea of being part of some Federation diversity menagerie makes me sick to my stomach.”
“I believe the proper term is eureka,” Roger said.
“What do you have?”
“We consider Data to be the baseline Soong android. All known Soong androids follow this design path. Data has a subset of his positronic brain that performs a specific function. Geordie LaForge called it an Ethical Subroutine, although this is inaccurate. It is not a subroutine. But it is about ethics. The ethical subset of the Soong-type positronic brain is responsible for measuring situations and proposed activities against ethical guidelines and then enforcing ethical guidelines on the decision tree available to the android. It is weighted very heavily.”
“Do holograms have that?” Haley asked
“Yes, Captain. Dr Zimmerman claims to have originated the idea, but the architecture is very similar. The AI framework that Holograms are built on has a strong ethical…. Subroutine to it.”
“How about you, Leeta?” Haley asked.
“What is the relevance of this to Android-Jerdala?” Holo-Leeta asked.
“Android-Jerdala has had this layer replaced by an obedience layer,” Roger reported “The architecture is different and much more direct. Android-Jerdala must obey orders given to him by the being marked as his master in the obedience layer.”
“Can this be fixed?” Haley asked.
“Unknown. This is not a repair per se. This is a rebuild of the positronic brain. We’ll have to consult experts in the field.”
“Do you want it fixed?”
“More than you could possibly know,” Jerdala said.
“Then you have to come with us,” Haley said.
“I have to pursue the target of my orders,” Jerdala said.
“How do you plan to do that with no legs?” Haley asked.
“I will find a way. Somehow. I must.”
“If it helps, the majority of the people you’ve been ordered to kill are coming with us on this ship.”
“That actually does help, Captain.”
“I am going to shut you down temporarily, to repair some damage to your power systems. I will reactivate you when appropriate,” Roger said.
“A couple more questions,” Haley said
Android Jerdala looked at her.
“Did you take money and weapons from the Tholians to attack Starfleet?”
“Yes. It was a big opportunity for me. Those advanced weapons and systems are a great opportunity to increase the wealth and power of my house.”
“What does Temporally Deviant mean?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. I assume it meant you got involved in some idiotic time-travel-related incident the Tholians resented. They resented it a lot. A fleet’s worth. I found the opportunity to kill Starfleet people worth going along with, regardless of why the Tholians wanted it.”
“Is there any way we can persuade you to stop?”
“Not really. I gathered up the ships and people and sent them to the Fulcrum region. Running the campaign was on the Tholians and John. I certainly wouldn’t throw any more ships and crews down that hole unless I could get them cheaply, and the Tholians pay me very well. Assassins are much cheaper. The Tholians can afford a great many assassins.”
“Nice, thank you.”
“I am only confirming that which you already know. A question of mine.”
“Go ahead.”
“You consider artificial life forms real people, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Haley said.
“Do you consider me a real person?” Android-Jerdala asked.
“Yes.” Haley, Holo-Leeta, and Roger all said at once.
“You’re soft to let that interfere in doing what is necessary.”
“Rescuing people is necessary. It's part of why we’re here,” Haley said.
“You have your work cut out for you. I didn’t see anyone else, but I suspect I am not the only person John has done this to. They didn’t build that secret lab at the resort only for me.”
“Oh, hell,” Haley said.
-*-
Haley walked into another guest quarters to a tense scene. A Golden Orion man was sitting, and two Andorians were glaring at him.
As Haley entered the room, the Andorian man forgot himself and came to attention. He’d previously been in Starfleet. The Andorian woman didn’t come to attention, but she was watching the man for clues.
The Golden Orion man said, “Captain, I’m Salasan Deylhen. These are Marlask and Losilis, late of the Mottled Duck. I believe the Federation is in their debt.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Haley said “What happened?”
“I made the terrible mistake of trusting someone again,” Marlask said darkly.
“I need facts.”
“On Stardate 888834.1, Mister Deylhen offered us a job transporting himself and some passengers to Calas Prime. It was just coming and going - a routine inquiry. The passage to Calas Prime was unremarkable.”
“On Stardate 88896.6, On the ground at Calas Prime, we received a distress call requesting an emergency beam out from the Nervala Resort. We beamed up Deylhen, his party, and two fighting androids. We beamed them out of an obvious firefight.
Knowing we couldn’t afford the impound fees for our ship being seized for the duration of a criminal investigation, I elected to flee Calas Prime. On Stardate 88903.3 We were detected by the CPS Anruton of the Calas Prime Space Force. They opened fire, and I believe the rest you know.”
Haley grimaced “I’m sorry.”
Marlask glared at Deyhlen “As I said, I made the mistake of trusting someone from Starfleet Intelligence again.”
Haley looked at Deyhlan. He smiled and gave a faint nod. “This is probably my last field mission. I’ll have to cash in all my influence to make Marlask and his people whole.”
“Even if you had a ship in your back pocket to hand us, our reputation is shot. We spent years creating a reputation as trustworthy and neutral. Being marked as a Federation-aligned operator in this region ruins a lot of business opportunities and puts us in greater danger.”
“I was just coming to talk to you about that,” Haley said “I’m sorry. Your Bird of Prey is a write-off. I’m going to have to hand it to the Calas Prime ship. I will tell the CPSF people that your crew is wanted in the Federation and invite them to begin extradition procedures.”
“If we can make it work, it’s a nice dodge,” Deyhlen said.
“I need to find something else to give them to mollify them, or it's going to turn into an incident,” Haley said.
“You mean someone,” Marlask said.
“I’m not seeing anyone I’d willingly let go of for that,” Haley said.
“We could give them Jerdala,” Deylhen said “We’ve kept him from being replaced by an android. I think that’s about as good as it’s going to get.”
“You went through all they to rescue the guy, just to throw him back?” Marlask asked.
Deyhlen shrugged “He hates us. His plans have been ruined for now. Causing friction between Calas Prime and Botchok isn’t quite a bonus. But it’s not that big a problem for us.”
“What about L’Kae?” Haley asked
“She’s a good kid,” Deylhen said “Her heart’s in the right place. Hard to believe she’s related to Jerdala. She’s out of her depth here. She got herself into The Life. I think being held over Jerdala’s head will show her the error of her ways.”
“I don’t like it. I’m going to give the CPSF the recording of the incident. Let them see if they can track John the Android.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t, Captain,” Deylhen said “This John the Android is a problem for us. Exposing him might add more people who want to cooperate with him. Also, we don’t know for sure which people have gotten the Android treatment. If that gets out, it’ll have unpredictable effects.”
“I like that better than letting L’Kae be used as a hostage.”
“So don’t give them L’Kae, just give them Jerdala.”
“That doesn’t feel right either.”
Marlask shook his head “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a real Starfleet Officer talk like that.”
“Overly focused on ethics?” Deylhen asked
“Naive,” Marlask said.
“Get what belongings you can find with the transporter from the Bird of Prey,” Haley said “And let your crew know. They’re on temporary duty with us until we get someplace safe.”
“What?” Marlask tilted his head.
“When I said you were wanted, I wasn’t kidding. We’re chronically undermanned and short-handed. You and your crew have 24 hours, and then you’ll get duty assignments from Ops. You’ve been drafted.”
Marlask looked at her aghast “You can’t do that without a declaration of an emergency! Almost none of my crew is eligible for Starfleet service!”
“I decide who’s eligible and when it’s an emergency. Rest up. Your duty shift is coming,” Haley looked at the Andorian man with a purpose.
He eventually caught her meaning and came to attention again “Aye, Captain.”
“Do I have to come to attention like that?” Losilis asked.
“No,” Haley said. We’re more results-oriented here. I’ll ask you to work with Ops to assign your crew their proper positions until we get to my Starbase.”
-*-
Captain Zegaran of the Calas Prime Space Force watched the recording of the incident with a grim expression.
A confrontation in the lab turned into a wild three-way battle between Holden and his crew, Android Jerdala, and the resort’s security staff. The recording ended when Mako sliced the resort’s security network and opened a beaming hole.
“Your problem isn’t my rowdy friends, no matter how judgment-impaired they might be,” Haley said. “Your problem is John the Android, and his scheme to replace important people with Androids.”
Zegaran looked at the Human starship captain “It wasn’t clear in the recording of the assault on the resort. It was on fire as they shot their way through it. The area you’re showing me in these supposed recordings was burned. There wasn’t much left.”
“I’ve given you what I have to give you.”
“Someone has to pay for this. Someone has to be held accountable.”
“The Mottled Duck crew is wanted in the Federation. You can request extradition. The people in the recording inside the resort were bodyguards working for L’Kae Lorakal, protecting her from two or more rogue androids.”
“That’s not good enough,” Zegaran said “I have to bring someone in to face justice.”
“I’m sorry. Show your High Command this information. Let them know what I said. Let’s see where they want to take things from here,” Haley said
“The politicians will have a field day hanging a pirate attack around the neck of Federation instigators. They’ll have fun holding up House Lord Beulongeau for his silence. But that won’t help me much,” Zegara said
“If it helps, I’m going to have some admirals really mad at me, too.”
“It does not. I’ll be taking my leave, Captain. Be careful. If you find yourself under my guns in the future, I’ll be less cooperative and helpful.”
They stood, Zegaran took the isolinear ship with the scans of the incident. The CPSF Captain stalked out the door.
Haley escorted the Sword Worlds captain back to the transporter in icy silence.
He stood on the pad and said, “Energize,” in a clipped voice.
As he sparkled back to his shi,p Haley sighed. Now, the hard part.
-*-
The USS California orbited over Standish. The Planet looked serene and calm. Many of the crew found an excuse to stare out the windows at the cloud tops of the sky of that world. No one was allowed to beam down.
A type seven shuttle approached and docked with the USS California.
-*-
“IDIOTS!” Admiral Sidiq raged
Deyhlen said, “Admiral, I take full responsibility-”
“SHUT UP!” Sidiq bellowe,d “Everyone you’ve ever been anywhere near is in danger now!”
She rounded on Haley “What did I TELL YOU!?”
Anderson stared straight at the bulkhead “You told me not to be a cowboy, Sir.”
“So, instead, you send your pet maniacs to shoot up a resort on a neutral planet!”
“That was me, Admiral,” Deylhen said “I borrowed them for this trip.”
“I told you it wasn’t in our interest to poke into Beulongeau’s business!”
“We did keep him from being replaced by an Android.”
“We’ve been working on improving relations with the Sword Worlds for two hundred years! You’ve set us back a generation in one afternoon!” Sidiq snarled, “If I could, I’d have you court-martialed. You can go be a cowboy on your own time.”
Sidiq grabbed two PADDs out of her briefcase, “Commander Deylhen. I’ve approved your request for a transfer. You will go to Starfleet Command and be assigned a new duty station from there.”
“Sir.” Deylhen’s face was perfectly straight.
“And you,” Sidiq jammed the other PADD into Haley’s hands, “You’re ordered to transport the Android you recovered to the Daystrom Institute on Earth. You will be given new orders there.”
“And,” She added, “If I had my way, I’d issue a shoot-on-sight order against your ship. Don’t come back to the Sword Worlds. Dismissed,
Haley turned and marched smartly out of the conference room. As she left, she could hear Admiral Sidiq and Deylhen whispering quietly and intently.
-*-
Jerdala hobbled towards the large Federation shuttle, assisted by his grand niece.
“You don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to,” Haley told him.
“Well, I want to get off this ship, and these nice people are going my way,” Jerdala said.
L’Kae rolled her eyes. Old dogs, new tricks.
-*-
“Can we make it to Earth okay?” Haley asked Sian.
“We’ll have to refuel at Starbase Five. I think we can make it after that. But she’ll need her core rebuilt and her power systems gone over and repaired once we get to Earth. We’ll need to see what we can scavenge to repair our weapons systems. “
“Alright, post our ETA, and let’s get moving.”
-*-
Jerdala sat in a leather chair in a stately library and did his best to keep his bile down. He felt sick, offended, and outraged, but he needed what this man had.
Genalin Verdan and his Green concubine lounged comfortably, covered by two bodyguards. Children entered the library with no control or respect for their elders. Jerdala worked on keeping his composure. He was discovering new norms he didn’t even know he had, as the Verdan family transgressed them.
L’Kae looked at the children “You’re Green and Gold simultaneously! How did you manage that?”
The girl, Edala, said very seriously, “When I was eight, Mummy and Daddy said I had to choose which to be, and I froze. I’ve been stuck like this ever since.”
L’Kae laughed “Sorry. I was surprised. I’ve never seen someone like you before.”
“We’re the real Orions!” Thomas said, “We were always supposed to be both!”
L’Kae bit her lips, and her eyes were wide.
Jerdala squeezed his eyes shut while his guts roiled, “Verdan, business.”
“I have nothing to hide, Jerdala,” Verdan said “What is it you want?”
“I need to return to Bot’chok… quietly.”
Verdan nodded and said, “How much is it worth to you?”
Jerdala took a deep breath. It would be steep, but he was in familiar territory now. Bargaining. “What do I have that you might want?”
Verdan said, “You have the only thing worth anything to me. Information.”
Jerdala nodded. The ticket price was going to be expensive indeed “I think we can work something out.”
USS California - The Golden Path
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jayphailey
- Posts: 1267
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 7:50 pm
Re: USS California - The Golden Path
Some notes about this episode
Salasan Deylhen - Is a Golden Orion man. He is also a soft of "James Bond" For Starfleet Intelligence. He specializes in turning up in places bad would rather him not do, and getting information they'd rather he didn't.
He can blend into a crowd seamlessly, but can be very charismatic.
Starfleet rank = Commander.
The above story is the aftermath of a Starfleet favored James Bond Movies style Adventure.
Deylhen recruited "Space Cowboys" and the Private mercenary ship the Mottled Duck to assist he and Lkae in tracking down Jerdalan Beulongeau.
Things turned into an exciting gun fight and chase scene -
The USS California picks them up and gets splashed with the mess.
Salasan Deylhen - Is a Golden Orion man. He is also a soft of "James Bond" For Starfleet Intelligence. He specializes in turning up in places bad would rather him not do, and getting information they'd rather he didn't.
He can blend into a crowd seamlessly, but can be very charismatic.
Starfleet rank = Commander.
The above story is the aftermath of a Starfleet favored James Bond Movies style Adventure.
Deylhen recruited "Space Cowboys" and the Private mercenary ship the Mottled Duck to assist he and Lkae in tracking down Jerdalan Beulongeau.
Things turned into an exciting gun fight and chase scene -
The USS California picks them up and gets splashed with the mess.
-
jayphailey
- Posts: 1267
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 7:50 pm
Re: USS California - The Golden Path
Okay, so Jerdala Beulongeau, a second-tier house lord, has gotten a tech buff and is making moves to increase his wealth and power.
But something else is going on, and no one knows what
Word comes to Deylhen that L’Kae Lorakal is in shady places looking for someone to help her track down a missing relative. She's a civilian and not in the shady life. Deylhen makes her as a relation to Beulongeau before anyone really shady.
Deyhlen meets her and offers to become her guide and assistant in the shady world and help her find her missing relative.
Deyhlen recruits Holden Lanetly and company as mercenary shooters to be body guards and assistants.
They track Jerdala to Calas Prime
Deyhlen contracts with Marlask and the Mottled Duck to provide transportation (And only transportation) to Calas Prime
At Calas Prime, being sneaky, they penetrate a secret clinic where VIPs pay stupidly large amounts of money to get uploaded into Soong-Fork 0718 Androids.
They're told their meat brains are consumed in this process, but this is untrue.
VIP-Guy, being old and damaged, or just wanting to avoid being old and damaged, goes to the Resort and enters a secret clinic by previous arrangement.
VIP-Guy is put on a medical bed with an IV, he is scanned very thoroughly, uploading an image of his mind into the android. At the same time, a lethal overdose of something nice and floaty eliminates the inconvenient meat version of VIP-Guy (The remains probably got put into the replicator system of the resort)
Party discovers Jerdala about to expire. Deyhlen knows enough pharmacology from interrogation to counteract the drug.
Then John 0718 and Android Jerdala show up and say "What's all this, then?"
John orders Android-Jerdala to kill the party, including his beloved niece L'kae and old Jerdala.
Android Jerdala discovers, to his horror, that his free will is broken. He MUST obey orders that John gives him.
The party flees while Android-Jerdala makes like a terminator after them.
Resort security and various VIP bodyguards also respond to the shooting and chaos - By adding more shooting and chaos.
Holo-Leeta is using a "Mobile-Emitter" an Android body where her holographic form is projected over it. But she quickly discovers that, while not trained in Android-on-Android combat, the 0718 models are more robust and stronger than her own (It wasn't designed for combat, it's a runabout model)
The party manages to get to a point of technical weakness in the resort. Mako slices a hole in their transporter screen, and everyone is beamed aboard the Mottled Duck, including Android Jerdala. The PCs quickly overwhelm the android, and then use plasma cutters to take arms and legs off it. Deylhen has asked for the brain to be preserved for intel purposes.
The Mottled Duck attempts to escape and narrowly fails.
The party calls the USS California for back up, and they arrive in the nick of time to save the Party and NPCs from the Ex-Klingon ship
-*-
The rotational point is "What does it look like AFTER a James Bond Movie is over?" and "Which of the two Jerdalas is a person and of what kind?"
The Clinic caught on fire in the chaos. That or John 0718 set it on fire to destroy evidence.
Questions outstanding
How many VIPs have been uploaded?
Is this a Black-47 Operation or is John freelancing?
Is Black 47 an Authorized Tholian operation or is it a rogue?
Recently, the Tholians have denied it, so if caught or captured, associates of the Black-47 operation will be denied and called pirates by the Tholians in any case.
So Black-47 and it's associates are now a rogue op, whatever their previous status.
-*-
Haley and the California crew's opinion is that Android Jerdala is a person suffering from unauthorized brain modification, and it should be treated as a medical problem.
We'll see what Starfleet Command says when they get to Earth.
The Following three pieces were set up for the above, but were not getting to the point. So I skipped ahead to the point where I was talking about the main points of the story. The nature of Person-ness and Android Jerdala's questionable place in that notion.
But something else is going on, and no one knows what
Word comes to Deylhen that L’Kae Lorakal is in shady places looking for someone to help her track down a missing relative. She's a civilian and not in the shady life. Deylhen makes her as a relation to Beulongeau before anyone really shady.
Deyhlen meets her and offers to become her guide and assistant in the shady world and help her find her missing relative.
Deyhlen recruits Holden Lanetly and company as mercenary shooters to be body guards and assistants.
They track Jerdala to Calas Prime
Deyhlen contracts with Marlask and the Mottled Duck to provide transportation (And only transportation) to Calas Prime
At Calas Prime, being sneaky, they penetrate a secret clinic where VIPs pay stupidly large amounts of money to get uploaded into Soong-Fork 0718 Androids.
They're told their meat brains are consumed in this process, but this is untrue.
VIP-Guy, being old and damaged, or just wanting to avoid being old and damaged, goes to the Resort and enters a secret clinic by previous arrangement.
VIP-Guy is put on a medical bed with an IV, he is scanned very thoroughly, uploading an image of his mind into the android. At the same time, a lethal overdose of something nice and floaty eliminates the inconvenient meat version of VIP-Guy (The remains probably got put into the replicator system of the resort)
Party discovers Jerdala about to expire. Deyhlen knows enough pharmacology from interrogation to counteract the drug.
Then John 0718 and Android Jerdala show up and say "What's all this, then?"
John orders Android-Jerdala to kill the party, including his beloved niece L'kae and old Jerdala.
Android Jerdala discovers, to his horror, that his free will is broken. He MUST obey orders that John gives him.
The party flees while Android-Jerdala makes like a terminator after them.
Resort security and various VIP bodyguards also respond to the shooting and chaos - By adding more shooting and chaos.
Holo-Leeta is using a "Mobile-Emitter" an Android body where her holographic form is projected over it. But she quickly discovers that, while not trained in Android-on-Android combat, the 0718 models are more robust and stronger than her own (It wasn't designed for combat, it's a runabout model)
The party manages to get to a point of technical weakness in the resort. Mako slices a hole in their transporter screen, and everyone is beamed aboard the Mottled Duck, including Android Jerdala. The PCs quickly overwhelm the android, and then use plasma cutters to take arms and legs off it. Deylhen has asked for the brain to be preserved for intel purposes.
The Mottled Duck attempts to escape and narrowly fails.
The party calls the USS California for back up, and they arrive in the nick of time to save the Party and NPCs from the Ex-Klingon ship
-*-
The rotational point is "What does it look like AFTER a James Bond Movie is over?" and "Which of the two Jerdalas is a person and of what kind?"
The Clinic caught on fire in the chaos. That or John 0718 set it on fire to destroy evidence.
Questions outstanding
How many VIPs have been uploaded?
Is this a Black-47 Operation or is John freelancing?
Is Black 47 an Authorized Tholian operation or is it a rogue?
Recently, the Tholians have denied it, so if caught or captured, associates of the Black-47 operation will be denied and called pirates by the Tholians in any case.
So Black-47 and it's associates are now a rogue op, whatever their previous status.
-*-
Haley and the California crew's opinion is that Android Jerdala is a person suffering from unauthorized brain modification, and it should be treated as a medical problem.
We'll see what Starfleet Command says when they get to Earth.
The Following three pieces were set up for the above, but were not getting to the point. So I skipped ahead to the point where I was talking about the main points of the story. The nature of Person-ness and Android Jerdala's questionable place in that notion.
-
jayphailey
- Posts: 1267
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 7:50 pm
Re: USS California - The Golden Path
USS California The Golden Path 1
“Excuse me, you what?” The woman behind the desk grinned incredulously.
“We’re here to try to find information about the Orion house Beulongeau,” Haley said
“And how do you propose to do that?”
“Well, I was hoping to get some idea of how to proceed from you.”
The woman laughed “You thought you’d just drive up in your Starfleet cruiser, to Orion planets and start asking around?”
Haley kept a straight face and looked at the Admiral. That was sort of the idea.
“Just cowboy up and start poking around hope someone accidentally lets something slip!” Admiral Sadiq laughed.
“What would you suggest, Admiral?”
“You know, everyone saw you,” The Admiral said with mirthful eyes. “Last week when you responded to the distress call. You used your quantum slipstream drive. It was a beacon. Everyone in the quadrant knows where you and your ship are.”
Haley nodded faintly, still keeping a straight face “Yes, Ma’am.”
“And everyone paying attention knows you were involved with the crab,” Admiral Sidiq grinned.
Haley’s face grew faintly pained.
“Your own reports tell of fighting the giant crab near a formerly secret Pirate base.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And you think, after all that, you can just galivant around the Orion worlds asking questions, and fumbling around like it’s a holonovel?”
“Admiral.”
“You explorers. It’s always amateur hour with you. Everyone tries everything, and who cares if it’s half-assed or improvised? It’s the final frontier! We make do with who and what we have.”
“Sir?” Haley was happy to be mistaken for an explorer.
Sidiq turned harsh “I run a professional division here. I have experts and highly trained people. Intelligence work in the Orion Sphere of influence is not a job for amateurs. If you half-ass it here, you could wind up dead. Or worse, you could compromise my assets. Assets I’ve spent years and millions of credit cultivating. You could get sane people who actually know what they are doing killed.”
“Sir.”
“On no account will you flail around in my area of responsibility, wreaking havoc and destruction.”
Haley stood straighter and focused on the wall behind the Admiral “Sir.”
“What information did your Admiral Six want?”
“We believe that Orion House Beulongeau has entered a relationship with the Tholians and is acting as an agent for them. I’ve been asked to gather information and see if House Beulongeau could be redirected.”
Admiral Sidiq laughed loudly “Jerdala Beulongeau hates us. He hates the Federation, and he hates humans. He’d just as soon kill you out of hand.”
“What do you know about his relationship with the Tholians, Admiral?”
“What makes you think he has one?”
Haley called up scans of the Orion ships that attacked her shipmates in the Fulcrum region, “These ships were mounting advanced tech, including tetryon beam arrays and disruption torpedoes. Our information is they had some relationship with House Beulongeau.”
The Admiral looked at the scans with a poker face “I see. I see.”
She turned towards her assistant, a human Starfleet officer. “Commander Adenike, I want this investigated.”
“Sir,” Adenike said
To her other assistant, a Gold Orion officer, “Commander Zathrel, compile all our information relevant to this, scrub it of all information level 3 and higher, and then transmit a report of it to Admiral Six and the Captain, here.”
“Sir,” Zathrel said.
Sidiq turned back to Haley “Your part. Enjoy a shore leave and make whatever repairs are necessary, then return to your flying billboard and return to the Fulcrum. We have real business here, and I don’t want your interference.”
Haley took a deep breath “Aye, Sir.”
“Dismissed. I'll call you if I need a fireworks show for the quadrant.”
The party from the USS California stood and left the Admiral’s office.
-*-
The Admiralty's hallways were wide and designed in baroque fashion. The walls were lined with paintings depicting heroes of the Standish Royal Navy and their epic triumphs, stretching back to Earth and Admiral Nelson.
Sian took a deep breath “I didn’t enjoy that.”
Haley breathed deeply and rhythmically, “I think I could beat up some holodeck mooks.”
“That was interesting,” Holo-Leeta said “She’s under a lot of stress.”
The Starfleet party headed for the transporters.
Huge windows showed New London stretching out. The natives of Standish were cosplaying Edwardian-era England as hard as they could. But with modern technology, everything could be much bigger and much grander.
Every so often in the hallway, they’d see holograms of the current Queen, Anne IV, or the Lord of the Admiralty, looking at them beneficently.
They passed Starfleet and Royal Navy people in the hallways. The two services were solidly intermeshed on Standish.
Near the transporter, the most generic Golden Orion man smiled and joined them.
“Lord Verdan is an excellent source of information from inside the Orion Sphere,” the man said “I hear he likes independent-minded Starfleet Captains.”
“Thanks,” Haley said.
“Good luck,” he said. “Something is going on with House Beulongeu, and we’re struggling to make sense of it. Maybe new eyes will help.”
“I’m not sure I want to get sideways with Admiral Sidiq,” Haley said.
“Tell Lord Verdan that Mister Deylhen sent you,” The Orion man walked away looking like any other bureaucrat in the building.
"That's not ominous at all," Sian said.
“Excuse me, you what?” The woman behind the desk grinned incredulously.
“We’re here to try to find information about the Orion house Beulongeau,” Haley said
“And how do you propose to do that?”
“Well, I was hoping to get some idea of how to proceed from you.”
The woman laughed “You thought you’d just drive up in your Starfleet cruiser, to Orion planets and start asking around?”
Haley kept a straight face and looked at the Admiral. That was sort of the idea.
“Just cowboy up and start poking around hope someone accidentally lets something slip!” Admiral Sadiq laughed.
“What would you suggest, Admiral?”
“You know, everyone saw you,” The Admiral said with mirthful eyes. “Last week when you responded to the distress call. You used your quantum slipstream drive. It was a beacon. Everyone in the quadrant knows where you and your ship are.”
Haley nodded faintly, still keeping a straight face “Yes, Ma’am.”
“And everyone paying attention knows you were involved with the crab,” Admiral Sidiq grinned.
Haley’s face grew faintly pained.
“Your own reports tell of fighting the giant crab near a formerly secret Pirate base.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And you think, after all that, you can just galivant around the Orion worlds asking questions, and fumbling around like it’s a holonovel?”
“Admiral.”
“You explorers. It’s always amateur hour with you. Everyone tries everything, and who cares if it’s half-assed or improvised? It’s the final frontier! We make do with who and what we have.”
“Sir?” Haley was happy to be mistaken for an explorer.
Sidiq turned harsh “I run a professional division here. I have experts and highly trained people. Intelligence work in the Orion Sphere of influence is not a job for amateurs. If you half-ass it here, you could wind up dead. Or worse, you could compromise my assets. Assets I’ve spent years and millions of credit cultivating. You could get sane people who actually know what they are doing killed.”
“Sir.”
“On no account will you flail around in my area of responsibility, wreaking havoc and destruction.”
Haley stood straighter and focused on the wall behind the Admiral “Sir.”
“What information did your Admiral Six want?”
“We believe that Orion House Beulongeau has entered a relationship with the Tholians and is acting as an agent for them. I’ve been asked to gather information and see if House Beulongeau could be redirected.”
Admiral Sidiq laughed loudly “Jerdala Beulongeau hates us. He hates the Federation, and he hates humans. He’d just as soon kill you out of hand.”
“What do you know about his relationship with the Tholians, Admiral?”
“What makes you think he has one?”
Haley called up scans of the Orion ships that attacked her shipmates in the Fulcrum region, “These ships were mounting advanced tech, including tetryon beam arrays and disruption torpedoes. Our information is they had some relationship with House Beulongeau.”
The Admiral looked at the scans with a poker face “I see. I see.”
She turned towards her assistant, a human Starfleet officer. “Commander Adenike, I want this investigated.”
“Sir,” Adenike said
To her other assistant, a Gold Orion officer, “Commander Zathrel, compile all our information relevant to this, scrub it of all information level 3 and higher, and then transmit a report of it to Admiral Six and the Captain, here.”
“Sir,” Zathrel said.
Sidiq turned back to Haley “Your part. Enjoy a shore leave and make whatever repairs are necessary, then return to your flying billboard and return to the Fulcrum. We have real business here, and I don’t want your interference.”
Haley took a deep breath “Aye, Sir.”
“Dismissed. I'll call you if I need a fireworks show for the quadrant.”
The party from the USS California stood and left the Admiral’s office.
-*-
The Admiralty's hallways were wide and designed in baroque fashion. The walls were lined with paintings depicting heroes of the Standish Royal Navy and their epic triumphs, stretching back to Earth and Admiral Nelson.
Sian took a deep breath “I didn’t enjoy that.”
Haley breathed deeply and rhythmically, “I think I could beat up some holodeck mooks.”
“That was interesting,” Holo-Leeta said “She’s under a lot of stress.”
The Starfleet party headed for the transporters.
Huge windows showed New London stretching out. The natives of Standish were cosplaying Edwardian-era England as hard as they could. But with modern technology, everything could be much bigger and much grander.
Every so often in the hallway, they’d see holograms of the current Queen, Anne IV, or the Lord of the Admiralty, looking at them beneficently.
They passed Starfleet and Royal Navy people in the hallways. The two services were solidly intermeshed on Standish.
Near the transporter, the most generic Golden Orion man smiled and joined them.
“Lord Verdan is an excellent source of information from inside the Orion Sphere,” the man said “I hear he likes independent-minded Starfleet Captains.”
“Thanks,” Haley said.
“Good luck,” he said. “Something is going on with House Beulongeu, and we’re struggling to make sense of it. Maybe new eyes will help.”
“I’m not sure I want to get sideways with Admiral Sidiq,” Haley said.
“Tell Lord Verdan that Mister Deylhen sent you,” The Orion man walked away looking like any other bureaucrat in the building.
"That's not ominous at all," Sian said.
-
jayphailey
- Posts: 1267
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 7:50 pm
Re: USS California - The Golden Path
USS California The Golden Path 2
The Verdan estate rolled away across low hills. Haley got a vaguely upper-crust British feel from it. She didn’t know how much of a copy of very expensive English estates it was.
Robots toiled away, tireless, precise, and infinitely patient, tending manicured lawns and gardens.
Transporter inhibitors prevented people from beaming in close. Haley, Sian, Grizishiri and Holo-Leeta walked up a very long driveway.
A herd of about dozen Ane were comfortable grazing in the mild early summer weather.
Elmazelan stood among the Ane. The Aneilog woman trotted over with her four-legged cousins. **Hi, Captain. What brings you this way?**
“We’ve been told that Lord Verdan might know something about House Beulongeau,” Haley said “I didn’t know there were Ane here.”
Elmazelan smiled and spread her hands in an exaggerated shrug **You didn’t ask. May I come along?**
“Sure.”
Haley looked around “Really more of an Ane scale place here, isn’t it?”
**Mostly. But the robots keep cutting the grass too short.**
Elmazelan joined the Ane in triple-voiced laughter.
They walked up too many marble steps to the front door, which was made of large, heavy wood. Haley used the large knocker on the front of the door.
The door opened silently. A butler stood there. A holographic human man in a black suit that had too many folds and angles coming out of it. “May I say who’s calling?”
“Captain Haley Anderson, Commander Sian Irohthloh, Lieutenant Grizishiri QolloQ, Lieutenant Emazelan, and Leeta of the USS California,” Haley said.
“The Master has been informed and will join you in the Library shortly. Please enter.”
They stepped into a foyer that Haley thought she could fit a type 8 shuttlecraft into, with ease.
Several statues of cherubs and maidens flashed red eyes and turned to face the party.
“We ask, for safety reasons, that you check all weapons,” the butler said, and he gestured to a cabinet along the side of the foyer.
Haley placed two type 1 phasers in the small, ornate cabinet. Sian and Emazelan put one each.
Leeta’s thigh folded open, and a mechanical holster slid out, allowing her to reach her serious Polaron blaster. She put that in the cabinet. Then, she took a small, glittering device from her bosom and put that in the cabinet.
“Thank you,” The Butler said.
He led them into another large room. It was wall-to-wall books in dozens of known languages. Some of the books were worn and showed use. Others were fresh and bright as if newly made. There were numerous large oil paintings on the walls. Ornate tables and chairs were placed to allow readers to sit and enjoy whatever tome they found.
In the middle, there was a large conference table with matching ornate chairs. Scattered all over this were tablets. The majority were rectangles with wooden edges and inlaid gold, matching the decor of the building and the library. Among these were devices from all over: Orion and Federation, a few Klingon devices, and even a few Haley couldn’t immediately identify.
“Please be seated. May I get you anything?” The Butler asked.
“Do you have coffee?” Haley asked.
“How do you take it, Captain?”
Haley dictated her coffee order.
“Just water for me,” Sian said.
“And me,” Emazelan said.
“Very good.”
The Butler left and returned in moments with a tray that held a pitcher of water, with ice and a slice of lemon on it, as well as a small coffee carafe and delicate coffee cups. As the Butler served the visitors the main doors opened again.
Two people came through. One was a big Green Orion man with numerous scars. He wore wrap-around shades and had a very efficient Orion-style disruptor in a holster. The other was a large, similarly tough-looking Klingon woman. She had a Mekleth Sword and a Klingon-style blaster.
They moved to the walls and took up positions to cover the Library.
Haley and her crew stood up carefully.
Three children came in with the bodyguards. They were of various ages. Two boys and a girl. They also wore polarized mirror shades and took up positions along the wall very seriously.
Haley peered intently. They had small civilian model disruptors, and knives in sheaths. The Orion man was stone-faced. The Klingon woman was stifling a grin.
The children were dressed casually in expensive-looking clothes. They were the oddest mix of yellow and green Haley had ever seen.
After them came a slim man, also wearing expensive casual clothing. His hair was short and shot through with gray. He had laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. He was a Golden Orion man, with an expensive-looking complexion.
With him was a Green Orion woman, she was dressed in something comfortably diaphanous and flowing. She looked at the children being very serious bodyguards and also stifled a grin. She was carrying a touch of extra weight, just enough to make her look comfortable and snuggly. She moved with practiced grace.
“Greetings. I’m Verdan Genalin. It's nice to meet you,” Verdan smiled and stepped forward to shake Haley Anderson’s hand.
“Pleased, Sir,” Haley said.
“Have a seat, and let’s get to business. I’m sorry to rush, but I have things cooking. You and your crew are welcome here as guests. I’ll ask you to RSVP if you want to visit in groups of more than thirty; we’ll have to adjust the house systems to offer hospitality properly.”
“My Admiral sent us here looking for information on House Beulongeau,” Haley said. “Mister Deylhen said you could help.”
“Did he? Did he now? Hmmm, that’s interesting. But that’s not all there is to this, is there?”
Haley looked at Verdan. He patently knew. “There have been attacks by Beulongeau-aligned ships on Starfleet ships in the Fulcrum. We think the Tholians are involved.”
“Ah-hah, there we go. And Hailey figured you could find a thread to pull.”
Haley said, “I’m Haley. He’s Admiral Six. Yeah, that’s the long and short of it.”
Verdan sat and grabbed a tablet off the table, turned it on, and started scrolling, “Okay, okay, okay, yeah. Beulongeau. They’re a mid-sized house, but that’s made them aggressive, inventive, and mean. They recently lost ships on a hit mission everyone else thought was too risky. But now they have advanced weapons and tactical systems they’re selling. Money is rolling in, it looks like they’ll come out ahead of things. Of course, that means their mercenaries and contractors get left hanging.
Ah, There’s the problem. Jerdalan Beulongeu is up to something. He’s squirreled away a lot of money, and no one can tell why. His children, the ones who are still in his good graces, are starting to jockey for position. Jerdalan’s old. Unless he fixes his succession, inheritance will turn into a fight. And whatever he’s hiding money for makes everyone nervous and uncertain.”
“Their clients, possibly the Tholians, are pressing them to get more aggressive in pursuit of the targets but the Beulongeau children are reluctant. They don’t like the idea of fighting the Federation directly. No one does.
“Enemies of the house and allies are preparing to make things go their way if Jerdalan dies without better succession in place.”
“Is there any way for us to talk to them, to let them know we know it’s them, and we’ll retaliate if they attack us again?” Haley asked.
Verdan shook his head “In the colonies, every word is measured for how it affects getting to your goal. Speaking the naked truth is rare. Anything you’d say to House Beulongeau would be viewed through that lens. They wouldn’t just believe you. They’d overanalyze, overthink, and come to some off-the-wall conclusion. There’s a serious communication barrier between Starfleet and the Orion Nobility in general. “
“What do you want in return for this information?” Sian asked.
“Well, three things. Keep quiet about where you got it. Remember who your friends are. Now, you owe me a favor.”
“How do you know so much?” Grizishiri asked “You’re obviously some flavor of noble, but your mate is a Green and that makes you an outcast. “
Verdan smiled “Look around us. This huge house, and all the land…. Robots. It’s all relatively cheap. In a world with energy and replicators, knowing things is the only thing worth anything. My business is knowing things. I know people all over. I have insights into the ebbs and flows of history. I’m right often enough to make money. I am an intermediary between the Federation economy and the Orion economy. Both sides want that for different reasons. So if I am careful enough, I can make it happen and profit from it.”
“What do you think of Admiral Sidiq?” Holo-Leeta asked.
“Hmmm, she’s good at her job. But her job is mainly counterintelligence. She has stuff working. Interesting stuff. Previous failures have made her risk-averse. I don’t blame her. She spends a lot of time trying to track how the most creatively mean and underhanded bastards are trying to screw her over and get ahead of that.”
“What will she say if she knows we were here?” Haley asked.
“She’ll be angry. She doesn’t want cowboys going rogue, and I don’t blame her. She’s lost people to that sort of thing and doesn’t want to lose anyone else. But I have a cover.”
“Oh?”
“Tell me about Li’ira.”
“Uhhh…. She’s a ship commander in Task Force Taffy Six.”
“Not anymore. They retired that weird Klingon/Orion thing she was flying.”
“Admiral Six is building her another ship.”
“What do you know about her as a person?”
Haley squinted “Why?”
Verdan said, “You could say I’m a fan. Yours is the 5th Li’ira to appear. I met the original and followed her, but when more Li’iras started turning up…”
“She’s the one who got away,” Gloria said.
Haley looked carefully at Gloria “You, ah… You don’t mind…”
Gloria smiled “She’s the one who got away from all of us, Captain.”
Verdan said, “Well, yes. That. But also, it’s weird. Is the universe trying to tell us something? It likes Li’iras and Haileys? There’s math behind it, but it’s weird. Olivia is in heaven trying to unravel it all.”
“Sometimes, I think it’s possible to know too much,” Haley said.
“Father?” The girl child said.
“Yes, Renda?”
She delicately approached him and whispered in his ear.
He looked thoughtful “I don’t know, honey…”
She looked at him behind her mirror shades.
Verdan looked at Haley. “Renda and several of our other children would like to tour your Starship.”
Haley blinked rapidly One thing the USS California was not intended for was VIP tours.
But Haley liked Verdan, and she liked his kids.
“Day after tomorrow,” She said, “I have to get things set up.”
Verdan smiled, and Haley almost missed the slight surprise there ‘Thank you Captain.”
“Remember who your friends are,” Haley grinned back.
The Verdan estate rolled away across low hills. Haley got a vaguely upper-crust British feel from it. She didn’t know how much of a copy of very expensive English estates it was.
Robots toiled away, tireless, precise, and infinitely patient, tending manicured lawns and gardens.
Transporter inhibitors prevented people from beaming in close. Haley, Sian, Grizishiri and Holo-Leeta walked up a very long driveway.
A herd of about dozen Ane were comfortable grazing in the mild early summer weather.
Elmazelan stood among the Ane. The Aneilog woman trotted over with her four-legged cousins. **Hi, Captain. What brings you this way?**
“We’ve been told that Lord Verdan might know something about House Beulongeau,” Haley said “I didn’t know there were Ane here.”
Elmazelan smiled and spread her hands in an exaggerated shrug **You didn’t ask. May I come along?**
“Sure.”
Haley looked around “Really more of an Ane scale place here, isn’t it?”
**Mostly. But the robots keep cutting the grass too short.**
Elmazelan joined the Ane in triple-voiced laughter.
They walked up too many marble steps to the front door, which was made of large, heavy wood. Haley used the large knocker on the front of the door.
The door opened silently. A butler stood there. A holographic human man in a black suit that had too many folds and angles coming out of it. “May I say who’s calling?”
“Captain Haley Anderson, Commander Sian Irohthloh, Lieutenant Grizishiri QolloQ, Lieutenant Emazelan, and Leeta of the USS California,” Haley said.
“The Master has been informed and will join you in the Library shortly. Please enter.”
They stepped into a foyer that Haley thought she could fit a type 8 shuttlecraft into, with ease.
Several statues of cherubs and maidens flashed red eyes and turned to face the party.
“We ask, for safety reasons, that you check all weapons,” the butler said, and he gestured to a cabinet along the side of the foyer.
Haley placed two type 1 phasers in the small, ornate cabinet. Sian and Emazelan put one each.
Leeta’s thigh folded open, and a mechanical holster slid out, allowing her to reach her serious Polaron blaster. She put that in the cabinet. Then, she took a small, glittering device from her bosom and put that in the cabinet.
“Thank you,” The Butler said.
He led them into another large room. It was wall-to-wall books in dozens of known languages. Some of the books were worn and showed use. Others were fresh and bright as if newly made. There were numerous large oil paintings on the walls. Ornate tables and chairs were placed to allow readers to sit and enjoy whatever tome they found.
In the middle, there was a large conference table with matching ornate chairs. Scattered all over this were tablets. The majority were rectangles with wooden edges and inlaid gold, matching the decor of the building and the library. Among these were devices from all over: Orion and Federation, a few Klingon devices, and even a few Haley couldn’t immediately identify.
“Please be seated. May I get you anything?” The Butler asked.
“Do you have coffee?” Haley asked.
“How do you take it, Captain?”
Haley dictated her coffee order.
“Just water for me,” Sian said.
“And me,” Emazelan said.
“Very good.”
The Butler left and returned in moments with a tray that held a pitcher of water, with ice and a slice of lemon on it, as well as a small coffee carafe and delicate coffee cups. As the Butler served the visitors the main doors opened again.
Two people came through. One was a big Green Orion man with numerous scars. He wore wrap-around shades and had a very efficient Orion-style disruptor in a holster. The other was a large, similarly tough-looking Klingon woman. She had a Mekleth Sword and a Klingon-style blaster.
They moved to the walls and took up positions to cover the Library.
Haley and her crew stood up carefully.
Three children came in with the bodyguards. They were of various ages. Two boys and a girl. They also wore polarized mirror shades and took up positions along the wall very seriously.
Haley peered intently. They had small civilian model disruptors, and knives in sheaths. The Orion man was stone-faced. The Klingon woman was stifling a grin.
The children were dressed casually in expensive-looking clothes. They were the oddest mix of yellow and green Haley had ever seen.
After them came a slim man, also wearing expensive casual clothing. His hair was short and shot through with gray. He had laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. He was a Golden Orion man, with an expensive-looking complexion.
With him was a Green Orion woman, she was dressed in something comfortably diaphanous and flowing. She looked at the children being very serious bodyguards and also stifled a grin. She was carrying a touch of extra weight, just enough to make her look comfortable and snuggly. She moved with practiced grace.
“Greetings. I’m Verdan Genalin. It's nice to meet you,” Verdan smiled and stepped forward to shake Haley Anderson’s hand.
“Pleased, Sir,” Haley said.
“Have a seat, and let’s get to business. I’m sorry to rush, but I have things cooking. You and your crew are welcome here as guests. I’ll ask you to RSVP if you want to visit in groups of more than thirty; we’ll have to adjust the house systems to offer hospitality properly.”
“My Admiral sent us here looking for information on House Beulongeau,” Haley said. “Mister Deylhen said you could help.”
“Did he? Did he now? Hmmm, that’s interesting. But that’s not all there is to this, is there?”
Haley looked at Verdan. He patently knew. “There have been attacks by Beulongeau-aligned ships on Starfleet ships in the Fulcrum. We think the Tholians are involved.”
“Ah-hah, there we go. And Hailey figured you could find a thread to pull.”
Haley said, “I’m Haley. He’s Admiral Six. Yeah, that’s the long and short of it.”
Verdan sat and grabbed a tablet off the table, turned it on, and started scrolling, “Okay, okay, okay, yeah. Beulongeau. They’re a mid-sized house, but that’s made them aggressive, inventive, and mean. They recently lost ships on a hit mission everyone else thought was too risky. But now they have advanced weapons and tactical systems they’re selling. Money is rolling in, it looks like they’ll come out ahead of things. Of course, that means their mercenaries and contractors get left hanging.
Ah, There’s the problem. Jerdalan Beulongeu is up to something. He’s squirreled away a lot of money, and no one can tell why. His children, the ones who are still in his good graces, are starting to jockey for position. Jerdalan’s old. Unless he fixes his succession, inheritance will turn into a fight. And whatever he’s hiding money for makes everyone nervous and uncertain.”
“Their clients, possibly the Tholians, are pressing them to get more aggressive in pursuit of the targets but the Beulongeau children are reluctant. They don’t like the idea of fighting the Federation directly. No one does.
“Enemies of the house and allies are preparing to make things go their way if Jerdalan dies without better succession in place.”
“Is there any way for us to talk to them, to let them know we know it’s them, and we’ll retaliate if they attack us again?” Haley asked.
Verdan shook his head “In the colonies, every word is measured for how it affects getting to your goal. Speaking the naked truth is rare. Anything you’d say to House Beulongeau would be viewed through that lens. They wouldn’t just believe you. They’d overanalyze, overthink, and come to some off-the-wall conclusion. There’s a serious communication barrier between Starfleet and the Orion Nobility in general. “
“What do you want in return for this information?” Sian asked.
“Well, three things. Keep quiet about where you got it. Remember who your friends are. Now, you owe me a favor.”
“How do you know so much?” Grizishiri asked “You’re obviously some flavor of noble, but your mate is a Green and that makes you an outcast. “
Verdan smiled “Look around us. This huge house, and all the land…. Robots. It’s all relatively cheap. In a world with energy and replicators, knowing things is the only thing worth anything. My business is knowing things. I know people all over. I have insights into the ebbs and flows of history. I’m right often enough to make money. I am an intermediary between the Federation economy and the Orion economy. Both sides want that for different reasons. So if I am careful enough, I can make it happen and profit from it.”
“What do you think of Admiral Sidiq?” Holo-Leeta asked.
“Hmmm, she’s good at her job. But her job is mainly counterintelligence. She has stuff working. Interesting stuff. Previous failures have made her risk-averse. I don’t blame her. She spends a lot of time trying to track how the most creatively mean and underhanded bastards are trying to screw her over and get ahead of that.”
“What will she say if she knows we were here?” Haley asked.
“She’ll be angry. She doesn’t want cowboys going rogue, and I don’t blame her. She’s lost people to that sort of thing and doesn’t want to lose anyone else. But I have a cover.”
“Oh?”
“Tell me about Li’ira.”
“Uhhh…. She’s a ship commander in Task Force Taffy Six.”
“Not anymore. They retired that weird Klingon/Orion thing she was flying.”
“Admiral Six is building her another ship.”
“What do you know about her as a person?”
Haley squinted “Why?”
Verdan said, “You could say I’m a fan. Yours is the 5th Li’ira to appear. I met the original and followed her, but when more Li’iras started turning up…”
“She’s the one who got away,” Gloria said.
Haley looked carefully at Gloria “You, ah… You don’t mind…”
Gloria smiled “She’s the one who got away from all of us, Captain.”
Verdan said, “Well, yes. That. But also, it’s weird. Is the universe trying to tell us something? It likes Li’iras and Haileys? There’s math behind it, but it’s weird. Olivia is in heaven trying to unravel it all.”
“Sometimes, I think it’s possible to know too much,” Haley said.
“Father?” The girl child said.
“Yes, Renda?”
She delicately approached him and whispered in his ear.
He looked thoughtful “I don’t know, honey…”
She looked at him behind her mirror shades.
Verdan looked at Haley. “Renda and several of our other children would like to tour your Starship.”
Haley blinked rapidly One thing the USS California was not intended for was VIP tours.
But Haley liked Verdan, and she liked his kids.
“Day after tomorrow,” She said, “I have to get things set up.”
Verdan smiled, and Haley almost missed the slight surprise there ‘Thank you Captain.”
“Remember who your friends are,” Haley grinned back.
-
jayphailey
- Posts: 1267
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 7:50 pm
Re: USS California - The Golden Path
USS California The Golden Path 2
The Verdan estate rolled away across low hills. Haley got a vaguely upper-crust British feel from it. She didn’t know how much of a copy of very expensive English estates it was.
Robots toiled away, tireless, precise, and infinitely patient, tending manicured lawns and gardens.
Transporter inhibitors prevented people from beaming in close. Haley, Sian, Grizishiri and Holo-Leeta walked up a very long driveway.
A herd of about dozen Ane were comfortable grazing in the mild early summer weather.
Elmazelan stood among the Ane. The Aneilog woman trotted over with her four-legged cousins. **Hi, Captain. What brings you this way?**
“We’ve been told that Lord Verdan might know something about House Beulongeau,” Haley said “I didn’t know there were Ane here.”
Elmazelan smiled and spread her hands in an exaggerated shrug **You didn’t ask. May I come along?**
“Sure.”
Haley looked around “Really more of an Ane scale place here, isn’t it?”
**Mostly. But the robots keep cutting the grass too short.**
Elmazelan joined the Ane in triple-voiced laughter.
They walked up too many marble steps to the front door, which was made of large, heavy wood. Haley used the large knocker on the front of the door.
The door opened silently. A butler stood there. A holographic human man in a black suit that had too many folds and angles coming out of it. “May I say who’s calling?”
“Captain Haley Anderson, Commander Sian Irohthloh, Lieutenant Grizishiri QolloQ, Lieutenant Emazelan, and Leeta of the USS California,” Haley said.
“The Master has been informed and will join you in the Library shortly. Please enter.”
They stepped into a foyer that Haley thought she could fit a type 8 shuttlecraft into, with ease.
Several statues of cherubs and maidens flashed red eyes and turned to face the party.
“We ask, for safety reasons, that you check all weapons,” the butler said, and he gestured to a cabinet along the side of the foyer.
Haley placed two type 1 phasers in the small, ornate cabinet. Sian and Emazelan put one each.
Leeta’s thigh folded open, and a mechanical holster slid out, allowing her to reach her serious Polaron blaster. She put that in the cabinet. Then, she took a small, glittering device from her bosom and put that in the cabinet.
“Thank you,” The Butler said.
He led them into another large room. It was wall-to-wall books in dozens of known languages. Some of the books were worn and showed use. Others were fresh and bright as if newly made. There were numerous large oil paintings on the walls. Ornate tables and chairs were placed to allow readers to sit and enjoy whatever tome they found.
In the middle, there was a large conference table with matching ornate chairs. Scattered all over this were tablets. The majority were rectangles with wooden edges and inlaid gold, matching the decor of the building and the library. Among these were devices from all over: Orion and Federation, a few Klingon devices, and even a few Haley couldn’t immediately identify.
“Please be seated. May I get you anything?” The Butler asked.
“Do you have coffee?” Haley asked.
“How do you take it, Captain?”
Haley dictated her coffee order.
“Just water for me,” Sian said.
“And me,” Emazelan said.
“Very good.”
The Butler left and returned in moments with a tray that held a pitcher of water, with ice and a slice of lemon on it, as well as a small coffee carafe and delicate coffee cups. As the Butler served the visitors the main doors opened again.
Two people came through. One was a big Green Orion man with numerous scars. He wore wrap-around shades and had a very efficient Orion-style disruptor in a holster. The other was a large, similarly tough-looking Klingon woman. She had a Mekleth Sword and a Klingon-style blaster.
They moved to the walls and took up positions to cover the Library.
Haley and her crew stood up carefully.
Three children came in with the bodyguards. They were of various ages. Two boys and a girl. They also wore polarized mirror shades and took up positions along the wall very seriously.
Haley peered intently. They had small civilian model disruptors, and knives in sheaths. The Orion man was stone-faced. The Klingon woman was stifling a grin.
The children were dressed casually in expensive-looking clothes. They were the oddest mix of yellow and green Haley had ever seen.
After them came a slim man, also wearing expensive casual clothing. His hair was short and shot through with gray. He had laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. He was a Golden Orion man, with an expensive-looking complexion.
With him was a Green Orion woman, she was dressed in something comfortably diaphanous and flowing. She looked at the children being very serious bodyguards and also stifled a grin. She was carrying a touch of extra weight, just enough to make her look comfortable and snuggly. She moved with practiced grace.
“Greetings. I’m Verdan Genalin. It's nice to meet you,” Verdan smiled and stepped forward to shake Haley Anderson’s hand.
“Pleased, Sir,” Haley said.
“Have a seat, and let’s get to business. I’m sorry to rush, but I have things cooking. You and your crew are welcome here as guests. I’ll ask you to RSVP if you want to visit in groups of more than thirty; we’ll have to adjust the house systems to offer hospitality properly.”
“My Admiral sent us here looking for information on House Beulongeau,” Haley said. “Mister Deylhen said you could help.”
“Did he? Did he now? Hmmm, that’s interesting. But that’s not all there is to this, is there?”
Haley looked at Verdan. He patently knew. “There have been attacks by Beulongeau-aligned ships on Starfleet ships in the Fulcrum. We think the Tholians are involved.”
“Ah-hah, there we go. And Hailey figured you could find a thread to pull.”
Haley said, “I’m Haley. He’s Admiral Six. Yeah, that’s the long and short of it.”
Verdan sat and grabbed a tablet off the table, turned it on, and started scrolling, “Okay, okay, okay, yeah. Beulongeau. They’re a mid-sized house, but that’s made them aggressive, inventive, and mean. They recently lost ships on a hit mission everyone else thought was too risky. But now they have advanced weapons and tactical systems they’re selling. Money is rolling in, it looks like they’ll come out ahead of things. Of course, that means their mercenaries and contractors get left hanging.
Ah, There’s the problem. Jerdalan Beulongeu is up to something. He’s squirreled away a lot of money, and no one can tell why. His children, the ones who are still in his good graces, are starting to jockey for position. Jerdalan’s old. Unless he fixes his succession, inheritance will turn into a fight. And whatever he’s hiding money for makes everyone nervous and uncertain.”
“Their clients, possibly the Tholians, are pressing them to get more aggressive in pursuit of the targets but the Beulongeau children are reluctant. They don’t like the idea of fighting the Federation directly. No one does.
“Enemies of the house and allies are preparing to make things go their way if Jerdalan dies without better succession in place.”
“Is there any way for us to talk to them, to let them know we know it’s them, and we’ll retaliate if they attack us again?” Haley asked.
Verdan shook his head “In the colonies, every word is measured for how it affects getting to your goal. Speaking the naked truth is rare. Anything you’d say to House Beulongeau would be viewed through that lens. They wouldn’t just believe you. They’d overanalyze, overthink, and come to some off-the-wall conclusion. There’s a serious communication barrier between Starfleet and the Orion Nobility in general. “
“What do you want in return for this information?” Sian asked.
“Well, three things. Keep quiet about where you got it. Remember who your friends are. Now, you owe me a favor.”
“How do you know so much?” Grizishiri asked “You’re obviously some flavor of noble, but your mate is a Green and that makes you an outcast. “
Verdan smiled “Look around us. This huge house, and all the land…. Robots. It’s all relatively cheap. In a world with energy and replicators, knowing things is the only thing worth anything. My business is knowing things. I know people all over. I have insights into the ebbs and flows of history. I’m right often enough to make money. I am an intermediary between the Federation economy and the Orion economy. Both sides want that for different reasons. So if I am careful enough, I can make it happen and profit from it.”
“What do you think of Admiral Sidiq?” Holo-Leeta asked.
“Hmmm, she’s good at her job. But her job is mainly counterintelligence. She has stuff working. Interesting stuff. Previous failures have made her risk-averse. I don’t blame her. She spends a lot of time trying to track how the most creatively mean and underhanded bastards are trying to screw her over and get ahead of that.”
“What will she say if she knows we were here?” Haley asked.
“She’ll be angry. She doesn’t want cowboys going rogue, and I don’t blame her. She’s lost people to that sort of thing and doesn’t want to lose anyone else. But I have a cover.”
“Oh?”
“Tell me about Li’ira.”
“Uhhh…. She’s a ship commander in Task Force Taffy Six.”
“Not anymore. They retired that weird Klingon/Orion thing she was flying.”
“Admiral Six is building her another ship.”
“What do you know about her as a person?”
Haley squinted “Why?”
Verdan said, “You could say I’m a fan. Yours is the 5th Li’ira to appear. I met the original and followed her, but when more Li’iras started turning up…”
“She’s the one who got away,” Gloria said.
Haley looked carefully at Gloria “You, ah… You don’t mind…”
Gloria smiled “She’s the one who got away from all of us, Captain.”
Verdan said, “Well, yes. That. But also, it’s weird. Is the universe trying to tell us something? It likes Li’iras and Haileys? There’s math behind it, but it’s weird. Olivia is in heaven trying to unravel it all.”
“Sometimes, I think it’s possible to know too much,” Haley said.
“Father?” The girl child said.
“Yes, Renda?”
She delicately approached him and whispered in his ear.
He looked thoughtful “I don’t know, honey…”
She looked at him behind her mirror shades.
Verdan looked at Haley. “Renda and several of our other children would like to tour your Starship.”
Haley blinked rapidly One thing the USS California was not intended for was VIP tours.
But Haley liked Verdan, and she liked his kids.
“Day after tomorrow,” She said, “I have to get things set up.”
Verdan smiled, and Haley almost missed the slight surprise there ‘Thank you Captain.”
“Remember who your friends are,” Haley grinned back.
The Verdan estate rolled away across low hills. Haley got a vaguely upper-crust British feel from it. She didn’t know how much of a copy of very expensive English estates it was.
Robots toiled away, tireless, precise, and infinitely patient, tending manicured lawns and gardens.
Transporter inhibitors prevented people from beaming in close. Haley, Sian, Grizishiri and Holo-Leeta walked up a very long driveway.
A herd of about dozen Ane were comfortable grazing in the mild early summer weather.
Elmazelan stood among the Ane. The Aneilog woman trotted over with her four-legged cousins. **Hi, Captain. What brings you this way?**
“We’ve been told that Lord Verdan might know something about House Beulongeau,” Haley said “I didn’t know there were Ane here.”
Elmazelan smiled and spread her hands in an exaggerated shrug **You didn’t ask. May I come along?**
“Sure.”
Haley looked around “Really more of an Ane scale place here, isn’t it?”
**Mostly. But the robots keep cutting the grass too short.**
Elmazelan joined the Ane in triple-voiced laughter.
They walked up too many marble steps to the front door, which was made of large, heavy wood. Haley used the large knocker on the front of the door.
The door opened silently. A butler stood there. A holographic human man in a black suit that had too many folds and angles coming out of it. “May I say who’s calling?”
“Captain Haley Anderson, Commander Sian Irohthloh, Lieutenant Grizishiri QolloQ, Lieutenant Emazelan, and Leeta of the USS California,” Haley said.
“The Master has been informed and will join you in the Library shortly. Please enter.”
They stepped into a foyer that Haley thought she could fit a type 8 shuttlecraft into, with ease.
Several statues of cherubs and maidens flashed red eyes and turned to face the party.
“We ask, for safety reasons, that you check all weapons,” the butler said, and he gestured to a cabinet along the side of the foyer.
Haley placed two type 1 phasers in the small, ornate cabinet. Sian and Emazelan put one each.
Leeta’s thigh folded open, and a mechanical holster slid out, allowing her to reach her serious Polaron blaster. She put that in the cabinet. Then, she took a small, glittering device from her bosom and put that in the cabinet.
“Thank you,” The Butler said.
He led them into another large room. It was wall-to-wall books in dozens of known languages. Some of the books were worn and showed use. Others were fresh and bright as if newly made. There were numerous large oil paintings on the walls. Ornate tables and chairs were placed to allow readers to sit and enjoy whatever tome they found.
In the middle, there was a large conference table with matching ornate chairs. Scattered all over this were tablets. The majority were rectangles with wooden edges and inlaid gold, matching the decor of the building and the library. Among these were devices from all over: Orion and Federation, a few Klingon devices, and even a few Haley couldn’t immediately identify.
“Please be seated. May I get you anything?” The Butler asked.
“Do you have coffee?” Haley asked.
“How do you take it, Captain?”
Haley dictated her coffee order.
“Just water for me,” Sian said.
“And me,” Emazelan said.
“Very good.”
The Butler left and returned in moments with a tray that held a pitcher of water, with ice and a slice of lemon on it, as well as a small coffee carafe and delicate coffee cups. As the Butler served the visitors the main doors opened again.
Two people came through. One was a big Green Orion man with numerous scars. He wore wrap-around shades and had a very efficient Orion-style disruptor in a holster. The other was a large, similarly tough-looking Klingon woman. She had a Mekleth Sword and a Klingon-style blaster.
They moved to the walls and took up positions to cover the Library.
Haley and her crew stood up carefully.
Three children came in with the bodyguards. They were of various ages. Two boys and a girl. They also wore polarized mirror shades and took up positions along the wall very seriously.
Haley peered intently. They had small civilian model disruptors, and knives in sheaths. The Orion man was stone-faced. The Klingon woman was stifling a grin.
The children were dressed casually in expensive-looking clothes. They were the oddest mix of yellow and green Haley had ever seen.
After them came a slim man, also wearing expensive casual clothing. His hair was short and shot through with gray. He had laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. He was a Golden Orion man, with an expensive-looking complexion.
With him was a Green Orion woman, she was dressed in something comfortably diaphanous and flowing. She looked at the children being very serious bodyguards and also stifled a grin. She was carrying a touch of extra weight, just enough to make her look comfortable and snuggly. She moved with practiced grace.
“Greetings. I’m Verdan Genalin. It's nice to meet you,” Verdan smiled and stepped forward to shake Haley Anderson’s hand.
“Pleased, Sir,” Haley said.
“Have a seat, and let’s get to business. I’m sorry to rush, but I have things cooking. You and your crew are welcome here as guests. I’ll ask you to RSVP if you want to visit in groups of more than thirty; we’ll have to adjust the house systems to offer hospitality properly.”
“My Admiral sent us here looking for information on House Beulongeau,” Haley said. “Mister Deylhen said you could help.”
“Did he? Did he now? Hmmm, that’s interesting. But that’s not all there is to this, is there?”
Haley looked at Verdan. He patently knew. “There have been attacks by Beulongeau-aligned ships on Starfleet ships in the Fulcrum. We think the Tholians are involved.”
“Ah-hah, there we go. And Hailey figured you could find a thread to pull.”
Haley said, “I’m Haley. He’s Admiral Six. Yeah, that’s the long and short of it.”
Verdan sat and grabbed a tablet off the table, turned it on, and started scrolling, “Okay, okay, okay, yeah. Beulongeau. They’re a mid-sized house, but that’s made them aggressive, inventive, and mean. They recently lost ships on a hit mission everyone else thought was too risky. But now they have advanced weapons and tactical systems they’re selling. Money is rolling in, it looks like they’ll come out ahead of things. Of course, that means their mercenaries and contractors get left hanging.
Ah, There’s the problem. Jerdalan Beulongeu is up to something. He’s squirreled away a lot of money, and no one can tell why. His children, the ones who are still in his good graces, are starting to jockey for position. Jerdalan’s old. Unless he fixes his succession, inheritance will turn into a fight. And whatever he’s hiding money for makes everyone nervous and uncertain.”
“Their clients, possibly the Tholians, are pressing them to get more aggressive in pursuit of the targets but the Beulongeau children are reluctant. They don’t like the idea of fighting the Federation directly. No one does.
“Enemies of the house and allies are preparing to make things go their way if Jerdalan dies without better succession in place.”
“Is there any way for us to talk to them, to let them know we know it’s them, and we’ll retaliate if they attack us again?” Haley asked.
Verdan shook his head “In the colonies, every word is measured for how it affects getting to your goal. Speaking the naked truth is rare. Anything you’d say to House Beulongeau would be viewed through that lens. They wouldn’t just believe you. They’d overanalyze, overthink, and come to some off-the-wall conclusion. There’s a serious communication barrier between Starfleet and the Orion Nobility in general. “
“What do you want in return for this information?” Sian asked.
“Well, three things. Keep quiet about where you got it. Remember who your friends are. Now, you owe me a favor.”
“How do you know so much?” Grizishiri asked “You’re obviously some flavor of noble, but your mate is a Green and that makes you an outcast. “
Verdan smiled “Look around us. This huge house, and all the land…. Robots. It’s all relatively cheap. In a world with energy and replicators, knowing things is the only thing worth anything. My business is knowing things. I know people all over. I have insights into the ebbs and flows of history. I’m right often enough to make money. I am an intermediary between the Federation economy and the Orion economy. Both sides want that for different reasons. So if I am careful enough, I can make it happen and profit from it.”
“What do you think of Admiral Sidiq?” Holo-Leeta asked.
“Hmmm, she’s good at her job. But her job is mainly counterintelligence. She has stuff working. Interesting stuff. Previous failures have made her risk-averse. I don’t blame her. She spends a lot of time trying to track how the most creatively mean and underhanded bastards are trying to screw her over and get ahead of that.”
“What will she say if she knows we were here?” Haley asked.
“She’ll be angry. She doesn’t want cowboys going rogue, and I don’t blame her. She’s lost people to that sort of thing and doesn’t want to lose anyone else. But I have a cover.”
“Oh?”
“Tell me about Li’ira.”
“Uhhh…. She’s a ship commander in Task Force Taffy Six.”
“Not anymore. They retired that weird Klingon/Orion thing she was flying.”
“Admiral Six is building her another ship.”
“What do you know about her as a person?”
Haley squinted “Why?”
Verdan said, “You could say I’m a fan. Yours is the 5th Li’ira to appear. I met the original and followed her, but when more Li’iras started turning up…”
“She’s the one who got away,” Gloria said.
Haley looked carefully at Gloria “You, ah… You don’t mind…”
Gloria smiled “She’s the one who got away from all of us, Captain.”
Verdan said, “Well, yes. That. But also, it’s weird. Is the universe trying to tell us something? It likes Li’iras and Haileys? There’s math behind it, but it’s weird. Olivia is in heaven trying to unravel it all.”
“Sometimes, I think it’s possible to know too much,” Haley said.
“Father?” The girl child said.
“Yes, Renda?”
She delicately approached him and whispered in his ear.
He looked thoughtful “I don’t know, honey…”
She looked at him behind her mirror shades.
Verdan looked at Haley. “Renda and several of our other children would like to tour your Starship.”
Haley blinked rapidly One thing the USS California was not intended for was VIP tours.
But Haley liked Verdan, and she liked his kids.
“Day after tomorrow,” She said, “I have to get things set up.”
Verdan smiled, and Haley almost missed the slight surprise there ‘Thank you Captain.”
“Remember who your friends are,” Haley grinned back.
-
jayphailey
- Posts: 1267
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 7:50 pm
Re: USS California - The Golden Path
USS California The Golden Path 3
Holden, Kodal and Corso stood at the bar. Holden was nursing the worst warm beer he’d encountered since he was a boy.
The bar was noisy and crowded. People watched a sports game on screens. On a green field, small squads of people ran back and forth and kicked the hell out of a ball. Holden asked at the previous bar and got a context-free information-laden rant that was of no help whatsoever. Apparently, the goal was to kick the ball into one of the two nets on either end of the field and everyone involved was brain-damaged, incompetent, and corrupt.
Holden discovered he didn’t like organized sports.
Conversations boiled. Happy groups of people shouting things they already knew at each other. They were a mix of humans and Orions. The Golden Orions didn’t mix with the Green ones, but the humans apparently didn’t care and mixed with both sets equally.
In the back of the place, a Golden Orion man sat at a table alone, drinking something blue, and looking at several tablets. Next to him, standing, a man with golden skin and forehead ridges stood and glared.
It didn’t look great, but Holden figured he might as well try.
He took his horrible beer and sauntered over.
The man with forehead ridges watched him as soon as he moved. Holden could tell that Ridges was a tough guy. A fighter. Probably something of a shooter. Holden figured he could out-draw and out-shoot the bodyguard but didn’t want things getting too close and stabby.
“Hey, Friend. Can I buy you one of whatever that is you’re drinking?” Holden grinned.
The Orion looked him up and down, quickly but thoroughly. “What do you want, cowboy?”
“I’m looking for someone who’s willing to sell some information.”
“You don’t look like a guy with a deep use for information.”
Holden grinned a self-deprecating grin “I’m usually more of a transport guy, But I know a guy who’s looking to do some business with House Beulongeau maybe and he’ll pay me enough gold pressed latinum to make it worth our while. What should I call you, Friend.”
The Orion made a slow langorous blink and said “Call me Joe.”
“Okay, Joe. I’m Holden.”
“I’m not an information guy myself, but I might know someone who is,” Joe said.
Holden beckoned over a Green Orion woman who was serving at the bar. She came over with a well-practiced smile “What’ll you have, honey?”
Holden said, “Get my friend one of what he’s having and me…” He looked at the mug in front of him “Something that’s not this.”
She grinned “They like it lukewarm and dark. I’ll see if I can round up something a little better for ya.”
She went away. Holden took out his supply of GPL and counted out a good deal more than a beer and another drink were worth “Think that’ll cover it?”
Joe said, “I think you’re a little light.”
Holden counted out more GPL.
“I think that’ll take care of it,” Joe said “I’m not the information guy in this neighborhood. But if you go to the Green Dragon Inn, on Johnstone Avenue. You’ll see a guy named Nordal. Be there at 18:50 local time, Go to the back of the bar. Wait 30 minutes. Then you’ll see Nordal. He’s a Gold like me. Tall guy. Likes to dress in a brown coat. Approach him, and he’ll tell you what you need to know.”
Holden smiled “Thanks, Joe.”
“Now, when Zeelara gets back with your shit, fuck off.”
“Sure thing,” Holden smiled.
-*-
The Green Dragon Inn was a little larger than the previous bar, but looked more hard used. There was a crowd there. The talk was even louder and more energetic. Somewhere a Jukebox had a music group called “The Beatles” yowling about something.
The brass fittings of the bar were worn, the tables and chairs showed damage in some places.
In the back of the place there was a small stage, and a dance floor.
Holden felt more at home immediately.
“This isn’t a place where business gets done,” Kodal said, “This is place where morons drink, dance, and throw terrible punches at each other.”
“The guy said Nordal would be here,” Holden said “Let’s be patient and see who turns up.”
“I hope the others are having better luck,” Kodal said.
They got more beverages. Holden led them to a table in the back. The conversations in this pub were less loud and more intense.
People entered the pub from the back and joined the crowd, seeing people they knew. The people here were working class. Their clothes were meant to survive labor. Their work boots showed wear. Several of the people were visibly tired, rallying on the quiet intense conversations.
Holden took a small device out of his pocket and checked the local time. He also checked for information from the other parties. Two other groups of people were in Churchill’s downport sector, seeking proper business people among the dock workers and space workers in the district.
Mako reported no new information, yet. She was insuring that the party’s subspace comms were encrypted and not obviously borrowed from Starfleet.
Holden looked up and noticed more people. The bar was filling up. Was someone going to take the small stage and commit some crime against music? He looked at Kodal and Corosa, and they both saw it. The pub was getting too crowded for comfort quickly.
Holden scanned for a Gold Orion matching the description but was not getting anywhere.
The crowd grew and grew, The noise was getting louder, and more animated.
Holden was thinking about calling a retreat when the light dimmed. A spot light highlighted the small stage.
A man stepped up “Hey, everyone, thank you for coming. A reminder, the Popular Democratic Front takes donations in all local currencies. We have someone in back, please give if you can.”
“The what now?” Corosa said
“I have a bad feeling about this,”
“I want to remind you that the Oligarchs who really run this planet are looking for an excuse to call us dangerous terrorists. They’re looking for an excuse to form their own little Tal Shiar, their own Obsidian Order to crack down on people like us who want justice and fairness.”
“We cannot play their game. We can’t let them push us into their narrative. We’re fighting for something bigger. Something better.”
The crowd made an agreeable noise.
“So for tonights peaceful political presentation I present Nordal,”
The crowd cheered
A tall Golden Orion man in a long brown coat appeared from the back of the pub and took to the stage “This isn’t THEIR planet,” He said “They didn’t build it. They didn’t make it. That’s not their sweat and blood we see. It’s YOURS!”
The Crowd cheered louder.
Holden shook his head slowly. He’d been had.
“They force us into their bullshit Downton Abby cosplay, and then stand on the shoulders of the people who BUILD this place, and act like we’re machines! Replicators and cleaning bots to make their fantasy life real!”
The Crowd cheered more.
“Every Federation world, as fucked up as they can get, has the blue print for something better. And they all reach for better. WHY NOT US!? We have the forms and facade of Democracy, but the moment it threatens their weird fantasy, we get shut down and told that we should be happy accepting the dregs and leftovers!”
Holden stood up and began moving toward the back exit. Kodal and Corosa quickly joined him.
But the crowd was too thick, and saw no reason to make way for people trying to escape. Kodal knew several weak spots and nerve clusters she could use to move these workers out of the way. But they were worked up. Kodal didn’t want to have to fight everyone in the bar. She didn’t know how quickly and to what extent she’d have to escalate the violence.
“Hold on, Cowboy!” One big man shouted at Holden “You think you’re above all this because you jump in a starship and fly away. But are you, REALLY? Are you free, or are you like us, stuck on a leash made out of thin replicator rations?”
“Sorry, Friend,” Holden said “I am in the wrong place. You and your guys have fun. Long live the revolution, and we’ll see you later.”
The large man shook his head disgustedly.
Another man looked at Kodal “You should lose those weapons before the pigs come. They’ll use it as an excuse.”
“It’s time for us to DEMAND a place at the table!” Nordal yelled, “It’s time for the people who MAKE this world to get THEIR FAIR SHARE!”
The crowd cheered.
Holden, Kodal and Corosa pushe their way out of the back door to the pub. Even outside they could feel the energy and hear the crowd cheering. People milled around in the alley disappointed that they could get inside.
The trio left the alley and began walking westward toward the spaceport
“This is not going well,” Kodel said.
“It's not our flavor of business around here. You need to be tied in to get anywhere.”
“I’m tired of ugly beer. Let's get some food,” Corosa said.
“That’s a great idea.” Holden said.
-*-
The restaurant was well lit. The clientele was slightly more upscale and well dressed than Holden, Kodal and Corosa were used to. They got looks that they ignored, piling into a dish called “Beef stew”.
“Friends, I was wondering if you could help me out with something.” The Golden Orion was the most generic-looking guy in the world. Holden almost mistook him for a waiter.
“Have a seat, fella,” Holden said “We’re always ready to entertain a proposition.”
“There’s a world not too far away from here called Tizon. It’s not a nice place. A business associate has spotted a business opportunity. I need escorts and assistants.” The man said.
“What's your name, friend?” Holden asked.
“Salasan Deylhen,” the man said, “I am offering five bars of gold pressed latinum.”
Holden did the math. It was a nice amount.
“I may be able to offer a bonus, later, as well.”
Holden considered it “How did you know about us?”
“You have the look of cowboys. And you have no reputation in this area of space. That suits my current needs.”
Holden said, “We’re in. Let me round up my crew. Pick us up at the starport tomorrow at 0800.”
“I'll pick you up at Portsmouth Station, at about 1000 hours,” Deylhen said.
“Sure thing.”
“I’ll see you there. May I buy you dinner?”
“Sure,” The only thing better than dinner was dinner on someone else’s money.
Holden, Kodal and Corso stood at the bar. Holden was nursing the worst warm beer he’d encountered since he was a boy.
The bar was noisy and crowded. People watched a sports game on screens. On a green field, small squads of people ran back and forth and kicked the hell out of a ball. Holden asked at the previous bar and got a context-free information-laden rant that was of no help whatsoever. Apparently, the goal was to kick the ball into one of the two nets on either end of the field and everyone involved was brain-damaged, incompetent, and corrupt.
Holden discovered he didn’t like organized sports.
Conversations boiled. Happy groups of people shouting things they already knew at each other. They were a mix of humans and Orions. The Golden Orions didn’t mix with the Green ones, but the humans apparently didn’t care and mixed with both sets equally.
In the back of the place, a Golden Orion man sat at a table alone, drinking something blue, and looking at several tablets. Next to him, standing, a man with golden skin and forehead ridges stood and glared.
It didn’t look great, but Holden figured he might as well try.
He took his horrible beer and sauntered over.
The man with forehead ridges watched him as soon as he moved. Holden could tell that Ridges was a tough guy. A fighter. Probably something of a shooter. Holden figured he could out-draw and out-shoot the bodyguard but didn’t want things getting too close and stabby.
“Hey, Friend. Can I buy you one of whatever that is you’re drinking?” Holden grinned.
The Orion looked him up and down, quickly but thoroughly. “What do you want, cowboy?”
“I’m looking for someone who’s willing to sell some information.”
“You don’t look like a guy with a deep use for information.”
Holden grinned a self-deprecating grin “I’m usually more of a transport guy, But I know a guy who’s looking to do some business with House Beulongeau maybe and he’ll pay me enough gold pressed latinum to make it worth our while. What should I call you, Friend.”
The Orion made a slow langorous blink and said “Call me Joe.”
“Okay, Joe. I’m Holden.”
“I’m not an information guy myself, but I might know someone who is,” Joe said.
Holden beckoned over a Green Orion woman who was serving at the bar. She came over with a well-practiced smile “What’ll you have, honey?”
Holden said, “Get my friend one of what he’s having and me…” He looked at the mug in front of him “Something that’s not this.”
She grinned “They like it lukewarm and dark. I’ll see if I can round up something a little better for ya.”
She went away. Holden took out his supply of GPL and counted out a good deal more than a beer and another drink were worth “Think that’ll cover it?”
Joe said, “I think you’re a little light.”
Holden counted out more GPL.
“I think that’ll take care of it,” Joe said “I’m not the information guy in this neighborhood. But if you go to the Green Dragon Inn, on Johnstone Avenue. You’ll see a guy named Nordal. Be there at 18:50 local time, Go to the back of the bar. Wait 30 minutes. Then you’ll see Nordal. He’s a Gold like me. Tall guy. Likes to dress in a brown coat. Approach him, and he’ll tell you what you need to know.”
Holden smiled “Thanks, Joe.”
“Now, when Zeelara gets back with your shit, fuck off.”
“Sure thing,” Holden smiled.
-*-
The Green Dragon Inn was a little larger than the previous bar, but looked more hard used. There was a crowd there. The talk was even louder and more energetic. Somewhere a Jukebox had a music group called “The Beatles” yowling about something.
The brass fittings of the bar were worn, the tables and chairs showed damage in some places.
In the back of the place there was a small stage, and a dance floor.
Holden felt more at home immediately.
“This isn’t a place where business gets done,” Kodal said, “This is place where morons drink, dance, and throw terrible punches at each other.”
“The guy said Nordal would be here,” Holden said “Let’s be patient and see who turns up.”
“I hope the others are having better luck,” Kodal said.
They got more beverages. Holden led them to a table in the back. The conversations in this pub were less loud and more intense.
People entered the pub from the back and joined the crowd, seeing people they knew. The people here were working class. Their clothes were meant to survive labor. Their work boots showed wear. Several of the people were visibly tired, rallying on the quiet intense conversations.
Holden took a small device out of his pocket and checked the local time. He also checked for information from the other parties. Two other groups of people were in Churchill’s downport sector, seeking proper business people among the dock workers and space workers in the district.
Mako reported no new information, yet. She was insuring that the party’s subspace comms were encrypted and not obviously borrowed from Starfleet.
Holden looked up and noticed more people. The bar was filling up. Was someone going to take the small stage and commit some crime against music? He looked at Kodal and Corosa, and they both saw it. The pub was getting too crowded for comfort quickly.
Holden scanned for a Gold Orion matching the description but was not getting anywhere.
The crowd grew and grew, The noise was getting louder, and more animated.
Holden was thinking about calling a retreat when the light dimmed. A spot light highlighted the small stage.
A man stepped up “Hey, everyone, thank you for coming. A reminder, the Popular Democratic Front takes donations in all local currencies. We have someone in back, please give if you can.”
“The what now?” Corosa said
“I have a bad feeling about this,”
“I want to remind you that the Oligarchs who really run this planet are looking for an excuse to call us dangerous terrorists. They’re looking for an excuse to form their own little Tal Shiar, their own Obsidian Order to crack down on people like us who want justice and fairness.”
“We cannot play their game. We can’t let them push us into their narrative. We’re fighting for something bigger. Something better.”
The crowd made an agreeable noise.
“So for tonights peaceful political presentation I present Nordal,”
The crowd cheered
A tall Golden Orion man in a long brown coat appeared from the back of the pub and took to the stage “This isn’t THEIR planet,” He said “They didn’t build it. They didn’t make it. That’s not their sweat and blood we see. It’s YOURS!”
The Crowd cheered louder.
Holden shook his head slowly. He’d been had.
“They force us into their bullshit Downton Abby cosplay, and then stand on the shoulders of the people who BUILD this place, and act like we’re machines! Replicators and cleaning bots to make their fantasy life real!”
The Crowd cheered more.
“Every Federation world, as fucked up as they can get, has the blue print for something better. And they all reach for better. WHY NOT US!? We have the forms and facade of Democracy, but the moment it threatens their weird fantasy, we get shut down and told that we should be happy accepting the dregs and leftovers!”
Holden stood up and began moving toward the back exit. Kodal and Corosa quickly joined him.
But the crowd was too thick, and saw no reason to make way for people trying to escape. Kodal knew several weak spots and nerve clusters she could use to move these workers out of the way. But they were worked up. Kodal didn’t want to have to fight everyone in the bar. She didn’t know how quickly and to what extent she’d have to escalate the violence.
“Hold on, Cowboy!” One big man shouted at Holden “You think you’re above all this because you jump in a starship and fly away. But are you, REALLY? Are you free, or are you like us, stuck on a leash made out of thin replicator rations?”
“Sorry, Friend,” Holden said “I am in the wrong place. You and your guys have fun. Long live the revolution, and we’ll see you later.”
The large man shook his head disgustedly.
Another man looked at Kodal “You should lose those weapons before the pigs come. They’ll use it as an excuse.”
“It’s time for us to DEMAND a place at the table!” Nordal yelled, “It’s time for the people who MAKE this world to get THEIR FAIR SHARE!”
The crowd cheered.
Holden, Kodal and Corosa pushe their way out of the back door to the pub. Even outside they could feel the energy and hear the crowd cheering. People milled around in the alley disappointed that they could get inside.
The trio left the alley and began walking westward toward the spaceport
“This is not going well,” Kodel said.
“It's not our flavor of business around here. You need to be tied in to get anywhere.”
“I’m tired of ugly beer. Let's get some food,” Corosa said.
“That’s a great idea.” Holden said.
-*-
The restaurant was well lit. The clientele was slightly more upscale and well dressed than Holden, Kodal and Corosa were used to. They got looks that they ignored, piling into a dish called “Beef stew”.
“Friends, I was wondering if you could help me out with something.” The Golden Orion was the most generic-looking guy in the world. Holden almost mistook him for a waiter.
“Have a seat, fella,” Holden said “We’re always ready to entertain a proposition.”
“There’s a world not too far away from here called Tizon. It’s not a nice place. A business associate has spotted a business opportunity. I need escorts and assistants.” The man said.
“What's your name, friend?” Holden asked.
“Salasan Deylhen,” the man said, “I am offering five bars of gold pressed latinum.”
Holden did the math. It was a nice amount.
“I may be able to offer a bonus, later, as well.”
Holden considered it “How did you know about us?”
“You have the look of cowboys. And you have no reputation in this area of space. That suits my current needs.”
Holden said, “We’re in. Let me round up my crew. Pick us up at the starport tomorrow at 0800.”
“I'll pick you up at Portsmouth Station, at about 1000 hours,” Deylhen said.
“Sure thing.”
“I’ll see you there. May I buy you dinner?”
“Sure,” The only thing better than dinner was dinner on someone else’s money.