04-13-2025, 09:58 PM
The explosion had come from inside the Yeager. That was both good and bad. Good that it meant they hadn't blundered into an anomaly or minefield. Bad because it meant that despite the assurances of the Starbase engineers, the systems still weren't 100% and something had obviously malfunctioned. Security was staging a rescue attempt to get to the two crewpeople trapped in the vicinity of the explosion, while Qi worked on the automatic fire suppression system which apparently had also been disabled by the explosion. Engineering were no doubt working to extinguish the fires, which could threaten the entire ship if they were allowed to spread. Only when the fires were out and the damage had been inspected would they be able to determine whether or not they could continue the mission as planned.
“Ma'am, sensors are showing a vessel inbound from the planet, but they haven't hailed us yet. And their shields are raised.”
Of course they'd attracted attention. They'd appeared on the edge of the system, started conducting scans, and then suffered an explosion. It was a hell of a first impression to make on a new species, and she didn't blame them for being guarded. Jenny knew that she would be too if someone was at risk of spontaneously exploding.
“Permission to open a hailing frequency?”
It was now or never. It wasn't the introduction she would have liked to make, nor was the diplomat on the Bridge beside her to 'assist' in the formalities, but events had led to this. Jenny was the Captain, so the buck ultimately fell to her.
"Do it."
Standing, Jenny tugged at her uniform jacket and adjusted her ponytail to make herself look a little more presentable. She also motioned for Jensen to kill the alert lighting on the Bridge; she wanted to make it at least look like the situation was under control.
Poker face time...
"Wairara vessel, this is Captain Jennifer Braggins of the Federation starship Yeager. We are on a mission of peaceful discovery, and wish to meet your people. We have heard of your 'Great Race' and wish to enter. Unfortunately we have suffered an explosion aboard and were forced to heave-to in order to assess the damage. May we approach the planet and take up orbit while we conduct repairs?"
It galled Jenny to ask for help like this, but the Wairara were engineers. They would surely appreciate the opportunity to inspect different technologies and assist in repairs, wouldn't they? If not, the worst they could say was "no".
“Ma'am, sensors are showing a vessel inbound from the planet, but they haven't hailed us yet. And their shields are raised.”
Of course they'd attracted attention. They'd appeared on the edge of the system, started conducting scans, and then suffered an explosion. It was a hell of a first impression to make on a new species, and she didn't blame them for being guarded. Jenny knew that she would be too if someone was at risk of spontaneously exploding.
“Permission to open a hailing frequency?”
It was now or never. It wasn't the introduction she would have liked to make, nor was the diplomat on the Bridge beside her to 'assist' in the formalities, but events had led to this. Jenny was the Captain, so the buck ultimately fell to her.
"Do it."
Standing, Jenny tugged at her uniform jacket and adjusted her ponytail to make herself look a little more presentable. She also motioned for Jensen to kill the alert lighting on the Bridge; she wanted to make it at least look like the situation was under control.
Poker face time...
"Wairara vessel, this is Captain Jennifer Braggins of the Federation starship Yeager. We are on a mission of peaceful discovery, and wish to meet your people. We have heard of your 'Great Race' and wish to enter. Unfortunately we have suffered an explosion aboard and were forced to heave-to in order to assess the damage. May we approach the planet and take up orbit while we conduct repairs?"
It galled Jenny to ask for help like this, but the Wairara were engineers. They would surely appreciate the opportunity to inspect different technologies and assist in repairs, wouldn't they? If not, the worst they could say was "no".