A plan for a plan

Posted on Sat Nov 30th, 2024 @ 8:56am by Lieutenant N'vok Holv & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson

Mission: Season 6: Episode 5: A church beyond heaven
Location: Ready room
Timeline: Outside the church MD 3
707 words - 1.4 OF Standard Post Measure

N'vok reviewed the information on his datapad again and then tapped the comm. "N'vok to the Commodore, I have a proposal that I need your approval and authorization for. It is a project that would be best initiated directly if approved."

The Commodore's reply came through. "Of Course Lieutenant Please come to my ready room."

"On my way," said N'vok. He grabbed his datapad and headed directly to the Commodore's ready room. He stepped in. "Commodore," he said with a nod. "Thanks to Lieutenant Kerr, we may have a way to end or at least limit the ability of the Slavers to be a threat. But it will require a probe and a small amount of risk."

"Oh?" Phoenix asked as she waved him to the desk. "Tell me about it."

N'vok offered the datapad. "As you know, our current understanding of the Thi'leahian culture and technology indicates that they were a people in the early stages of cultural development when after a significant planetary disaster, probably a comet strike, were able to access a hidden trove of Precursor technology. Said technology provides their advanced ships and weaponry, allowing them to strike at will. The Precursors are odd and unfathomable in many ways but nothing we have ever learned about them indicates that they would have given such tools to a culture in such an early stage of cultural and moral development. My theory is that the comet strike, for whatever reason, disrupted the plans of the Precursors' initial design and gave the Slavers access to the wonders of advanced technology centuries, if not millennia, early."

"Now, if this is the case, which it may not be, if we can explain the situation to the Precursors' computer system, it may choose to stop supporting the Thi'leahians. That may be that it stops giving them new ships, that may be that it disables all the technology it has given them, or it may do nothing at all. Therefore, I would like to send a probe loaded with all of the information we have about what damage the Thi'leahian have done and broadcast it in as many forms and languages we know to where the Precursors core is. Odds are, it will not change things, but if it does, it may give this sector a fighting chance to escape from its dark ages," explains N'vok.

"Now, the danger is that the Thi'leahian may track to probe back to us and seek to strike at us because of it. However, there are a wide range of mitigating strategies we can use to make that difficult for them," he concluded.

Phoenix nodded as she listened. "A shuttle or smaller craft could be used to go out and then come back." she mused. "The other side of the coin is that it might not work."

"The chance of it working is, statistically, minimal," said N'vok. "But if it does work, the benefits for this sector of space would be immense and it would stop them from raiding other sectors of space. I was thinking of using a probe, something disposable and could self-implode to minimize the chance of it being analyzed. A shuttle would have more broadcast power but would require an operator and greater risk of it being followed home."

"Yes I meant the shuttle to deploy the probe." Phoenix replied. "Set it up. Anything is better than nothing."

"On it, Commodore," said N'vok. "Even though it is unlikely to work. The possibility of striking against the Slavers is very appealing so we will do our best to make it work."

"Exactly. Would be nice if we can get them off our backs for sure." Phoenix smiled.

"We will do our best, Commodore," said N'vok. "We have a good team."

"I know. Though if you can, reach out to the academy, get the cadets to watch as you build it ok? Give them something to learn."

"An excellent idea, Commodore," said N'vok. "I will do so. With your permission, I will start directly."

"Given. Good luck Lieutenant. "

"Thank you, Commodore," he said with a nod. "I have always found that fortune favours the prepared mind." With that, he left, his mind planning out the needed step to get this project done.