ic Shark Week: Raiders of the Lost Shark

[Brown Dynamite]

Lor Star Navy 3rd Strike Group [AKA the Spear of the Republic]

.3 AUs from the remains of Lor Van

Lor time mark 1972.3 [April 7th (Terran Calendar)]

 

Chiliarch Valerius Detinson , was a high-ranking member of the Lor Star Navy.  In command of an unconventional warfare focused strike group, the Chilliarch was always ready for war.  The carriers in his fleet were armed enough with enough firepower to bombard any Khanate property for days on end.  A fact that his men were quick to brag about.  Those of whom weren't bragging about which generation clone of Valerius they were.  Despite the access to the advance medical technology of the Lor fleet, Chilliarch Detinson's body was a tapestry of his 70 years in the Star Navy.  Scars adorned every inch of his scalp.  A cybernetic replacement sat where his eye would be.  And even his uniform looked outdated by modern Lor military standards.

 

He was not exactly the sort of man to reach out lightly.  So the weight of what it meant when Valerius reached out with a coded message to the capital Valerius was not taken lightly by the Capital.  It wasn't long before many arms of the Lor Star Navy including the Republic Colonial Scout Corps and even the Praetorians were brought in.  So that Chilliarch Detinson could describe.  Two Lor exploratory vessels had managed to disappear without a trace.  It was confidential information that the Lor would not share with outside parties if given any other choice.

 

A week ago a second wormhole had appeared near the former capital of the Lor Republic.  Running parallel to the existing wormhole it created a somewhat stable Roman Ring with chronological readings whose applications had yet to fully be researched.  So two exploratory vessels complete with multiple armed scout ships were sent to survey the land once the wormhole was deemed stable.  But, as soon as they traversed through the spatial irregularity all contact was lost.  The ring is now showing signs of fracturing within another week and with it the wormhole.  If it disappeared before the missing Lor would be lost.  Possibly forever.

[Tiffany Korta]

The Traveller

“The last time I was here the Lor had just about figured out basic firearms, it was a crazy time for all.”

 

Sitara had seen her share of dead or destroyed planets, civilization and races that existed only in her memories (and Ākāśavāni’s growing database). After the millennia she choose to celebrate the good in those lost, apart from the few that the galaxy was better off without.

 

“So how do you want to handle this? We should at least try and gather data about this thing, natural or not, it is a thing of beauty.”

[angrydurf]

"The mysteries of the infinite."  Jolan Zal Na'ar intoned formally from his seat, the simple robes of the ascetic followers of the Order of the Celestial Path draped over his form as he sat in meditive repose.  "Yes a thing of beauty and no small danger if these reports are accurate."

 

The Star Ranger he'd arrived with took another long drink of the caffeinated beverage she'd brought from her ship and scowled down at the display, "I know the damn thing gives me a headache what's that count for?"  she grumbled grumpily.  "Are we talking rescue or research here?  Thing seemed stable enough to send people in I assume you sent probes first?"

[Brown Dynamite]

GM

 

The Chilliarch gave a bit of a harumph sound.  It wasn't clear if he was reacting to the idea that once upon a time the Lor did not have the military might it carried now.  Or the question as to whether the mission's purpose was to be rescue or research.  But the gruff Lor officer did not give much time for open contemplation before speaking.  "Three probes were sent ahead of the exploratory vessels.  One came back.  The lookie-loos in the drone bay have been combing over the hunk of metal.  It doesn't even have any recording data.  Lot of good that looking at water and mud will do.  Official mandate that the ships and any research material that may have been acquired during this voyage.  No one can say if it will continue to be as stable long enough for a new leg of research.  I couldn't give two blue suns whether the shipyard is a little lighter or not.  But I do need a full personnel for the next regiment roll call.  Take that as you will."

 

It wasn't directly said.  But Chilliarch Dettinson had made his position clear that he wouldn't care if the Lor's research efforts were a wash.  His personal priority being the missing members of the Star Navy.

 

[Tiffany Korta]

The Traveller
Sitara had seen this limited military thinking many, many times before and it was generally a frustrating thing to encounter. She’d been trained to think as much as an engineer as a warrior, and that meant looking at the failures as much as the successes.

 

“You’d be surprised what you can learn from mud, every planet has a unique mix of qualities with enough knowledge you can track a place down to the square meter of ground.” before he could make some pithy retort she carried on

 

“Does the wreckage show any sign of torsional stress from being twisted through dimension? What about micro alteration in the structure from exposure to subspace energies? And there’s always a chance that you can find enough remnants of the data to find something useful.” she gave a little shrug before adding

 

“But I guess you want us go take a look at the wormhole so it’s not your problem any more?”

[Thevshi]

Paradigm

 

Amara Val-Ren had been listening to Sitara's questions and the responses from the two Lor members of the Colonial Scout corps and Chiliarch Detinson as the Naram gazed out the viewports in the conference room where they were meeting at the new wormhole that had appeared near the former location of Lor Van. Not far in the distance (at least to Amara's vision) were the Lor orbital facilities and the numerous vessels (both military and civilian) gathered around the older wormhole formed by the Communion and part of the wider network. The last time the leader of the Praetorians had been in this system had been to assist in the recovery of a cargo vessel that had almost been lost to the older wormhole.

 

Turning back to look at the others as Sitara and the Chiliarch finished their exchange. "We will do all we can to help retrieve the personnel aboard the lost vessels Chiliarch Detinson," Amara began before looking over toward her friend and teammate, "and see if we can possible save any of data they may have collected as well."

[angrydurf]

"So rescue then."  Fa'Rua nodded and stared down at the holo-display thoughtfully.  "If one of the probes came back out intact then we can reliably expect the gravtic and spatial forces won't just rip a ship apart."  she surmised quietly, "So hostiles, or something that effects organics primarily."   After all something held the Naval vessel beyond the borders of this spacetime.

 

Jolan stirred from his own mussing to bow slightly to the Chiliarch, "I may be able to ascertain some of what transpired when the probes crossed the threshold but would require direct access."  he offered humbly.  "It may prove enlightening to what we may face should we follow in it's footsteps."  He took a step back awaiting dismissal and permission to examine the probe himself.

 

Fa'Rua glanced at her twin incredulously but with some effort remained silent.  Standing as well she fired off a practiced salute that showed she'd not always been a scout nor ranger, "I should make the hopper ready if we're going to go in."