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kw0134 posted:They both have the roots in zombies and stuff (and of course WoW's Forsaken is literally zombies but not mindless), so there is more than a passing similarity. At least in WoW this is a major source of conflict as opposed to the "but but cultural differences" as it seems in STO. So there's some awareness of the ethical difficulties in this sort of thing, though as you probably are aware the lore thread in the WoW subforum is a diseased blot on the forum. Oh I know, I used to be one of the worst elements of the WoW lore thread until BFA killed my interest in the game.  Tunicate posted:Regardless of that, based on the voyager ep, they imprison and brainwash the newly resurrected people in a super abusive way. Cythereal posted:
And if you think it's bad so far? Just wait...
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Feb 27, 2020 02:04
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[i]Elements. They sound like the Borg.
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Cythereal posted:Oh I know, I used to be one of the worst elements of the WoW lore thread until BFA killed my interest in the game. I still can't believe they decided to end this arc the way they did. It's fantastically tone deaf.
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Feb 27, 2020 09:05
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Delta Rising: All that Glitters Captain’s Log, Stardate 87158.31 The Dyson’s fifteen minutes out from the Shenda system. We’ve been ordered to assist The Doctor – not our Doctor, I should stress, but Voyager’s unshackled former EMH – with an unfolding medical emergency. On a personal note, while the circumstances that brought us out here are less than ideal, I can’t help but feel more comfortable in the Delta Quadrant. When I first came to this time, I went from exploring new worlds to policing an area of the galaxy that we’d basically solved, exploration-wise. Out here, though, we’re explorers again. That’s the feeling I signed up for. --  : Dropping out of warp in three, two, one...   : We’ve arrived. The distress signal is coming from the transport dead ahead, but we’ve received no response to our hails. I’ll keep trying, but perhaps our guest knows more.  : It’s somewhere to start. Take us to the Doctor’s shuttle. : Aye, sir.  : This is the U.S.S. Dyson, calling shuttle Tereshkova. Doctor, do you read?  : Pleased to meet you, Captain. I scanned your service record before your arrival. : Ah-: You’ve been in quite a few battles, haven’t you? Ever stop to think about the strain you’re putting on your medical crew before you charge into combat? : Er-: Of course you don’t. No captain ever does. [As in Tuvok’s dream, The Doctor is voiced by Robert Picardo. I love him.] : Nice to meet you too, Doctor. : We’ve been hailing the Ocampan freighter for some time, but we’re not getting a response, and our sensors cannot penetrate their shields. Their initial distress signal indicated they were suffering from Parinisti measles. I can treat it easily... If I can get onto the ship. Now that the Dyson is here, it should be trivial to board the vessel and assess the situation. Transport me aboard your vessel, and then my shuttle can return to Voyager. : That works. Prepare for transport. : Excellent. Your ship has more powerful sensors than my shuttle.   : Captain, I’m picking up some strange readings. Kind of like a ship decloaking, but... not? : Could it be ships emerging from underspace? : Confirmed. Vaadwuar ships inbound!: Red alert!  : Engine power just flatlined! Impulse engines are down.  : The hell? Grey, take over up here. I’ll be in Engineering.  : The effect’s coming from that drone![We're fighting multiple Vaadwuar ships for the first time. Their Interdictor vessels will occasionally deploy Constriction Anchors, which are drones that will tank your engine power, pin you in place and deal kinetic damage.]   : We’re being painted for a barrage![If you’re unlucky enough to be caught by an anchor drone at the same time one of the larger ships fires a spatial charge barrage, you’re going to have A Bad Time] : Tactical, destroy that drone. Divert all auxiliary power to engines and get us the hell out of here. And brace for impact! : Damage report! : Hull breaches on decks seven and twelve. Emergency fields in place. Shields dropped, but they’re charging again.  : Sickbay to bridge. We’re deploying medical teams. : Bridge, Engineering. Whatever was draining our power’s stopped. I’m diverting power from other subsystems until the engines finish cycling. : Confirmed, we have impulse power. : Recommend we avoid getting too close to any more of those drones. : Acknowledged. Status of the Vaadwuar ships?: They’ve broken off us and are starting attack runs on the Ocampans. : Like hell they are. Battle Mode, people. Talleon, fire weapons as they bear. Uv, get us between the Vaadwuar and the Ocampans.   : All targets destroyed. The Ocampans are a little banged up, but they’re OK. : I have another wave of Vaadwuar incoming. : Alaarem, it’s time!: What, now? : What better time? : Fine, fine. Captain, suggest we drop out of Battle Mode. K’atya and I have something that should be able to deal with that next wave. : ...Do it. : Diverting auxiliary power to particle emitters. : Talleon, can you pipe targeting data for the Vaadwuar over to my station?: Done. I can’t wait to see this. : They’re in range... Commence stage one!: Gravity well deployed and... stable. Ready for stage two. : Activating... DESTABILISING RESONANCE BEAM!  [Destabilising Resonance Beam is a science bridge officer ability that was introduced slightly after Delta Rising. It’s a ten second long beam that fires from a ship’s deflector and spreads burst damage as an area of effect attack to other ships in a small radius – for instance, a group of ships trapped in a gravity well. What makes it devastating on the Dyson relies a bit on the way I’ve been gearing it behind the scenes. We have installed a Deteriorating Secondary Deflector, which, when triggered by our use of DRB, applies heavy radiation damage to all affected targets. On top of that, over the past few weeks I’ve been quietly working towards unlocking a special character trait from the game’s crafting system, that allows our science abilities to critically hit. In short, Tactical Mode is now the mode to switch to if I want to do LESS damage. We’ve gone full scihole. This is only the beginning of the science-based bullshit the Dyson is capable of.] : Well, that sure as hell worked. Well done, Team Mad Science. : Thank you sir!: More Vaadwuar underspace signatures. A lot more. : Get set up for another wave. : Wait... They’re transmitting on an open frequency! : Hold your fire! I am Gaul, leader of the Vaadwuar. : Hold position here. Maintain weapon charge, but drop the targeting lock. And bring this Gaul on screen.  : Greetings. I am Gaul, leader of the Vaadwuar Supremacy. I apologise for the overzealousness of my soldiers. This action was not authorised. [Gaul is one of the original Vaadwuar found and revived by Janeway. It was Gaul who decided to try a takeover of Voyager instead of just dealing with them in good faith. In trying to backstab Janeway, he demonstrates a better grasp of her character than half the writers on the show. He was played on Voyager by Robert Knepper, but Knepper doesn’t reprise the role in STO. Instead, Gaul is played here by Liam O’Brien AKA Illidan goddamn Stormrage. I was not prepared to learn this.] : Captain Scott Malthis of the U.S.S. Dyson. I represent an alliance of forces from the Alpha Quadrant. : I’m pleased to finally meet you, Captain. It appears your presence here in the Delta Quadrant has inadvertently caused some conflict between us. I would rather avoid any more unpleasantness. Would you be willing to meet with me, face to face? : Yes, but I’ve found such talks are best on neutral grounds. : That is understandable. Do you have a location in mind? There are not many areas of the Delta Quadrant where my people are not reviled. : I might know a place... I will be back with you in a moment. End transmission, Gor. : Uh, Scott? One or two questions, if I may. : I can guess. First, if we can actually negotiate some kind of cease fire with the Vaadwuar, the entire quadrant benefits. Second, it's our responsibility to at least try to negotiate in good faith. And third, not as far as I could throw him. : Oh. : See if you can hail Neelix at New Talax. I’ve got an idea.   : Captain Malthis! What a wonderful surprise! Is there anything I can do for you?  : Hi Neelix. We need a neutral place for a diplomatic negotiation with the Vaadwuar, and I was wondering if you could help. : Diplomatic negotiations? I am Starfleet’s ambassador to the Delta Quadrant! I would be more than happy to offer my services as mediator. As for the location, Dexa and most of our people are on New Talax now, but we still have the asteroid base in the Entaba system. It’s mostly empty now – just a few cleaning crews – and the Kazon have been leaving it alone. It would be perfect. : Neelix, you read my mind. Thank you. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Dyson out. : Nice. A big, empty space in neutral territory. : Let’s see if he’ll go for it. Hail Gaul. : Well, Captain? Do you have a suitable location for our meeting? : There’s an asteroid base in the Entaba system that the Talaxians have been using. : Talaxians? Are there still Talaxian communities? How odd. The site is agreeable. Send my ship the coordinates and I will meet you there. : Coordinates sent. We’ll talk there. And may I say, I hope that this will be the first of many productive meetings. : I’m contacting the closest medical ship. They can investigate this further while we meet with Gaul. : Excellent idea, Doctor. I’m sorry we weren’t able to help these people more. : Course laid in for the Entaba system. : Hit it. And break out the dress uniforms, folks. This may not work, but at least we’ll look good.  --  : Sir, we have arrived in the Entaba System. Gaul's ship is already here and he has transported down to the base. : Bring us into transporter range.  : Imagine using a medical emergency as a trap. The Vaadwaur have no shame. : Agreed. : That’s what makes them dangerous. : I don't trust Gaul. He betrayed us on Vaadwaur Prime. He'll do it again.: I’m expecting him to. Gor, is the transporter subroutine ready? : Aye, sir. Just double tap your commbadge to activate the sequence. : Incoming hail from the base. It’s Neelix. : It's good to see you again so soon, Captain. If I might make a suggestion, I would recommend only bringing two crew members with your away team. Gaul brought four aides. You'll have the Doctor and myself, and bringing more of your crew down might look like you're trying to get an advantage on him. Gaul seems ... very touchy. Proper protocol will be important. : Of course he is. That won't be a problem, Neelix. We’ll be with you shortly. Rinna, K’atya, we're the diplomatic party. Let’s get moving. : Wait...: Me?!?: Do you know of any other senior Klingon officers on this ship? If this Gaul’s been doing his research, he’ll know the Alliance we’ve put together started on shaky ground. We’re going to make a subtle demonstration of our unity. : But... I don’t know anything about diplomacy! : I’ve met diplomats, Lieutenant. Believe it or not, that’s one of your qualifications. Dress uniform, transporter room, five minutes. And don’t forget to grab a commbadge from Gor. : Uh... On it! : Commander Zurole, you have the conn. --  : Admiral, it's so good to see … : Doctor! It's been thirty years! You haven't aged a day!: ... Yes, it is good to see you too, Neelix.: We have a bit of time before we'll begin. We're giving the Vaadwaur a fine Talaxian feast ... to help ease the tension! Doctor, you must tell me all you've been up to!: Oh, Neelix, I couldn't, not with the Vaadwaur here. ... but, I suppose it is important that you hear about my many achievements since our last meeting.  : ... and my brilliant research was able to prove conclusively ... : ... Thus I began my grand adventure into the challenge of writing Klingon opera ... : ... well, Brax and I agreed to never mention the incident again. At least not to Dexa! ... : Neelix, the Vaadwaur have finished the appetizers and are waiting for you.: Oh! Well, we had better get going. We can talk more later. : Do you remember Chef Jolax from the last time you were here? He's the one that has been serving the Vaadwaur their fabulous appetizers. Full bellies make for good conversation, I always say! He told me that Gaul is a little grumpy, but I'm sure you can handle him! : Oh yeah, piece of cake. : Gaul is in the command room now, waiting for us. Jolax should be back soon to take everyone's orders for the main course. : Well, let’s not keep him waiting.  : Ah, Captain, at last. I must say, your Talaxian friends are quite hospitable. But, down to business. Our meeting is long overdue.: Agreed. I hope this will be the first step towards an understanding between our peoples. : As do I. My people are damaged, Captain. In crisis. We are already at war with the Kobali ... and with you, given your alliance's support for them.: Then let's try and find an accord that benefits us both. : Do you know why we fight the Kobali? Their world was once a Vaadwaur colony. One of our largest. And there is still a large cache of stasis tubes on the planet. Those are my brothers and sisters being held hostage. The Kobali are stealing them. Taking their very identities and transforming them!: That's... I don't even know where to start with that. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. : The Kobali would rather watch us die and use our corpses as fuel for their unnatural corruption. Is it wrong to fight against your own extinction? Don't we have a right to survive as well?: You absolutely do. You raise an interesting point, though – every day you fight the Kobali, you take losses. And every fallen Vaadwuar runs the risk of being resurrected as a Kobali. With those stakes, why run the risk of fighting? The death toll is catastrophic on both sides, but for every loss you take, the Kobali gain a new recruit. Let’s arrange a cease fire, and find a way for you to reuinite your people without further bloodshed. : There can be no peace! Not after what they've done! Are you suggesting we are weak? That we should just lay down and die for them? No, Captain. We will not.: Nobody’s suggesting you’re weak. I’m just looking to save lives. To prevent any more of your people being converted. : Do not try to pacify me, Captain. We will have our retribution! You have my offer. Abandon your alliance with the Kobali and support us, and we will be your strongest ally in the quadrant.: Let’s just take a moment. The Alliance isn’t from this region of space, and we’re not about taking sides. Our goal is peaceful coexistence with all of the powers in the Delta Quadrant, including the Vaadwuar. AND including the Kobali.  Cutscene time! Watch this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctK90sMXuTg : Peace ... you know nothing of what it means to be Vaadwaur. You need to understand. The Vaadwaur have endured too much to make peace, Captain. Do you expect us to forget the destruction of our cities? The massacres of our people? : No. But history is full of examples of folks so fixated on their own history that they couldn’t look past it and deal with the problems of the present. I hope you won’t repeat their mistake.  : The food's almost ready! What would you all like for your main course?: Sorry, if you could come back- : You need understand even the smallest fraction of our anger.   //: !  : ... He's dead. I'm sorry.: Does that make you angry, Talaxian? : No ... it makes me sad. For Jolex ... and for you.[I’ve only really skimmed Voyager, and don’t really think Neelix brought anything to the show as a character. But I’ll be damned if this isn’t the best written and delivered line in Delta Rising. Ethan Phillips absolutely nails it.] : Then we are not done.--     -- : Zurole to Malthis. Captain, the entire Vaadwaur fleet is opening fire on the remaining Talaxian ships! We've sent out distress signals to every ship in range. We'll do what we can to protect the Talaxians, but we can't hold out against this many ships. What happened?: Gaul... Killed one of the Talaxians. Jolex, the chef. He’s beamed away. : That's horrible! Do you think Gaul had any intention of negotiating in good faith, or was this all an act? : I honestly don’t know. Give me a situation report, Commander. : We're giving the Talaxians all the time we can to escape, but it's not looking good up here, sir. Some of the Vaadwaur have already broken off to pursue them. Your orders?: I need you to hold out for as long as you can. There were still a few Talaxians on board – scan the station and get me their locations. We’ll evacuate the survivors. : Scans show two large groups of Talaxians in a storage room and the logistics area, sir. They have the doors blocked, but there are Vaadwaur trying to get in at both locations. It doesn't look good, Captain. I don’t know if you’ll have time to get to both. : poo poo. Can you beam a tactical squad to one of the groups? : Not unless we drop our shields, and the Vaadwuar aren’t going to give us that kind of opening. : Then we’ll have to move quickly. : Good luck, sir.: Time only to save one group? I do not envy your choice, Captain. I would go with you, but I cannot leave Neelix alone, and time is of the essence. I am afraid you'll have to go on without us.: No ... I'm going. I can't sit by and let the Vaadwaur kill my friends! I won't be a burden, Captain, I promise. I have to do this.: Then arm yourself and get ready. Commbadges, people.  : Oh! : Something Gor set up. When we beamed down, we each brought a present with us, encoded to remain in the pattern buffer of the local console until we signaled. : I get it! A person’s pattern would take up too much space for long-term storage...: But something as basic as a weapon is doable. Let’s move, people. I’m NOT losing anyone else today. [The space station we ran around inside for the earlier Talaxian mission is now largely empty, except for Vaadwuar troops. While we fight, The Doctor will buff and heal with with various medical ground skills, including Nanite Health Monitor, which gives your character a weird green glowy effect.] : How do we choose who to save?: The storage room is closest. Hit the Vaadwuar hard and fast, and we might have time to reach logistics before it’s too late. Go!   : The Talaxians would have been spared if you sided with Gaul! : Shut the gently caress up. : We've saved the hostages, but they may be safer here.: What about the people in the storage room?: Let's move!  : ...No. : loving cowards! gently caress!: Doctor, you have to save them! These are my friends!: They are beyond my help now, Neelix. I'm sorry.: pujwI' HIvlu'chughquvbe'lu'. : God drat it! We were too slow! : Scott! Get it together. : ... we can still save the others. : ...Right. Right. We will. Neelix, I’m so sorry. : I know. We have to get to the shuttle in the cargo bay. [Opening the door to the cargo bay reveals the shuttle, and a LOT of Vaadwuar] : Hit them hard!   : More hostages!: Take down the captors! : That’s the last of them. : I've sent a signal to the remaining Talaxians to join us here as soon as possible. : They're not alone!: More Vaadwaur on the way! Defend the shuttle!: Hold this position! No Vaadwuar get across this bridge. : Yes sir! : More on the way. If I weren't a hologram, I'd be worried. : Dyson to Malthis, come in. : I read you, Commander. : We’ve bought some breathing room, and the jamming’s eased up. I think there’s another Interdictor on the other side of the asteroid, but for now we’re in the clear. Voyager and a small task force are on their way... wait one. : That’s never good. : Sorry, Captain. A Turei ship just dropped out of warp. They’re... Engaging transporters?  : The Turei are here to assist. After this, our debt to you is repaid.: They're here to help, apparently. See if you can coordinate with the Turei to flush out that last ship. They may not be able to fire on you, but they can send down more troops. : Too late. Transporter signature detected, sir.: Oh, god drat it! Gor!: Captain?: Transport down Talleon’s mek’leth.  : A large number of Vaadwaur are closing in. I'm afraid they may be too much for you to handle.: The hell they are. Cover me. : What?! [Combining a good melee weapon, a kit module called Biotech Siphon (which drains health via melee attacks) and some solid buffs like Motion Accelerator turns an ordinary Tactical Captain into a whirlwind of death.]    -- .jpg) -- : ...God drat it. : The Vaadwaur have been repelled. I would have words with you before you continue. : Good to see you too Bellas. Thanks for the assistance. : Our help does not mean we are now allies, Captain. We are repaying a debt. Our ships are currently engaging the Vaadwaur fleet. It is unsafe for this shuttle to launch until they are defeated. We will return to our ships, I suggest you do the same. We will provide cover for your ship so it may drop shields to transport you.: The Dyson is ready to transport us, sir. Are you ready?: ...Yeah. Let’s go. --  : Welcome back, sir. Gaul seems to have survived whatever happened down there. He's hailing. : Put the bastard on.: I knew this meeting was a farce. The word "vaadwaur" means fool in ancient Talaxian, did you know that? You thought me a fool who would swallow your insults without comment. A fool who would blunder into the trap you set with the Turei. I am not.: If you’re anything to go by, the ancient Talaxians were too kind to your people. : This has destroyed any chance of an accord between us, Captain.  : That was never on the table, though, was it? All of this was just some backwards attempt to justify your own barbarity. Mark my words, Gaul. You will face justice for what you’ve done today. : How disappointing. I had thought you would be a valuable ally. Now you are just another victim.: He’s cut the channel. : Good, I’m sick of seeing his face. Kiltru, K’atya. Bring the deflector array online. : You’re going to hit them with Science?: drat right. The Vaadwuar might have the advantage when it comes to raw firepower, but you can’t outgun a black hole. [This encounter is almost perfectly designed for space magic. The Vaadwuar drop out of warp in small groups at exactly the same location. Dropping a gravity well at that location turns it into a killzone.]   : Resonance beam charged. : Fire. : Incoming warp signature – it's Voyager.  : Voyager is here. We will not allow the Vaadwaur to escape.: Have them drive the stragglers back towards the gravity wells. : New contact - it's big. [The last ship you face is a Vaadwuar Juggernaut. As a Captain-rank NPC, it’s reasonably well-armed, three weapons a piece fore and aft. In addition to the standard cannon barrage ability used by Vaadwuar ships, it has access to Cannon: Scatter Volley – which benefits a grand total of two of its weapons. I suspect if Cryptic ever gave its NPCs loadouts and stats at even a similar level as player ships, a good 90% of the playerbase would struggle to complete a basic system patrol mission.]  : The Juggernaut’s escaped the gravity well. They’re coming around for an attack run. : Convert to Battle Mode. Close in and concentrate fire.    : You came to our aid when the Vaadwaur attacked our homeworld. Now we have come to assist you. This discharges our obligation.: Bellas, thank you. Maybe one day, we’ll be connected by friendship rather than obligation. : How ... how could they do something so horrible? We're no threat to them. We'd done nothing but welcome them. And he just ... He killed my friends just to make a statement. I ... I don't understand how anyone would be so callous.: I’m so sorry, Neelix. : I don't blame you, Captain. I agreed to let the Vaadwaur come here. I put my people in danger. This is my responsiblity. : I called you, Neelix. This is on me. : I just never conceived that even the Vaadwaur could be so treacherous. They double-crossed us on Voyager and tried to take the ship, but ... slaughtering innocent people? My time on Voyager changed me. I saw the best that people could be. I forgot ... or wanted to forget ... how evil they could be.: So did I. I promise you, Gaul will be brought to justice for this. Even if I have to chase him across the quadrant myself. : With your permission, I'll lead the survivors back to New Talax. Then we can return with a security force to ... collect the dead.: Of course. Let us know if you’d like an escort. : I've been in contact with the U.S.S. Blackwell. They boarded the freighter in the Shenda system, but it was empty. It was all a ruse by the Vaadwaur to lure us into that system. Everything was part of this play Gaul wanted to perform – from the initial distress call to his "intervention" and offer to negotiate. : What the hell?: He used a massacre to set his stage. That's the kind of man he is. And unless he's stopped, the entire quadrant may fall.: It’s just so senseless. I would have helped him, if he’d been willing to accept it. : As you said, Captain – history is full of examples of Gaul’s mistake. His unwillingness to change will ultimately result in his downfall. : Sorry to interrupt – Voyager's hailing. : On screen. [Imagine Facetiming someone and just doing this with your hands the entire time.] : Gaul has shown his true nature. I expected he was not dealing in good faith, but nevertheless, we had to make an attempt to find a peaceful solution to our problems with the Vaadwaur. : Agreed. But the price was too high. I didn’t take enough precautions. This was my fault, sir. : You did not pull the trigger, Captain. Nor did you order the deaths of civilians. : I know. It’s just... Sad. And pointless. So what now?: Now, the war will continue. I grieve for all who have been lost, and for those who will fall before this conflict ends.: We’ll be ready to do our part, sir. Dyson out. : Senseless, meaningless death ... I'll never understand. I hope Neelix and his people will be able to find some peace, and that Gaul will answer for his crimes. And I hope our paths cross again, Captain. Perhaps under better circumstances, next time. With your permission, I'll return to Voyager.: Of course. Thank you for everything, Doctor.: What course shall we set, sir?: Take us back to the Sphere. I'll be in my ready room. : Scott, if you need to t-: I'll let you know.  --  : gently caress.
Coq au Nandos fucked around with this message at 11:39 on Feb 27, 2020 |
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Feb 27, 2020 11:26
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Coq au Nandos posted:
That about sums it up.
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Feb 27, 2020 13:35
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Kobali experience massive population boom.
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Feb 27, 2020 13:46
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Oh god... I feel sorry for Neelix. I ... uh... Coq au Nandos posted:
Yeah, that. At least we know that a lot of the sides in the particular conflict aren't exactly paragons of nice.
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Feb 27, 2020 17:01
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Klingon Korner!Coq au Nandos posted:
puj = be weak wI' = one who does something pujwI' = a weakling HIv = to attack lu' = [indefinite subject] chugh = if HIvlu'chugh = if one/you/it attacks quv = to be honorable be' = [negation] lu' = [indefinite subject] quvbe'lu = one/you/it is not honorable THUS pujwI' HIvlu'chughquvbe'lu It is not honorable that one attacks a weakling. OR There is no honor in attacking the weak.
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Feb 28, 2020 06:56
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HomestarCanter posted:Klingon Korner! It’s intended to be the latter, based on the website of Klingon proverbs I found it on. I love that you’re doing this!
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Feb 28, 2020 10:23
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The cutscene where your captain's hanging out in the background with their crew while the conversation between Doctor and Neelix is going on (and on and on) is one of my favorites after the one you get interacting with Morn of course. That's pretty low Gaul, killing the chef before the hors d'oeuvres are even ready.
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Feb 28, 2020 13:23
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RSVP random chef guy, killed by the narrative trope of "how can we make sure the viewer understands that the villain is really bad?"
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Feb 28, 2020 14:00
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 Should have asked Q to nuke the Delta Quadrant when Janeway had their ears during that silly civil war thing.
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Feb 28, 2020 14:16
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Moon Slayer posted:RSVP random chef guy, killed by the narrative trope of "how can we make sure the viewer understands that the villain is really bad?" This mission also takes place after the first batch of Kobali missions that I've shown off, so presumably there's an element of "We don't want players sympathizing with the Vaadwuar too much over the Kobali!" It still baffles me that Cryptic chose the Kobali of all Voyager races to get so much screen time as the friendliest locals in the Delta Quadrant.
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Feb 28, 2020 15:33
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Cythereal posted:This mission also takes place after the first batch of Kobali missions that I've shown off, so presumably there's an element of "We don't want players sympathizing with the Vaadwuar too much over the Kobali!" And they had the Talaxians and their new planet right there.
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Feb 28, 2020 19:27
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Technowolf posted:And they had the Talaxians and their new planet right there. The Talaxians aren't a military power, don't be silly. (Yes, they were in a war. They aren't a military power anymore.) The Kobali, on the other hand, kicked Voyager around in their episode.
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Feb 28, 2020 19:33
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MightyPretenders posted:The Talaxians aren't a military power, don't be silly. (Yes, they were in a war. They aren't a military power anymore.) I'd say that's all the more reason for us to need to protect them. I mean, I'm not the biggest fan of Neelix, but at least the Talaxians will only replicate too much cheese and not revive your body as a purple zombie.
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Feb 28, 2020 20:09
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Ah geez. RIP to Freeman Dyson, for whom the concept of a Dyson Sphere (and the U.S.S. Dyson) was named. 
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Feb 29, 2020 02:37
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Antivirus Program Tactical Officer's Log, IKS Endurance  All the possible missions in the Delta Quadrant, and this is the one we get. Figures. I've always wanted to command my own ship, even when I was a little girl. I never expected to have a real shot at it, and I'd never have dreamed that I'd potentially command a Klingon warship rather than an old Galor or something. Now I'm not sure that's what I want, considering how much bullshit the captain wades through on a daily basis. The Kobali are the stuff of nightmares and the captain has to play barely-restrained-hostility with them because the smooth foreheads and pointy ears say so. Really, for being halfway across the galaxy in largely uncharted space this is turning out to be an incredibly boring assignment. Rarrrr, we're the Vaadwuar and we're going to conquer the galaxy. Oh no, please save us from the Vaadwuar. Tides, I might as well have stayed home and listened to the Deferi whine about the Breen. Oh well, one silver lining to all this is that I'm no longer the only Cardassian on the ship. The new guy's an old fellow, a chef. I'm not going to ask how he makes authentic zabu stew on this ship, but it's the best I've had since leaving Cardassia Prime. I've even gotten Petra to start drinking red leaf tea. Not sure what to make of her, on the whole. I think she's bursting at the seams to go on about how much better things are in Starfleet, but after the first few days on the Endurance she stopped talking about it. Well, first few days both on the ship and in sickbay. I think we're doing breakfast together most days just because we're both kind of outsiders here. Cassandor sure isn't. His nose is pointed as high as his ears are most of the time, but the guy can boast and insult with the best of them when you get him tipsy. Then again, the captain's picked an odd crew. Scuttlebutt around the fleet is that it's pretty rare for a captain in the KDF to personally select their officers, and I know that's exactly what the captain's done. I hear she's close to some big to-dos on Qo'noS, maybe that explains it. Or maybe all her medals she never wears. Or maybe she's allowed to do it because everyone she picks is someone nobody in the fleet wants. Or maybe a bit of both. Even blockade duty's gotten dull. Captain Dralia of the USS Rama has assumed command of the blockade force, and she's as by the book as Starfleet gets. The blockade formation is very secure, very effective, and very boring. I'm hoping the Vaadwuar try to land a big new invasion force and break the blockade. Anything to relieve the tedium. Or I could see if Petra wants to... no, bad idea. If she finds out I was True Way and am wanted on several interesting charges by the Federation... yeah, no. Shame.   Captain, thank you for responding to my request for assistance. Skip the pleasantries, you know I don't like them or you. Do you have to be so tacky about it, captain? Yes. Yes, I do.  Translation: more Vaadwuar in the trenches.(ten minutes of running and shooting later)  Hanchon Sadalore? Captain T'Kara. What do you want, more specifically than 'please save us from the Vaaduwar'? The Vaadwuar have data on their project somewhere in the hills. Our scouts attempted to gather more information, but... they never made it back to base. The data should still be on them, if you can find their bodies. It is a grim task, but could you recover the data and search for more information on the chemicals? Fine. I'll save you from your incompetence. (You know what fighting Vaadwuar on Kobali Prime looks like by now)  Kobali tricorders are pretty similar to Starfleet ones, including the auto-backup function. Huh. More of that convergent technological evolution? Or Voyager's interference.  I believe I have established the location of the Vaadwuar outpost. Let's take it out.     Endurance here. Data received and analyzed. This database was damaged in the fight, and I am only able to ascertain a portion of the Vaadwuar chemical treatment. More intact databases will be required. Of course they are.    (Rule of three, as usual) Endurance here. Data recovery complete. We should get it to the Kobali, then. Briefing materials indicate they have a concealed outpost nearby. Subtle. Even a probationary initiate to the Circle of Archaeology would recognize that as out of place. Good enough to fool the Vaadwuar, apparently. One set of complete schematics for the Vaadwuar anti-rebirth treatment. Captain T'Kara?! As brave and talented as your reputation! This data is priceless, but there's one other thing the general needs before we can begin work on an antidote. Enthrall me. We've intercepted Vaadwuar communications. The original strain of the treatment is being kept in a nearby base, if you're willing to... persuade the Vaadwuar to part with it. Hanchon or whatever your rank is, this planet gives me a thirst unending for cathartic violence. I don't think I'll ever understand Klingons.  This is General Jetenian. We've cracked the Vaadwuar network, and determined that those are Vaadwuar transporter drop pods. I have a strike team ready to beam directly to them, if you can make a local override. Aggressive. How out of character of you, general. Charming. I think the Vaadwuar noticed. Incoming!  Captain, they're- What the... smells bad, but I'm not feeling any effects. You? I'm fine. Tricorder's still running, but doesn't match any known toxins. I... I don't feel too good...  ...Tailored to Kobali biochemistry, I assume? Theirs is rather unique. The Vaadwuar aren't affected, either. Inbound!   Gas levels dropping. The general's going to poo poo a brick when we tell him what happened here. I don't know, sir. He already thinks the Vaadwuar intend to exterminate his people. I can't see this changing much. Endurance here. Analysis of gas complete. Commander Nilsdottir's appraisal is accurate. This is an airborne dispersal of a biochemical mutagen designed to counteract the effects of the Kobali resurrection virus. Counteract the effects... Voyager's EMH came up with something like that, didn't he? Confirmed. Biochemical structure of the Vaadwuar mutagen is similar. Effects of the mutagen on newly infected Kobali under controlled circumstances would likely result in significant delay of Kobali conversion process. In larger quantities, and particularly when affecting fully converted Kobali, acute and widespread failure of biological systems is inevitable in under two minutes. Makes sense. One mutagen to kill the Kobali, another to make sure the dead stay that way. Based on the data we've recovered, the Vaadwuar are still manufacturing both mutagens in quantity. Once they manufacture enough for effective planet-wide dispersal, they intend to commence. Okay, I take it back. The general is going to have kittens. To what do I owe the pleasure, Captain? The imminent extinction of the Kobali species.
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Mar 1, 2020 18:27
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Good news, I've recorded the next and final Kobali Prime update. Still have the really hosed up mission to go after that, but I'm finally done fighting brown-colored aliens wearing brown uniforms on a brown planet where they build everything out of brown metal.
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Mar 3, 2020 15:19
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Cythereal posted:Good news, I've recorded the next and final Kobali Prime update. Still have the really hosed up mission to go after that, but I'm finally done fighting brown-colored aliens wearing brown uniforms on a brown planet where they build everything out of brown metal. Just pretend you're playing Quake 1.
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Mar 3, 2020 15:45
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Cythereal posted:Good news, I've recorded the next and final Kobali Prime update. Still have the really hosed up mission to go after that, but I'm finally done fighting brown-colored aliens wearing brown uniforms on a brown planet where they build everything out of brown metal. Thank god, we're finally done with the loving zombies.
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Mar 4, 2020 04:24
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Delta Rising: Rai Sahen’s Big Vaadwuar Fishing 24k10 Intelligence Report: Lieutenant Commander Gor reporting The U.S.S. Dyson has returned to the Jennolan Dyson Sphere to receive new orders. Following is a brief report on the ship’s operational readiness, broken down by department: Tactical Weapon crews and tactical division ground combat teams are continuing to mix without substantial issue. KDF decision to send Starfleet a cadre of unorthdox crew appears to be paying off. Only one honor duel has been held since the new crew came aboard. The honor of a Bolian engineering crewman was upheld, to the surprise of all parties. Some concerns have been raised about the Dyson’s ability to effectively counter the technological advantage of the Vaadwuar. While our experimental protonic weapons have proven effective against Voth and Undine ships, the gap is now a lot narrower. Security My analysis of new Security Chief Talleon as unacceptably lax lasted until I attempted to deploy a standard suite of seven listening devices around the ready room. Later that day, I received a giftwrapped package from Mr Talleon, containing eight listening devices. A Romulan Star Empire agent masquerading as a Vulcan nurse has since been detained.  Operations Commander Khev is balancing her position as Executive Officer and Chief of Operations well. Disciplinary issues arising from our mixed service crew were inevitable, but Khev’s experience as a private spacer seems to have given her a good background for dealing with it. Previous concerns around Romulan tendency towards treachery and violent outbursts may be premature, or based on analysis of Star Empire, rather than Republic, citizens.  Engineering Some concerns here. Lieutenant Commander Zurole has been in contact with Chief Engineer Tarkarum at the Solenae Sphere Yards. The servos required for the Dyson to transition between standard operating mode and ‘Battle Mode’ are requiring significantly more maintenance than anticipated. In addition, our recent experiments with weaponising the laws of physics are putting a higher than expected strain on just about every system in the ship. Tarkarum is of the opinion that ‘the ship can take it’. Zurole is not. Unrelated, but the danger of a liberated Borg having full access to the Dyson’s engineering spaces continues. As the Captain’s suggestion, I am scheduling some time with Chief Grey to consume a human food known as ‘ice cream’. This approach has been recommended by the ship’s Doctor as a way to bond with the Chief. Science ‘Team Mad Science’, as the Captain has dubbed Lieutenant Kiltru and Lieutenant (JG) K’atya has been emboldened by the success of their first attempts to counter the Vaadwuar with unconventional techniques. Next on their agenda: a proposal to modify the shield emitters to produce a charged particle burst, and a study into modifying the ‘gravity well’ the Dyson is capable of emitting in order to create other hazardous areas of local space. Mr Kiltru has made an attempt to obtain data on the mycellial technology used by the I.S.S. Discovery, encountered by Captain Malthis’ former commanding officer in the Phavo System. In light of Commander Zurole’s concerns about the effects of their work, I am recommending the data not be released at this time.  Medical ‘Doctor 0718’ continues his research into the psionic abnormalities displayed by the Captain. So far, he has ruled out the common causes of psionic sensitivity in humans (nonhuman ancestors, exposure to the galactic barrier, etc). If the Intelligence investigation into this issue uncovers any leads, please forward them to me so that I can plant seeds with our Doctor. It would be better if such a revelation was not tracible back to me. Command Following our encounter with the leader of the Vaadwuar Supremacy, the Captain has spent most of the voyage back to ‘home’ space either in his quarters or his ready room. The encounter with Gaul has clearly rattled him. As a side note, the ‘will they/won’t they’ situation between Commander Khev and the Captain continues. I understand the ship’s cook is running a betting pool. Report ends. --  : What’s the word from Command? : It sounds like they’re ramping up the campaign against the Vaadwuar. He’d deny it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Tuvok’s taken personal offense at Gaul’s bullshit. : Stands to reason. It’s kind of a dark mark on Voyager’s record. : One he’s apparently keen to expunge. We’ve been ordered to join a Romulan intelligence operation in the Nular System. Our new mission is to identify the location of the Vaadwuar’s main base of operations. Gor, I'll want you working on whatever data we’re able to uncover. : Aye, sir! : Uv, get us into the doorway traffic pattern.  : Oh hey, looks like they’re finally opening the gateways up to non-Alliance traffic. Never seen a ship like that before.  : Holy poo poo. : Scott? : They found me. Yellow alert. : Wait, who found you? : The Na’kuhl. The agents I was fighting back when everything went wrong in the 22nd century were Na’kuhl. That’s one of their ships. : Why would the Na’kuhl be travelling in time? They’re barely warp-capable. : There’s some stuff I can’t discuss, but Na’kuhl agents are some of the most dangerous parts of the time war that I got caught up in. One of the reasons I’m here is to prevent any further incursions. Kiltru, scan that ship. Get me everything you can on them. Talleon, shift to Battle Mode.  : Scanning... It doesn't read like a time ship, at least as far as I can tell. Contemporary power readings, kind of low-tech construction. It’d remind me of some of Bajor’s first post-occupation ships if it wasn’t so... Red. Based on the hull materials and power signatures, I’d say the ship could probably hold its own in a fight with any modern warship. : Some very sophisticated sensor and deflector equipment, not too far removed from our own. Looks like a pretty decent little ship, but certainly not a ship fighting in a time war.: I’ve got an IFF, sir. It’s coming up as the... I.K.S. Endurance?!? : And they’re hailing. : ...On screen.   : Starfleet, are you going to explain what the hell you’re doing scanning my ship? : T’Kara? What the hell are you doing on a Na’kuhl ship? : Commanding it.: ...: You’re the one angry at me commanding a ship from a minor race that has treaties of military cooperation with both the Empire and the Federation. The Na’khul contracted a new generation of ships from the Empire’s shipyards for defending their space against pirates and Tholians, and in light of the Iconian threat they’ve temporarily seconded a few ships for field testing.: Oh. Wow, apologies. I thought you were someone else.: Obviously. I’m surprised you recognized this ship at all. The Endurance is the first Daemosh class to see active service, and her sibling classes are just as new. Your service record makes no mention of you ever dealing with the Na’khul. : I... can’t really discuss it. : In any event besides what you are obviously not telling me about the Na’khul, I am unfortunately only here for resupply. Your Admiral Quinn requested me by name, and got me posted to one of the most important battlefields against the Vaadwuar. I assume I have you to blame for this mess.: I would have thought you’d be happy with an assignment like that. : You got me assigned to saving the Kobali, Starfleet. A species of undead, mutagenic parasites that make no sense in any universe I’ve ever heard of, that get offended when you suggest people might not want to be raised from the dead to be turned into one of them and brainwashed, and act like innocent victims when another race takes exception to said raising.: ...Oh. We heard about them from the leader of the Vaadwuar. Right before he murdered a civilian and ordered the deaths of dozens more. : Grim, but unsurprising. My requests, plural, to Alliance Command to abandon Kobali Prime and burn that rock down to the mantle have been denied. The galaxy would lose nothing of value on either side of this war. Kahless help me, I’d prefer to be back on Deferi Prime. I never, ever thought I’d say that.: I'm sorry I put you in that position, but I guess it did give us an opportunity to expose the Kobali. Unfortunately, it also leaves us stuck between two bad options. The Kobali are obviously getting into some weird science and crossing lines, but the Vaadwuar… I was thinking they were a candidate for a new Iconian puppet army, but now I just don’t know. I looked Gaul in the eye, T’Kara. He’s not brainwashed, he’s not worshipping at the altar of his ‘dread lords’ or whatever the hell. He’s just a bitter, angry man who woke up after the entire Delta Quadrant overthrew his empire. : The Iconians had agents in the Klingon Empire, too. They weren’t brainwashed.: Really? I hadn’t heard.: House Torg. They were allied with the Tal Shiar, and some of what Torg said before he died didn’t make sense at the time. It does now. I don’t think the Iconians give a drat whether you worship them or fear them, as long as you do as they wish. : Well, great. I guess we can’t rule anything out. And I don’t even know where to start with this Kobali thing. Wait, no, that’s not true. I know one place to start: Dralia’s interpretation of the Prime Directive is shady. It isn’t an absolute law. It doesn’t apply if a society has contacted the Federation for assistance, OR if they've hailed a Federation vessel, OR if they’ve attacked a Federation vessel. The Kobali have done all three. : So my pet Starfleet officer said. This Captain Dralia, however, seems to have seniority among the Starfleet officers at Kobali Prime. I prefer Captain Kim. He appears to have a clue.: I’ve heard he’s good to have around. At least you’ve got one person you can work with. Dralia’s probably taking a black-letter approach to the directive because she doesn’t want to get involved in this. Leave it with me, I’ll raise it with Admiral Tuvok. In the meantime, if you need anything down there, give us a call. I’m sure we’ll be busy fighting our own swarm of Vaadwuar in the near future, but I’m always willing to help a friend. : The last time you helped a friend, you got me assigned here. Don’t push your luck, Starfleet. Oh, and the next time you get lost in time, at least grow a beard.: What?: I know when you’re from because you didn’t even grow a beard. Standard procedure when Klingon Intelligence opens a file on someone is to go through all footage and imagery in our databases, to put together a record of their service history and assess their psychology and likely tactics. In your case, you happened to match very, very old records. From the 23rd century, to be precise.: You checked records back that far?: Not the first time it’s happened. That honor goes to one Morgan Bateson. But then Gronth scanned you when we were on the dyson sphere to make sure.: ...You know what, good luck with the Kobali. Dyson out.--  : Looks like a squadron of warbirds. Sahen should be in the lead ship. : Hail them.   : Good to see you, Captain Malthis. Let's get to work. The Malon once used this system as a dump site. However, the radiation levels have been dropping. We investigated, and found that the Vaadwaur had chased the Malon away. Our intelligence indicates the Vaadwaur are expecting us to deploy surveillance beacons into the area... which is why we have done just that.: This is going to be some kind of 7th dimensional chess thing, isn’t it? : You know it. We've learned they plan to ambush us when we retrieve data from the beacons. When that happens, they'll go from hunter to prey. The beacons are now, in essence, Vaadwaur bait.: Intrigue! I like it. What’s the plan – cloak and tag one of their ships to trace its route?: Better. We will counter-attack the Vaadwaur, disable one of their ships, and recover intel data from their systems. We will then analyze the data to determine their recent movements and objectives.: What.: What.: Woo!: We want to locate one of their main bases. So far, we have had little luck in finding where they hole up when they're not on the attack. This should change that. Time's a factor here, Captain. Let's get to work and scan the beacons. We wouldn't want to disappoint the Vaadwaur, now would we?: So much for stealth, then. Approach the first beacon, commence a scan and prepare for battle.  [This system patrol was recently overhauled, and now features voice work and some quality of life features, like better objective markers.]  : Scan complete. Incoming Vaadwuar ship, at high warp. Weapons standing by. : Coming here was foolish. Now suffer the fate of all fools.  : Oh no, I’m suffering the fate of all fools. : This is the worst.: Please, mighty Vaadwuar, fix your life support system and rescue us from this self-inflicted horror. : If you’re all done testing your material, we’ve got work to do.  : The ship is disabled. Time to acquire their data.: Scanning now. : We have the data... and company. Angry company.: Target those ships and fire at will.   : The legendary Vaadwaur paranoia. We should expect heightened resistance as we move forward.: Great. How’re we looking, Timinn? : Some hull impacts, but no breaches. I’m compensating with structural integrity fields, but I wouldn’t recommend extended combat. : And of course that’s exactly what this genius is calling for. Anyone else worried our space badass reputation is starting to get out of hand? : We did set fire to a Voth Fortress with a 30-year old science ship. That's been worth a LOT of free drinks.: Initial analysis of the data we acquired from them isn't turning up much. I'm afraid we caught a small fish this time. Let's continue, shall we? I look forward to see what swims up to nibble at our bait next time.: Hey Commander, are intelligence agents normally such big fans of fishing?: No, this is something new.  : You're not leaving here alive.[Narrator: They were.]  : Another successful day at the pond. Let's see what secrets our latest catch has to share with us.: This is so inefficient. : Ahh... our fish has swum through many waters, indeed. I think we have something here. The ship's been to a couple of systems often. One system comes up more than the other... that's probably where their base is, but we need to be sure. I'm afraid we need to do some more fishing. It's risky, but I'm willing to cast my line one more time. Will you join me?: If the intel's actually worth it, I'm in.  : Ship decloaking! It’s... The Lleiset? : Hail them. What can we do for you, Commander Jarok?  : There's no time for formalities, Captain. A large Vaadwaur strike force is en route to this position at high warp. I doubt they're coming to exchange pleasantries. : I know. Believe it or not, we’re expecting them. : Expecting...? We'll continue this conversation soon. For the moment, I suggest you prepare for the fight of your life.: Incoming underspace signatures. That’s... A lot of ships. : Your time has passed. The Delta Quadrant is ours.: ...said the alliance that overthrew the Vaadwuar. : Heheheh: Brace for heavy combat. Zurole, we’ll need everything you can give us. : Aye, Captain. I’ll be in Engineering.   : Shields down to 25%!: Hull plating is buckling on our port flank. : Reinforce shielding to that area. Bridge to Engineering, is there anything we can do to boost the shields?: Maybe. I can route the warp core output directly into the shield grid for a few seconds. That should overcharge them – but tell Uv we won’t be able to maneuver as well while it's active, and I'll have to divert some power from the weapons. And I doubt we’ll be able to do it again anytime soon. : Good enough. Make it happen.  [This is an effect called Advanced Metaphasic Shields, available because the Dyson is running a set of shield, engine, warp core and deflector dish available from the A Step Between Stars mission at the solar station. It operates like a mini version of Reverse Shield Polarity, converting incoming damage into shield power at the expense of your combat capability. It’s... Not really a good power, but at least it looks pretty.] : Only a few Vaadwaur remain. Let's do what must be done here.: Bring us into formation with the Llieset. Let’s sweep through this last group. : Now then... let's discuss what's going on here. Judging by the company you're keeping, I'd guess it involves some unorthodox operations. What mischief has Subcommander Sahen dragged you into, and how can I extract you from it?: God, I wish you were here an hour ago when we started with this business. I-: Ah, Commander Jarok. So glad you could join our little fishing trip today. Our "mischief" is an operation aimed at discovering the location of a hidden Vaadwaur base. We were hoping to glean that data from one of the Vaadwaur ships we lured here, but as you can see, they were quite indisposed. Permanently so, in point of fact.: I see. Vaadwaur activity in this region is a growing concern. Finding this base is a worthy objective. How can I be of assistance?: Against all odds, we have in fact managed to identify two systems as candidates for the Vaadwuar base. If you’re looking to help, you could use that cloaking device of yours to scout one of them. Maybe the Orlitus system?: Very well. We'll set course.: Excellent. Clear skies, Commander. Let us know what you find. Dyson out. : Don't mind Commander Jarok. She and I have a ... personal disagreement, from another lifetime. Not the cleanest ending to this operation, but Jarok can see what the Vaadwaur are up to in one system, while I take a look at the other.: Let’s hope she finds something. I don’t think the Vaadwuar will tolerate too many more of these fishing trips.: Yes, well... between us, I hope she finds nothing but an old, toothless Vaadwaur merchant selling fat tribbles and fake tranya.: Riiiight. Well, it’s been a pleasure, Subcommander. Next time you’re thinking about this kind of operation, maybe bring a fleet. And a lot of luck.: I'll take all the luck I can get. Comes in handy in my line of work. Thanks again for your help. Perhaps you and I can go fishing again sometime. Until then, may the Elements watch over you.: Likewise. Dyson out.  : Before anyone asks, we are never participating in any ‘intelligence’ operation as stupid as that ever again. : Now that you’ve said that, you know it’s going to produce results. : God drat it. Engineering, what’s the damage estimate?  : Not good. One of the last shots from that Juggernaut hit the starboard nacelle. I think we’ll be able take the ship out of Battle Mode, but the conversion mechanism’s going to need a complete overhaul. : Can we go to warp as we are? This system’s going to be crawling with Vaadwuar before too long. : Yes, but I wouldn’t push it too hard. Warp 6 at the most. 4 would be better. : Uv, make it happen. Set course back to the Sphere, Warp 4. : Uh, Captain?: Now what?: We're picking up a distress signal... Origin point... Oh dear.: Just tell me, Gor. It's not like today can get any worse. : The signal's coming from the Orlitus system. To be continued...
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Mar 5, 2020 10:58
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Well, it was nice knowing the Dyson while it was around. Hopefully we'll be able to fish up a brand new ship that's real neat.
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Mar 6, 2020 00:10
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Pyroi posted:Well, it was nice knowing the Dyson while it was around. Hopefully we'll be able to fish up a brand new ship that's real neat. Since Coq has shown off science BS, I wonder if they'll go full tactical or engineering for this one.
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Mar 6, 2020 01:18
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Technowolf posted:Since Coq has shown off science BS, I wonder if they'll go full tactical or engineering for this one. That’ll be up to the thread. I’m planning a vote soon on our ship situation, because I’ve been very irresponsible with my money and I now have access to quite a few options. From there, I’ll throw up a vote on the build type for the chosen ship.
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Mar 6, 2020 02:20
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The Torch Bearers Look, I'm tired of Kobali Prime and this was a short, boring update to record.  Insert T'Kara grumbling and sarcasm here.  Tila and Halstak in attendance. T'Kara's outfit and fancy pulsewave assault she's been using in the Delta Quadrant are from Task Force Omega reputation, and they're the Honor Guard set, developed by the Klingons for fighting Borg. While this set is exclusive to the Klingons as PCs, there's a few Federation-aligned Klingons wearing it because gently caress you and also it's about the only high-effort Klingon outfit Cryptic ever made. Halstak's sword is from the Nukara Strike Force reputation, and fluff-wise incorporates Tholian technology to create a technobabble blade. It used to straight up look like an orange lightsaber, but got changed at some point. Halstak himself is another reward from Task Force Omega reputation, a liberated Borg science officer who looks like an actual drone instead of the Seven of Nine style look. Tila is hefting the assault gun from a recent event, which is harder for Borg to adapt to and rotates between damage types in lieu of a melee attack.  I think this is the same Vaadwuar base where those Kobali got gassed at the end of the previous update, but I'm not sure. All these bases look alike.  Either way, there are Kobali mooks helping this time.  The later parts of Kobali Prime can be easily farmed for dilithium and Delta Alliance reputation. Every time I tried to record this update, it had lots of people hanging around.  You know what capturing a Vaadwuar base looks like. Yes, those are assimilated Vaadwuar. Thank a recent Borg-themed lockbox that one of the other players was fully kitted out with.  Another "hidden" Kobali base. The magenta DNA-like symbol is the Kobali's faction insignia.  New mission: blow up the Vaadwuar chemical stockpiles. This entire questline keeps going back and forth about whether the Kobali antivirus is a chemical regimen, a virus, or nanotechnology. I don't think the writers cared, and I don't either.  Wheeeeeee.  For scale, this last area on Kobali Prime is in the shadow of a landed Mansa-class Vaadwuar frigate.  The Vaadwuar in this area respawn rapidly and endlessly unless you hack the drop pods in the back over there. Seen here is the secondary fire on the Honor Guard shotgun, it fires photon grenades.  Objective here is to plant a bunch of bombs on these crates.  It's been a while since we've seen the flamethrower.  Crates exploded. This somehow is the end of the Vaadwuar antivirus.  Somewhere in the middle of this is a Vaadwuar general, who drops out of orbit in a spider tank, then jumps out on foot. Both forms combined lasted about fifteen seconds with all the other players around.  Cutscene time.  Error. Extant stockpiles were destroyed, but- Shush!  Agreed. We need to deal with the Kobali using the Vaadwuar for rebirth. Captain Kim, the Prime Directive is quite clear on this. I didn't survive seven years under Kathryn Janeway to watch another Starfleet captain twist the Prime Directive into a pretzel because it's strategically convenient. Oh wait, I didn't survive. What is he talking about? I'll forward the relevant chapter of the Voyager Codex when we're done here, commander. The Vaadwuar were trying to exterminate the Kobali, but the Kobali are trying to exterminate the Vaadwuar by absorbing their culture. I'm... not sure you want to be equating literal genocide with what the Kobali are doing, Starfleet. That's it's own, entirely different thing that's profoundly hosed up in its own special ways. I understand the Prime Directive, but we're already here. We're already involved. And the results of the Kobali's actions are no different than the Vaadwuar's.(Personal aside: yes, attempts at cultural cleansing absolutely can be part of genocide in my book - just look at the reeducation programs for natives in Canada, Australia, and the US, but for as hosed up as all this Kobali poo poo is, they aren't actually killing anyone who didn't attack them first, and the Kobali may not have known any Vaadwuar were active in the galaxy when they found this place. hosed up, yes absolutely. Belongs to the same conversation as the Vaadwuar war crimes extravaganza? Maybe not.) I see. We will discuss this back at the city. Agreed. We will escort you back to the city, Captain T'Kara. All in all, a profoundly messed up but productive day. The story of my life, captain. I do not understand you or your people, Captain, but I have learned something from our time. I won't disrespect you with praise you don't want. ... You saved my people from extinction. We may not understand you, but we will forever be grateful to you and to the Klingon Empire. I believe Captain Kim wanted to speak with you. If I never see you or this moon again, it will be too soon. The Vaadwuar have invited us to the temple to discuss the fate of the Vaadwuar stasis pods. Are you ready? Let's get this over with.   Thank you for meeting us here, Captain. We have spoken with delegates from the Alliance and have come to an agreement about the Vaadwuar. We will cease reviving Vaadwuar from stasis pods that are failing and ensure upkeep of said pods. Wait. I thought you were only opening pods that had already failed. Is that what you were told? My trigger finger is getting very twitchy. If you have a point to make, make it fast. We will release the surviving Vaadwuar from their pods once their forces have shown us that they can come to a peaceful resolution. In the meantime, we shall continue to use this area as a holding facility for non-Vaadwuar who will become Kobali. Keep talking. We have spoken with other races in the Alliance, and some of them are not adverse to us giving their fallen a second chance to live. We will rebirth only those who have spoken to us and agreed to the process. Hmph. That's... about as much as I could have hoped for. So I've heard, Captain. The general said that if our plan could persuade you, then the rest of the quadrant should pose little objection. Don't mistake this for me liking your species. I won't, but you've saved us from oblivion and helped us find our path forward as part of the wider galaxy. You will always be welcome among us. Ahem.     
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Mar 7, 2020 01:42
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Harry Kim Must Suffer. So Kobali Prime was intended to serve the same role as the Dyson Sphere battlezone in Delta Rising. A ground combat adventure zone, with daily missions. Where it falls down comes down to Cryptic’s philosophy on rewarding players for their time. The Dyson BZ offers substantial amounts of dilithium ore and Dyson reputation marks, tied to a mission that resets reasonably quickly (killing the big T Rexes). By the time Delta Rising came along, Cryptic was starting to realise that its economy was in trouble. Certain players (goons) had discovered years ago that a niche combination of ship type on a certain mission could generate infinite amounts of an item called Contraband, which can either be traded for dilithium or sold on the public Exchange, making those players very space rich. The majority of players weren’t on this level, but were reaping the rewards of generous payouts from the Dyson BZ, the duty officer system and other grinding methods. In addition to cracking down on methods of gaining experience, Cryptic wanted to make grinding for such things take longer as well - I guess because players log in more for longer grinds. As a result, most of the repeatable missions on Kobali Prime offer extremely stingy rewards, and aren’t worth your time. The exception is the two missions Cyth has just run. These are repeatable, and offer a good amount of dil, reputation marks and, importantly ELITE reputation marks. These are needed to trade towards items like the weapons and gear Cyth was just highlighting, as well as equipment for your starship. The upshot is that while Kobali Prime is mostly a dull brown slog, you can just about always walk up to the starting point for the mountainside base missions and find yourself joining one of these missions in progress.
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Mar 7, 2020 02:04
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sto.jpg
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Mar 8, 2020 00:08
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The corset/miniskirt combo is  , but those top hats are swag as hell.
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Mar 8, 2020 12:29
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Quick update: I've discovered the second worst medical issue to have in March of 2020, behind actually getting corona virus. It's getting gastro/a stomach flu (the one that makes you poop a lot) at the same time that people are panic buying toilet paper because they're afraid of corona virus (which doesn't seem to have any implications re: poop). On a related note, ignore any commentary made in this or any other LP about characters acting unrealistically. I've now seen the face of true motivation, and it's someone getting into a fight at a supermarket over a dozen rolls of TP. Update is coming soon, but sharing's caring I guess.
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Mar 11, 2020 05:57
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I seem to recall the male Borg bridge officer at one being a reward you got along with an achievement for doing something incredibly stupid during a ground Borg Special Task Force involving stepping inside an assimilation device and dying. Also don't know if or how often it can happen the screen going really wonky like in the show or movie if you get assimilated by an enemy is a fun effect.
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Mar 11, 2020 10:51
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Gnome de plume posted:I seem to recall the male Borg bridge officer at one being a reward you got along with an achievement for doing something incredibly stupid during a ground Borg Special Task Force involving stepping inside an assimilation device and dying. Both of these things are still accurate, with the proviso that Cryptic removed elite difficulty from Borg ground STFs some time ago. I’m kind of taking a wait and see approach to showing that content off, because it’s all been covered by PoptartsNinja in the original LP.
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Mar 11, 2020 11:13
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Delta Rising: Capture the Flag Captain’s log: stardate 87192.97 This may be my final log as Captain of the U.S.S. Dyson. The ship is only just holding together. Between them, Commander Zurole and Chief Grey are working miracles keeping us intact and flying, but nobody’s under any illusions – the ship got hit hard in our last outing. To make matters worse, we’re not returning to Delta Command. Instead, we’re half an hour out from the Orlitus system, where a task force of Alliance ships has sent a distress signal. The Lleiset is on its way too, but we’re technically closer, and I can’t just ignore a distress beacon. Nobody on this ship can. For the record, in case we don’t make it, I want to officially record how proud I am of this entire crew. Literally nobody on the senior staff has objected to diverting for this rescue mission, despite our current situation. I just hope to God we all live long enough for that to mean something. -  : Now arriving at the Orlitus system.  : The Llieset has decloaked and is hailing.: Glad to have you by our side, Dyson. This is one of the systems marked for further examination during your work with Subcommander Sahen. I'm not sure what the Vaadwaur are up to here, but they're fighting like demons. They're attacking a small group of alliance vessels. More hostile ships are on the way. I propose we divide and conquer. The Lleiset will fly ahead and catch any incoming ships, while you free our trapped allies. Your thoughts?: Your friend’s little fishing trip left us a little worse for wear, but we’ll see what we can do. Be safe, Commander. : Picking up three Allied ships in local space. They’re disabled, with one or two Vaadwuar escorts each. : They’re probably getting ready to transport prisoners. : Not going to happen. Timinn, ship status?: Battle Mode is out, but we do have weapons available. : Shields and structural integrity fields are operational, but we’ve bypassed some of the systems through the tertiary relays. Not ideal. : This might not be as bad as it seems. If we can get one or two of the disabled ships back up and running, they might be able to fight too. : Not a bad idea. Bring us towards the first ship. Engage from maximum range.  [The goal here is to defeat the Vaadwuar around each ship, repair the ship and go on to the next group. You’re kind of building a little task force.] : It’s a Gorn ship. They’re venting warp plasma and they’ve taken a nasty hit to their drive section, but I can seal the vent by extending our structural integrity field until they can compensate. : Good idea. Make it happen.   : Now the Vaadwaur will know the fury of the Gorn!: Hell yeah they will. Hegemony vessel, you’re our wing. Our weapons officer will send you our targeting data. Don’t hold anything back.   [Two groups of Vaadwuar later...]  : Dyson to Llieset – we’ve got three ships repaired and back in the fight. What’s your status?: A large Vaadwaur fleet just arrived. This is our chance to strike before they retreat.: I knew she’d say that. Llieset, we’ll provide support, but we’re in no condition for extended combat. : Llieset acknowledges. They’re charging weapons. : Send in the task force. Keep the Dyson on the fringes and pick off targets of opportunity.  : The Llieset’s taking a beating, but the Vaadwuar are taking the worst of it. Three Vaadwuar ships destroyed. : That is an incredible ship. : I’m still kind of surprised the Republic chose a Scimitar variant as its flagship. I guess they’re trying to overcome bad memories.  : This is Captain Jarok, come in, we're -: We have lost contact with the Lleiset. They’re powering down weapons.: God drat it. All ahead, and divert auxiliary power to weapons. We need to clear out the last of these Vaadwuar.   : Status report?: We’re intact, but I wouldn’t recommend any further combat. The primary EPS network has shut down. Captain, we’re risking the safety of the ship if we don’t get back to a friendly base soon. : I know. I appreciate the work you’ve put in, Commander. The next step is-: Receiving a distress signal from the Lleiset, Captain.: Hold that thought. Put them on, Gor.  : Greetings, Captain. I am Lieutenant Gaius Selan, chief intelligence officer for the Lleiset. I regret to inform you that the Vaadwaur now control the ship. : What.: The bridge is lost, and we are locked out of most internal sensors. However, I managed to access a secure comm channel before the security codes were changed, and have located a safe location for transport. : Oh my god. : I have sent the coordinates to your ship. Without your assistance, the Lleiset and her crew will be lost. : You are kidding. : Rinna, how bad could this get?: The Lleiset was launched after I transferred across, but I’ve heard bits and pieces. It’s a Tulwar-class, an offshoot of the Scimitar design, and that means it’s powered by Thalaron radiation. Republic ships don’t mount Thalaron weapons like Shinzon, but… If that ship winds up in the hands of the Vaadwuar, we could be handing them a weapon of mass destruction. : I was afraid you’d say that. OK, here’s the plan. Take an assault team and join Lieutenant Selan. Your orders are to retake that ship – and to prevent it from falling into Vaadwuar hands. At all costs. : …Understood. Talleon, Gor, K’atya, with me. Zurole, I’m going to need an Engineer in case things go south. : Grey can handle the immediate repairs. I’m with you, Commander. : We’ll manage things here. Go. --  : Lieutenant Selan? Rinna Khev, U.S.S. Dyson. : The ship is swarming with Vaadwaur soldiers. Our security forces are attempting to engage them, but as of yet, we have not made significant gains. I am unable to contact other members of the senior staff, but I believe they are still alive. Heh heh... very coincidental, really. Our current situation is remarkably similar to my Invasion Scenario 4591. [Gaius Selan is voiced by Gabriel Wolf, who also provides voice work for Captain Taggart (RIP, forever in our hearts) and some less important NPCs. Wolf is actually the reason we know a bit about how STO’s voice casting works behind the scenes – in 2015, he posted to Facebook lamenting that because Cryptic was switching over to only use union talent, he wouldn’t be able to play Gaius anymore. This is a shame, because Wolf does some really nice work as Gaius. On the other hand, it’s also a timely reminder to join your loving union.] : Wait, Invasion Scenario?: Scenarios, plural. I have gone through several hundred holodeck simulations of various factions attempting to board the Lleiset. As the designated intelligence officer, it is important I know what to do in every scenario. The Vaadwaur simulation is incomplete, but they are acting in accordance to several other scenarios. If you are wondering, I do have a scenario that deals with your crew boarding us. I would enjoy talking to you sometime about how to improve your ... vulnerabilities. : Let’s clear the Vaadwuar out of your ship first. Where are we, anyway? Is this the Captain’s quarters?: The Vaadwaur are jamming transporters and communications. My holodeck simulations determined the commander's quarters is one of the places where interference would be the weakest, allowing me to bring in outside help. The other areas, if you are curious, are the secondary control room, storage room 10 beneath engineering, and... well, I shall leave the final one a surprise.: Fun. OK, you’ve run the scenarios – what’s our plan?: We need to retake several key areas of the ship. The security team here will capture the bridge. Meanwhile, your team will storm the medbay, which we are very close to. Doctor Cratak should be there. After that, we must retake the armory to prevent the Vaadwaur from resupplying. In the majority of my scenarios, Lieutenant Terel is there making a stand against the invaders.: And then?: From there, we need to see whether the Vaadwaur perform like Scenario 4591 or Scenario 3291. Though, perhaps they may surprise us and be more like 6895 ... My apologies, Commander. We do not have time for my idle speculation. Any questions?: Hit the medbay, then head to the armory. Got it. What will you be doing?: I will remain here until we have recovered the majority of this deck. If your crew should be killed in action, I will need to remain free, and contact another ship for aid. It's not my place to get my hands dirty in this, Subcommander, especially not after the incident in Scenario 2792. : …Right. We’ll contact you once we’ve retaken the medbay.  [Welcome to the R.R.W. Lleiset, flagship of the Romulan Republic Navy. This is an entirely new environment – I’m pretty sure even the player-accessible Scimitar ship interior is limited to the bridge area.] : Sir! We’ve got a survivor! [Around the ship, you can find and revive a few wounded crew to unlock an accolade.]  : Is this a bar? Did we take a wrong turn? : You must stop this meaningless massacre! Consider the Balance!: Kill them all! : I have had it with these motherfucking snakemen on this motherfucking warbird!: You ... have my thanks. Such reckless slaughter ...[Narrel, no other name, is the Lleiset's civilian science officer. As a Deferi, Narrel is into the Balance and not into fighting.] : Commander Khev, U.S.S. Dyson. : I am Narrel. Thank you for the rescue, Commander. The Vaadwaur have no respect for anything other than their own selfish goals. I am sorry, but I cannot help you any further. I am just a civilian scientist, not a trained kill ... trained soldier like you. I'll wait here until everything has settled down, unless you believe there is something I can do.: That’s fine. Would you be comfortable providing shelter to any survivors we find?: Yes, that is more than acceptable. I will not fight, but I can help restore the Balance by helping others. I will attempt to stablize anyone who needs help here, and then await word from you or the doctor that the medbay is safe. : Weird place for a botany lab.: The med bay's through here. Maybe they're growing medicinal herbs. : Tricorder scan shows a few Romulan life signs – and several Vaadwuar. : Hit them hard. Set weapons to kill.   : Do your worst. You're amateurs compared to the Tal Shiar. I will not sit by and let you take this ship!  : Glad to see you, Subcommander. But if you came here instead of the bridge, it means you're following a plan made by Gaius and his ... scenarios. [Doctor Rhian Cratak is the Lleiset's Chief Medical Officer. She wears a 24th century Republic uniform, I guess to emphasise that she's old.] : I’m sure Gaius would be thrilled to know he’s so predictable. : Heh. I've watched enough of Gaius and his scenarios to know that he would never count on a single team's success. He'd send someone else to the bridge. And I also know he's made a few "modifications" to almost every console on the ship, including that one. Nothing happens in my medbay without my knowledge, Commander. : Wish we’d brought 0718, you’d get on like a house on fire. Comms are still down. Do you have a way for us to contact anyone?: The equipment here is still operational. I'll begin treating the wounded. There's a console nearby you can use to contact the security team heading to the bridge.   [This Security guy doesn't have a name. There's probably nothing to read into with that.]  : Good timing, Commander. We're about to storm the bridge. We'll keep the channel open during the assault. I'll contact you again after we have control.: Copy that. Good luck.      : What makes you think you will succeed where others have failed?          : You should have taken Gaul's offer.[Note: Vaadwuar throughout this mission mention Gaul’s offer, despite the crew of the Lleiset likely having no idea what it was or why the player character turned it down. For that matter, I skipped that mission on the Rinna character, but that hasn’t stopped various Vaadwuar NPCs bringing it up during combat.] : Holy poo poo. : Are you there, Commander Khev? I imagine we both overheard the same thing. Very curious. I've run simulations where the security team failed, but none like this. We should continue with the plan. We have this area secure, and you are the only mobile unit still available. If you can recover Jhu and her team in the armory, we will have another opportunity to retake the ship.: Uh… Roger that. We’ll head for the armory.  : So, anyone care to guess what would make a single Vaadwuar immune to energy weapons?: ...Nothing good. --  : OK, try it now!: Nope! The problem’s gotta be at the next junction. : I was afraid of that. I’ll head that way. Malthis to bridge, status report? : The Lleiset is still disabled, Captain. Our task force has dispersed to broaden our scanning range. We’ve detected no incoming vessels at this stage. : Keep me informed. Grey, I’m at junction 509. : OK! You’re looking for the plasma distribution node…--  : What is that, an ordnance containment cage?: Looks like it. Much more extensive than you’d need for photon or quantum warheads. I wonder what they’re carrying?: Kill Vaadwuar now, speculate later. Can we get in?: There’s an entrance up ahead to our right. We might be able to catch the Vaadwuar in a crossfire.     : Thanks for the help, I guess. We should talk strategy.[This is Jhu Terel, the Lleiset’s tactical officer.] : Good plan. What’s your status?: loving pissed, that’s my status. Bah, Vaadwaur! I'll take down every last one of them, I swear it. Nobody makes me look like a fool! : I get the feeling there’s enough on board for us to share. : I guess I'll let you deal with a few. I can't be in two places at once. We have problems in the brig and in engineering. Xionel and his team are pinned down in engineering, and Commander Jarok and Subcommander Merol are in the brig. I'm going to hit engineering. If the Vaadwaur get control of the singularity, we're done. Think you can secure the brig? : Sounds good. Stay safe. We think the Vaadwuar leader’s been enhanced somehow. He’s immune to energy weapons, somehow. : He hasn’t met me yet. I’ll take him down for you, Commander. Go save Commander Jarok, OK?: You bet. Give him hell.  : Do you think Terel can do anything to touch that Vaadwuar?: Maybe. If anyone’s got a shot, it’s the ship’s weapons officer working with her chief engineer. : And if she fails?: Then we’ll need a Plan C. : Delay them. I need more time.[I assume this guy's supposed to be some kind of interrogation guy? It's not really addressed.] : Time's UP, buddy.   : Disable the security grid and we can get out of here.: K’atya, get that field down.  : You're a welcome sight. : And you've looked better. What happened? : I was on the bridge ... we were attacked by just one Vaadwaur. But he was different. Stronger. Unstoppable. He wiped out our security team, but he knocked Vaur and me out. Put us here for questioning. What's happening? Do we have control of the bridge?: The bridge is still contested. Your tactical officer’s gone down to Engineering to secure the singularity core. : Is Xionel there? If he and Jhu can hold engineering while we take the bridge, we can take control of the ship and then clean up the Vaadwaur from there. Hnng ... I'll still need some time to recover. You and Subcommander Merol should head to the bridge. I'll stay here and ... monitor the situation. : Are you alright?: I've dealt with worse. I'm just not particularly mobile at the moment. I'd just slow you down. Be on your guard. The Vaadwaur that took the bridge shrugged off our attacks like they were nothing. He won't go down easily. [At this point, your mission objective changes to the nearest elevator, prompting you to head for the bridge. If you wait here long enough, though, the other Lleiset crew you’ve saved will rejoin Jarok in the brig. Gaius heads straight for a console, but Doctor Cratak…]  : Commander! You are injured. You need to be in the medbay.: There's no time. We need to retake the ship.: Fine, but I'm at least checking you to make sure it's nothing serious.[I unironically love this mission. Not only does it do a great job of recreating a classic Star Trek ‘retake the ship’ episode, it gives good roles and actual agency to each member of the Lleiset’s crew. At around this time, STO started what was intended as an annual event in which you’d meet and interact with the crew of each flagship – the Enterprise-F, the Lleiset and the Bortasqu’. That hasn’t continued, and I think it’s a shame. Instead, Cryptic have gone in the direction of creating new featured episodes around returning cast from the Star Trek shows. I understand why they’ve done this, particularly now there are two new Trek shows on the air, but this episode is a reminder that Star Trek is ultimately supposed to be about a crew of characters aboard a starship. Too often, we focus more on the exploits of your individual Captain, or a special guest star. But your crew is supposed to be important. They’re part of what makes this game special. This episode gets that.] --  : Anything from the away team?: I have their life signs, but the dampening field is still in place. Unless they return to their beam-in location, we won’t be able to get them back or get in contact. : drat, drat, drat…: Message from the Pride of Gornar – they’ve picked up a Vaadwuar scout ship. ETA, 20 minutes. : It was only a matter of time, I guess. Hold position. We can’t abandon the Lleiset while she’s disabled. : Aye, sir. : Hurry up, Rinna…--  [This device will be familiar if you’ve watched Star Trek: Nemesis – located directly behind the bridge (for… reasons), this is the Lleiset’s Thalaron generator. Why does it have one of these when we’ve already established it’s powered by a singularity core? Your guess is as good as mine. If I were a brand new Republic made up of two species with a recent history of war crimes, the first thing I’d do is publicly renounce any further uses of Thalaron radiation, but I’m just some guy on the internet.]  : My friends... your lives will not go unavenged.[This is Subcommander Vaur Merol, incidentally. He’s never properly introduced.]  : Here we go. Weapons to full power, folks. : Heh, ‘folks’. You got that from the Captain. : Time and a place, K’atya. OK, Go! : …Huh. : He's ... gone? Strange ... : This console seems like it’s active. Cover me, I’m gonna try a restart.: Excellent work. We have control of the ship's life support, navigation and weapons systems again. : Great. Any signs of what our invincible friend was up to?: According to the logs, the Vaadwaur leader was attempting to open fire on your ship. Doesn't look like he could get past Lieutenant Selan's security algorithm. : MotherFUCKER. : The Dyson’s badly damaged, Subcommander. If he’d succeeded, we’d be the only survivors. : That’s one stroke of luck, at least. I'll handle things up here, but could you use that console to contact Lieutenant Terel. Tell her to scramble her security teams and find that Vaadwaur!  : On it. Bridge to Engineering, respond. This is-  : If you want to live, you'll give me what I want.  : I've survived worse than you.[Chief Engineer Xionel used to run with Obisek.]  : You have no idea who you're dealing with.[Just, uh, ignore the suddenly not-unconscious Tactical Officer behind the Vaadwuar. More cutscene glitches.] : poo poo! Merol, it’s in Engineering. : Was this all a trick to lure us away from engineering? What are they trying to ... No... he couldn't. Commander, I fear the worst. If the Vaadwaur is in engineering, he could turn off the shielding protecting the singularity core. Without containment, the singularity will implode.: Not if we have anything to say about it. Let’s go. --  : Copy that. We’ll keep a transporter lock on you. With the jamming field down, we should be able to beam back most of the crew. : Scott… If this bastard takes the safeties offline, the shockwave could take out the Dyson too. : It doesn’t matter. If we run, I don’t think we’ve got the speed to get away from the incoming ship. And our task force won’t last long against a big push from the Vaadwuar, not without the Lleiset. : No pressure, then?: Take as long as you need. So long as it’s not any longer than… Kiltru?: Seven minutes, sir. : Seven minutes. : I’ll keep that in mind. --  : This way. Narrel and I have a plan.: I hope so. Merol thinks the Vaadwuar’s getting ready to blow the singularity core. : Very predictable. If the Vaadwaur can't use the Lleiset to attack other ships, they will make a statement by destroying us with our own singularity. I've analyzed the data from other teams fighting the Vaadwaur. It's pointless for you to try to fight him. Your weapons are inadequate for the task. However, Narrel has come up with an interesting theory that may work.: Tell me. : The vents in the singularity core carry a modified version of plasma. I'm not cleared to give you all the details, but the Lleiset is testing several advances that have not been provided to other ships in the fleet at this time. Narrel believes direct exposure to this modified plasma may create a vulnerability in the Vaadwaur. I believe this plan has a low chance of success, but it is the best option we have. If you can lure the Vaadwaur beneath the vents, Narrel and I will overload them, causing the plasma to cover the Vaadwaur and weaken him. You'll have one more problem to deal before that, however.: Of course, because that wasn’t daunting enough. Shoot. : The Vaadwaur has erected a shield around the singularity core. Very smart, I must say. No one will be able to affect him when he is inside. You must trick him into dropping that shield. I suggest playing towards the Vaadwaur's pride ... that is usually the surest way to convince someone to make a suboptimal move. Once that is done, lure the Vaadwaur beneath one of the vents. We'll activate the plasma, and then you can properly knock out our friend. Are you ready? : Out of interest, is there anything stopping you from just beaming the Vaadwuar into space? Or into the closest star?: That was the first thing I tried when I arrived. [Credit where it’s due, Gaius’ voice actor sounds appropriately annoyed by this question.] : There is something preventing us from locking transporters onto any of the Vaadwaur. Not uncommon really; many members of our own fleet also carry devices that prevent them from being randomly transported. If I find a way around the transporter block, I'll do as you ask.: Thanks, Gaius.  : OK, hang back for now. I’ll try talking to him alone. He’ll be more likely to come out if he thinks he can take me one on one. : Yes, sir. We’ll be here when you need us.   : Your ship is doom-- [The invincible Vaadwuar is right there, Gaius. Way to show your hand early.]  : Terel? Oh geez, please be alive. Please be… Oh thank the elements. : That thing packs a punch! I'll be back. I've got a plan. : How’s it going, ugly?: Commander Rinna Khev, you made it. A shame. We had hoped you would be neutralized by now, but you show an unusual resilience. Perhaps that's why Gaul made his generous offer to your Captain. You're too late to stop what is happening. The singularity core's overload has already begun. You will all be destroyed by your greatest weapon. It's almost poetic, really.: You do know I could win the war tomorrow by telling Federation Engineering that you referred to a Romulan ship as our greatest weapon, right? Sorry, getting side tracked. You’re going to win by blowing up the ship. Real original. Any engineer’s mate could do that, but I’m sure you’ll be super proud of yourself for coming up with such a novel plan. : Ah, my pride as a Vaadwaur. That's good .... very good. This is simply the most efficient way. I could kill you all one at a time ... but I have better things to do.: No you couldn’t. : ... : We disabled your dampening field. My ship’s got a transporter lock on every non-Vaadwuar on the Lleiset. You’ll blow up the ship, alright, but the only people you’ll kill are your own troops. And yourself, if the elements are kind. : Interesting... But will you abandon the Lleiset, or will you stay until the last, glorious second to try and save it? Regardless... I will admit that you make a point. You have survived too many of your previous encounters for me to leave anything to chance. I will enjoy seeing the last bit of life leave your eyes.: And I’ll enjoy watching you try.  [Relin drops the shield, and now it’s boss fight time. As in the cutscenes, Relin is invulnerable to any form of attack. All you can do is shoot at him to gain aggro, then kite him into one of the massive red circles on the outskirts of the room.]  : Gaius, NOW! : He's vulnerable to the plasma. Focus your fire! [With the plasma debuff applied, Relin is tough, but no longer invincible. Talleon is still attacking with his shock gloves, which means he’s bypassing Relin’s personal shield generator entirely and directly attacking his : It's time to finish this.    : It'll take more than that to kill me.  : I ... will ... not ... be ... stopped! : We need a better solution! : Something powerful enough to knock him back. What about a grenade? : I've got just the thing! : Catch.      : What was that thing?: I don't know, but we need a better way to fight it.: I'll get to work.: Thank you for all your help, Subcommander. Without you, we would have lost the Lleiset. It's unfortunate we couldn't capture the Vaadwaur alive for questioning. He was unlike anything I've ever seen. What made him so powerful? Narrel did manage to get few scans. He's compiling a report on what he found, and your success with the plasma. We'll need to adapt. We can't count on throwing every Vaadwaur like him into a singularity core. We will handle the repairs. You should return to your ship when you are ready.: Yeah, about that. We’ve got incoming Vaadwuar ships. : Of course we do. Jarok to Dyson, come in. : Good to hear your voice, Commander. We see your singularity core is returning to normal. I take it the ship is saved?: Indeed. We’ll get the ship back under control and cover you. Thanks for the rescue. My compliments to your first officer. If she wasn’t so indoctrinated into Starfleet, I’d be tempted to poach her!: Thanks, I think. Captain, the rest of the team’s ready to beam back. I’m going to stay aboard and tie up some loose ends. : Not a problem. You can be our reminder to Commander Jarok that the Dyson’s had enough adventuring for one day. --  Captain’s log, supplemental: With the Lleiset back online, the scout ship has changed course, giving us space to leave the area. It looks like it was on its way to escort the Lleiset back to Vaadwuar space. The Dyson is en route to Delta Command, accompanied by the Lleiset and our rescued task force. Commander Khev has remained behind to work with the crew of the Lleiset and figure out just what the hell they were fighting… And how to stop it.  : Commander Jarok, I have some preliminary data for you and Commander Khev. The Vaadwaur gave off a modulated carrier wave every time he was attacked by an energy weapon -- in effect, he reflected the energy outward as infrared radiation. Narrel and I are not yet clear on whether this is a product of biology or technology, but he did show strange isoboramine neurotransmitter activity. Regardless, this will give us a starting point to find vulnerabilities. I'll send on more findings as we complete them and we should be able to adapt our weapons to be more effective in the future.: Thanks, Lieutenant. If you ask me, it’s time for you to update some of those scenarios.  : Haven't taken a hit like that since Obisek and I were fighting the Tal Shiar. Gonna be sore in the morning. But the singularity is stabilized. That Vaadwaur tried to lock us out of the containment system, but he wasn't as smart as he thought he was. Thanks for your help. Next time we're in a firefight, I'll do more than just lay on the ground unconscious.: We will not forget what you did for us, Commander. Lieutenant Selan will work with Narrel to learn more about this Vaadwaur. If there are more out there like him, we're going to need more than luck to fight them. We need to know more. Why was this Vaadwaur practically invincible? He wasn't like any of the others we've faced helping the Kobali or the Turei... I hope we can help find an answer. It's the least we can do.: We owe it to the ones that didn’t make it. Agreed.  : Terel.: Khev. Thanks for the help with the Vaadwaur, but we won't need it again. The next time, we'll be ready. I'm going to drill my security teams until they can deal with anything. The war between the Klingons and Starfleet ended and people got lazy. Time to get back in shape.: You might be onto something. By the way, what the hell was in that grenade?: Nice, isn't it? Honestly, there was an even chance that it would cause a massive explosion, crack the singularity core, and kill us all. I figured we'd be dead if we didn't try it, so why not give it a shot? Good thing it worked, huh?: ...You know what? I need a drink. Come on. Your grenade killed the Vaadwuar, so I'm buying. Next time, on Star Trek Online: Tactical Wealth Action Coq au Nandos fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Mar 12, 2020 |
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Mar 12, 2020 02:54
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How many ships does that make it in how many years?
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Mar 12, 2020 03:49
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Synthbuttrange posted:How many ships does that make it in how many years? By my estimate, it’s been just under a year since Nyroh’s training cruise. Izlim: Miranda-class USS Endeavor. Decommissioned after extensive damage. And she was old. Nova-class USS Hood. Returned to spacedock and awaiting a new crew after her old crew was needed elsewhere in a hurry. Akira-class USS Momotaro. Borg nanites: not even once Defiant-class USS Dwayne Johnson. Captain Izlim’s current cadet meat grinder. Malthis: Nebula-class USS Sutherland. Fought dinosaurs. Dinosaurs won. Dyson-class USS Dyson. Vaadwuar punching bag. According to the Infographic Cryptic released for STO’s 10th anniversary, there are now more than 615 playable ships in the game. That includes a few reskins of the same ship, but still, you get the idea. There’s just not enough content in the game to show them all off, but we can at least cycle through them regularly.
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Mar 12, 2020 04:30
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Is there a main thread for this game? I'm debating trying to start it. Also can you use the alien creator to make a Necron?
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Mar 12, 2020 05:38
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It's here https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3860682 You could probably get something close to what you're looking for with the Alien race, it's got the most freedom with body shape sliders
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Mar 12, 2020 08:50
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Synthbuttrange posted:How many ships does that make it in how many years? T'Kara is up to: B'Rel class IKS Qu'thoQ. Museum piece decommissioned for scrapping. Somraw clas IKS San'qa. Has a new captain and a new crew. Daemosh class IKS Endurance. Was returned to its owners. Kurak class IKS Najlu'jaj. Destroyed by the Undine to establish how serious the situation was for the Federation PC. Daemosh class IKS Endurance. On its maiden voyage into the unknown. Yes, T'Kara has commanded this ship before. The Na'khul are probably going to will have wanted this ship back at some point. Before seconding it to T'Kara's command again for her first time commanding the ship two entries up.
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Mar 12, 2020 17:09
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Cythereal posted:Daemosh class IKS Endurance. Was returned to its owners. Oh no, I've gone crosseyed.
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Mar 12, 2020 18:24
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"The biggest trouble with time travel is not meeting your past self or becoming your own grandfather, which any well-adjust family can adapt to. Rather, it is with grammatical tenses."
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Mar 12, 2020 19:09
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I have never been able to get over just how much of a narrative stretch this whole expansion is. It just makes no sense to me why Starfleet et all would start futzing around in the Delta Quadrant on such a scale. Even with a stable wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant there were just a few survey and trade missions initially.
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Mar 13, 2020 18:56
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