Episode 3 – To Boldly Roll The (Mis)Adventures of the USS Potemkin

Written Bydulac
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The Forests of Night pt.2

Saturday 3 April 2021 – 1800hrs ~ 2100hrs GMT

Commander Kenneth Mikhael – Executive Officer

Lieutenant Commander Ezekiel “Zeke” Pride – Flight Controller

Lieutenant Elli-Navine – Chief Engineer

Lieutenant Alexander Artopolis – Chief Medical Officer

Podcast: Episode 3 – To Boldly Roll The (Mis)Adventures of the USS Potemkin

With the fight over the intrepid crew make a beeline for the small room at the back of the waterfall. Even from afar it is clearly advanced technology. Well, more so than they had witnessed so far! Elli did her thing, and they were soon able to tell that the rudimentary artificial intelligence that ran this sleeper ship had been damaged decades ago when the ship had been struck by an Ion storm. What was, at the time, a small computing error had led the ship off course, a simple reboot of the computer systems reset that error and the A.I quickly took the ship into a tight orbit around the Red Giant star, increasing speed from the gravity turn and boosting out on a course that would take it, in 80 years, to its destination. Their job done the away team beat feet back to their shuttle and headed back to the Potemkin safe in the knowledge that the Prime Directive hadn’t been breached and that they had saved the thousands of people who would sleep away another 80 years.

Aftermath:

The Slipstream tunnel that the very capable Commander Alexandria Pride was expertly navigating twisted and bent as the Fortune Class USS Potemkin – C headed to the New Vahar to see the end of a mission that began 80 years. The Potemkin had been selected as her ancestor had been the vessel to make first contact with the sleeper ship that would soon be entering Orbit around the Vaharians new home world. Indeed, at the helm was the Grand daughter of the Potemkin’s own Helm officer. There were a few others who drew their heritage back to crew aboard that fateful ship.

The Potemkin – C returned to normal space with a bright flash and made its way in system, they would catch the sleeper ship, the Grif Balata, and escort them the last few minutes. The Vaharians had joined the Federation 30 years before and were, at that point, given data about their lost ship. It had been decided that they would allow it to continue its journey alone. Only monitored but never contacted.

The party that followed was somewhat bittersweet for those who awoke almost 100 years later than they had expected, the leaps in technology and knowledge, even the laws and culture they had known were so quite different. Only time would tell how they would influence their people.

Population III conundrum Pt. 1

Saturday 3 April 2021 – 1800hrs ~ 2100hrs GMT

Commander Kenneth Mikhael – Executive Officer

Lieutenant Commander Ezekiel “Zeke” Pride – Flight Controller

Lieutenant Elli-Navine – Chief Engineer

Lieutenant Alexander Artopolis – Chief Medical Officer

Podcast: Episode 3 – To Boldly Roll The (Mis)Adventures of the USS Potemkin

The Potemkin was cruising along, minding their own bees wax when they were struck by a power chroniton pulse. While not enough to damage the ship it did, and quite rightly, draw the attention of the crew. Making a course change they speed towards the source of the pulse. Their first stop brought them to an otherwise normal system, one that the chroniton pulse had passed through, the presence of a ravaged world. Deep scars torn into the world from what can only have been hundreds or thousands of pulsed had dug a deep trench. This system was not the source of the pulses but may have been the target.

Potemkin renters warp and is soon confronted by a massive star, so large it makes Earth’s sun look like a small planet. Sensor soon confirm that it is a population 3 star, an object that has rarely been witnessed and never this far from the galactic core. A population 3 star are theorised to have been the first generation of star in our galaxy. For one to be here, well it would have been a massive deal. It is just 50 million years in age, but the intrepid crew quickly realize something is strange, not only is there and artifice construct orbiting close to the star; a set of three aligned rings, but there is an M-Class planet orbiting out at the sun’s goldilocks zone. A planet that is around 4 billion years in age and should not be here!

A giant satellite dish was chosen as a landing zone for the away team, it was the most advanced bit of technology on the planet and seemed like the best place to start. Landing on what looks like a helicopter pad the away team quickly make their way down the four levels of the building, at each level searching for clues as to what has happened. While much of the power is off some computers held data in their flash drives, enough to put together a basic timeline. Contact was made, it is unclear who or what that contact was, but they seemingly gifted technology to this culture. The dish was upgraded using nanites, an EM launcher was built, and an advanced satellite was fired into orbit. The communications then became tachyon based. All this advancement happened in just 50 years from first contact.

In their search they discovered a maintenance robot, a kind of giant football with legs, or a giant ladybird… depending on your opinion. While clearly a robot it greeted the away team with obvious affection, a desire for company and comfort. It rushed to its charging station and gathered up its possessions, a small data storage device that had been worked into a pebble. Stored on the device were pictures of a little girl and family, some of them included the robot all of them showed a happy family. The away team, Elli mostly decided the Robot would go with them. They couldn’t leave the adorable little critter here alone.