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Taldrenites => Starfleet Command Fan Fiction => Topic started by: Commander La'ra on December 26, 2004, 01:19:26 am

Title: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on December 26, 2004, 01:19:26 am: I can't be the only person who wondered what the deal was with those things, but there was never any storyline mission from the games that told you.

So I decided to make something up. ;D

-----------

The Miners of the Stars

Prologue

The Thing was disturbed. It was not sentient in the way most of the universe would use the word but it was aware. It knew when more Things came near, and Others that were not one of its kind. Those that weren?t of its kind would sometimes bother it. It didn?t like that. Distractions from the task were not allowed. One of the Others was nearby.

The thing rotated its great orifice?which served as mouth and fists as well as eyes?and regarded the other. This other was smaller than the thing, but others often had a capacity for distraction or hurt not represented by their size. This other was grey, with a hunched profile and a long neck. It radiated power that could hurt the Thing, but this other was not like most Others. It stayed at a distance, watching. The Thing could feel the Other watching but that did not distract it.

The Thing turned back to its work.
Title: Chapter One
Post by: Commander La'ra on December 26, 2004, 01:25:38 am: Chapter One

The IKV Hiv?laposh cruised through the asteroid field. She?d come to the sea of rock searching for prey and had found it, but the prey was not behaving as it should.

?Should I arm the weapons, Commander??

?No.? La?ra responded. He was standing near the viewscreen, his arms crossed over his chest. The screen displayed a familiar threat: A large construct, shaped like a sphere with edges here and there. It had a single orifice that La?ra knew from experience could belch plasma as destructive as any Romulan torpedo. He?d never seen one of the things hesitating to do so. He was curious. ?Maintain precautionary alert.?

?Yes, Commander.? Grimbek replied. The newly-promoted Lieutenant betrayed no disappointment, though he?d undoubtedly been expecting a battle. He was learning patience. La?ra turned to his science officer.

?Any readings??

Lieutenant (First) Leral gazed at her board with frustration.

?No, sir. Its outer hull is resistant to scans.? She paused. ?That?s consistent, sir.?

La?ra nodded. They were called sop?nagh?stone eaters?by the fleet. The name had been given due to their tendency to blast large chunks off asteroids and suck the bits into their giant maw. Almost every power had came up with a similar nickname. Starfleet called them astro-miners.

?Increase power to sensors.? He ordered. Leral complied. The sop?nagh was busily devouring a hapless rock. Perhaps the sensors could peer down its throat whenever it took a bite. He took a few steps towards the communication?s console. Ran?jar wasn?t even looking at the viewscreen.

?Any theories??

?It is not attempting to talk with anyone.? The dark-skinned first officer answered. ?It blasts rock, it eats rock.?

?Wasting our time??

?We could have destroyed it by now.?

?Yes, but we?ve never seen one behave like this before.? La?ra offered. ?We know little about them.?

?We know enough.? Ran?jar sighed. The sop?nagh were a hazard. Most attacked any ship that came near with no hesitation and without regard for distinctions such as ?liner? or ?warship? and then devoured the debris as happily as it consumed rock. A survey vessel had sighted this one, and alerted the Hiv?laposh.

?Perhaps.? La?ra grinned slightly. Ran?jar shrugged.

?Commander, we?re being scanned.? Leral called. Ran?jar frowned and began calling up data on his console. La?ra crossed the bridge with several long strides and leaned over his science officer.

?Scanned.? He glanced at the viewscreen. The sop?nagh had rotated itself toward them, looking for all the world like a giant rocky eyeball. His own eyes narrowed.

?Yes, sir.? Leral?s eyes were bright, her voice at a slightly higher pitch than usual. ?That?s never happened before. Not an intensive scan, at least.?

La?ra smiled at her. ?Something new, Lieutenant??

Leral?s cheeks didn?t flush but her eyes flicked about. She?d already had one discovery attributed to her on this cruise. It?d excited her to no end, yet her enthusiasm seemed to embarrass her at times.

?Something new, Commander.? She agreed.

He stood fully and squeezed her shoulder.

?Come up with a way to get a better look at that thing.? He ordered. ?You have an hour before the First convinces me to blow it up.?

?Yes, sir.? She was trying not to beam. ?Request permission to leave the bridge, Commander.?

?Granted.? He replied, then watched her go. She?d be retiring to her lab.

?Perhaps she?ll discover which kind of rocks it thinks are the tastiest.? Ran?jar growled from his chair. La?ra grinned.

* * *

Leral didn?t need an hour. There was only one real way to get a better look at the stone eater. Sensors wouldn?t penetrate it?s skin. They would have to physically get inside the thing and take a look through its innards. She hadn?t mentioned it on the bridge. The Commander didn?t want an idea, he wanted a plan.

She?d constructed one rapidly and even wrote up a brief outline. Her plan was sound. Unfortunately when she?d decided to inform the bridge the Commander had decided to pay her a visit in the lab to hear of her grand scheme. She wasn?t ready for what amounted to an inspection.

?Get that mess cleaned up!? She barked. One of her two lab assistants complied, scooping the mess of data disks and other items off a worktable. They had seconds left; he stashed most of the pile in a storage locker. He shut the thing as laboratory door opened. The Commander strode in. Leral and her lab assistants shot to attention.

?Lieutenant.? He said. His eyes casually surveyed the room. His mouth twisted but he fought the expression Leral knew was forming. Had he spotted something amiss? Would he realize it if he had? The laboratory sections of a Klingon ship weren?t frequented.

She tried to force the questions away. This was the same man she?d openly flirted with on more than one occasion, the same man who?d honestly congratulated her on her storm data and claimed she was as important as the gunner. It didn?t work: He was the Commander, and he was in her laboratory.

?I?ve come up a plan of action, Commander.? She offered her datapad. ?If you?d care to review it.?

La?ra nodded and took the pad. He glanced toward Leral?s assistants..

?As you were.? He said, then began to read. The lab assistants relaxed, to a degree. Leral did not. The Commander was still fighting a grin. That made her uncomfortable. She waited.

?Risky.? The Commander looked up from the datapad. ?It may decide your shuttle is a threat.?

She?d expected that statement. ?It?s possible, sir, but I doubt it. I?ve reviewed all the previous encounters with sop?nagh and they ignore anything within a certain power output. They?ll fire at a powered-up shuttle, but there?s no record of them ever firing at a dead one. They ignore burned out decoy shuttles or inactive scatter packs.?

La?ra nodded. ?Did you have a pilot in mind.?

?Ra?dok. He performed a dead stick landing on Sash?an II in an unpowered ship. Ensign Grimbek says his Marines prefer him for combat drops.?

?Good choice.? La?ra agreed. Something on the datapad caught his eye. ?Explosives??

?The sop?nagh?s outer hull is hard to map. We may not be able to find an access port and even if we do our equipment may not be able to unlock it. And really, sir, if we can?t get inside...?

?...there?s not much point in going.? He agreed.

?Once we've accessed the interior, we should be able to get much better data on exactly what these things are."

"No one knows?"

"No one so far as the Science Council is concerned. They think Starfleet has tried to establish communication or get better scans of them, but they're uniformly hostile."

"Except for this one." La'ra looked away for a moment, his mouth curling. It wasn't a grin. He was thinking. "Starfleet tried to establish communication...do you think we're dealing with a creature?"

"No." She stated firmly. "They're too...single-minded. They blow things apart and eat them. If it was a really simple organism, maybe they would be content to do nothing but find food, but anytime they're engaged in battle they...well their tactics are crude, but they do have them."

"Crude is certainly the word." La'ra muttered before his thoughtful gaze returned. "Like it was programmed, not fighting for its life."

"Yes, sir." She smiled. "I think they're constructs of some kind, and if I can get inside, I'll be able to confirm it."

"When you get inside." La'ra corrected. "What if you're wrong? What if it's alive and the holes you blast make it angry?"

"Then we'll hang on tightly and hope the ship can get in close enough for a rescue." Leral admitted. "It can't shoot at us if we're attached to it."

La'ra chuckled and grinned.

"Get your team together. Your plan is approved."
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on December 27, 2004, 10:50:27 am: What's this? Looks promising.

You know, this is like i envisioned TNG. I always felt the "ow look at us cause the others can kill us when they want (even though this the federation flagship and apex of our tech)" attitude of TNG very irritating. Why can't decisions like those in TNG come from a position of power? So ++ for you m8.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Lara on December 29, 2004, 11:29:53 am: I am loving it, but you knew I would.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Scottish Andy on December 29, 2004, 10:25:53 pm: Hey Larry,

I really like the idea of this. Doing stories about topics we've always been idly curious about, but only at the time it happens to us. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to more

Plus: I like you reusing minor characters from previous stories (the injured pilot of Grimbeck's shuttle in Beasthunter).

Nitpick: Leral calls Grimbek an Ensign after La'ra tells us he's a newly promoted Lieutenant.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: kadh2000 on December 30, 2004, 11:20:48 pm: I tell you about Jindarans after the story. Wouldn't want to influence it, you know. ;) Can't wait for more!
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: J. Carney on January 14, 2005, 01:14:12 pm: WOW... this is awesome. I can't wait to read the next chapter.
Title: Chapter Two
Post by: Commander La'ra on January 14, 2005, 01:25:44 pm: Grim: I'd noticed that on TNG too. For all the Feddie's love of science and knowledge it always seemed like they were learning things because they had too, not because they wanted to. Thought this would be a nice change of pace, especially as it's a Klingon crew doing the exploring.

Andy: I try to reuse as many 'guest stars' as I can when it comes to the ship's crew. She's only got three-hundred or so people aboard, and as anyone from a small town can tell you, you will see the same faces a lot.

Kadh: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it. Another thank you for belaying the Jindarian info till later; what little I know about them sort of indicates why you brought them up....

J. Carney: Don't have to wait very long.:) Was posting this when you replied. Glad you ventured over from off-topic land, I'm anxious to see what you think of the rest!

Anyway, here's Chapter Two. Hope you enjoy.

--------------------------

Chapter Two

"Any questions?"

Five vac-suited but helmetless Klingons were gathered around Leral on the shuttle launch deck. Some of their expressions were enthusiastic. One was not.

"Lieutenant, why am I assigned to this...mission?" The speaker was an Ensign. He was one of Grimbek's underlings, K'tal. K'tal was new to the Hiv'laposh. He was young and fit with dark hair and skin but light, coppery eyes.

"You're to ensure the security of the science team." Leral clarified. She tried to keep her voice from being snappish. She'd expected such a reaction from a Marine.

"Easily done if we simply destroy this thing and be on our way." K'tal snorted.

The other four team members glanced at the Marine. Meran and Huk were the scientists. They frowned. Ra'dok, old warrior that he was, barely had any expression at all.

"You'll have to meet a greater challenge than staying where it's safe." Leral stated. K'tal bared his fangs and glared.

"Any other questions?" Leral asked, ignoring the Marine. No one answered.

"Load the shuttle. We launch as soon as possible."

The shuttle crew began to disperse. K'tal was still sneering. He whispered something to Rinbar, the Marine responsible for the explosives. They were several steps away, but Leral clearly heard the word 'woman'. She narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth. The two Marines were already walking away.

"Help me run through preflight, Lieutenant?" Ra'dok asked.

Leral looked at him. The grey-maned old pilot had a serious look on his craggy face.

"Of course." She replied.

* * *

"That boy is going to be trouble." Ra'dok said, easing his husky frame--made huskier by his vacum suit--into the shuttle's pilot's seat.

"He's said nothing that hasn't been said before." Leral replied.

The pilot grunted.

"He says anything like that again, remind him why you're a Lieutenant."

Leral seated herself in the co-pilots chair and took a cautious look into the rear of the shuttle. The other four team members were loading the gear. She and Ra'dok were speaking quietly.

"This is not my first command, Warrant Officer." She said, flipping switches as she began her portion of the preflight check.

Ra'dok grinned.

"Your first command was in battle. Young bastards like K'tal will follow anyone towards shooting. This is different. It's your plan, and he doesn't think the idea is worth the trouble."

Leral opened her mouth, but said nothing.

"You have your blade?" Ra'dok asked.

Leral growled at the insult. Her d'ktagh was sheathed on her hip.

"Yes."

"No disrespect intended, Lieutenant. I just think you should keep it close, make sure K'tal sees it. He might remember you've used it before."

Leral considered, then nodded. She turned back to her panel.

"Merely advice, Lieutenant." Ra'dok muttered. "You do not have to listen."

"If I was stupid enough to ignore the ramblings of a Chief Warrant Officer, I'd not deserve to be called Lieutenant." Leral smiled slightly.

Ra'dok laughed. It was a low, hearty noise.

* * *

The stubby shuttle eased out of the Hiv?laposh?s docking bay. Ra?dok was a confident pilot, and the maneuvering was smooth.

Leral had little to do for the moment. She sat in the copilot?s seat, staring out the small craft?s wide forward viewport. Ra?dok was bringing the little ship around, taking up a position off the battlecruiser?s starboard bow. She hadn?t had much opportunity to see what was essentially her home from the outside. She examined the old cruiser with interest.

?Pretty, is she not?? Ra?dok asked.

?Pretty isn?t the word I?d choose.? Leral replied. The old battlecruiser's low-slung nacelles and long neck were classic Klingon design and lent a predatory air to the ship, but there was more to her than that. Here and there her hull was a darker or lighter grey than the rest; scars repaired with different grades of metal than she'd been constructed with. Her exterior lights were agleam, as they always were during shuttle operations, but somehow they made the cruiser darker, throwing swaths of her hull into shadow. Leral considered.

"She...looks like she wouldn't bother to kill you before she ate you." She said after a moment. Ra'dok cackled.

?Shuttle One,? The cockpit speakers crackled. It was Ran?jar?s voice, of course. ?The sop?nagh Is in position. Proceed.?

?Confirmed, acting.? Leral answered. The ship had been watching the stone eater, waiting for it to turn its maw in the least worrisome direction.

She turned to Ra?dok but the old pilot was already throttling the shuttle up to maximum power. She turned to her panel. The distance between shuttle and stone eater began to lessen, the numbers on the range indicator changing more rapidly as the small craft accelerated.

There was nothing outside the viewport now. The Hiv?laposh was already far behind.

?Lieutenant, make sure everyone?s strapped in.? Ra?dok muttered. His manner had changed. She was in charge of the mission but the shuttle and its passengers were his responsibility.

She looked back into the passenger compartment Scientists and Marines alike were trying not to appear apprehensive, though the Marines were going to greater lengths. All were properly secured, as they had been before take off.

K?tal was glaring at her, though not when she looked directly at him. She noted the expression and turned back to her controls.

?They are.?

Ra?dok nodded. The range continued to shrink.

?Shutdown in thirty seconds.? The pilot advised.

?Shuttle One to Hiv?laposh.? Leral called out. ?Switching to external sensor feed.?

?Affirmative. Confirm when feed established.?

The panel indicators went dark as Leral tapped the correct buttons. Three seconds passed before they came back to life. Their data came from the battlecruiser now; the sop?nagh would certainly notice if the shuttle used it?s own sensors on the approach.

?Feed established.?

?Affirmative.?

?Shutting down main engine?.now.? Ra?dok announced. The low hum of the impulse drive died away. Interior lights flickered, then went out and the slight breeze from the vents died away.

?All systems powered down.? Leral confirmed. The shuttle had batteries but she did not bring them on line. The atmosphere in the shuttle could sustain the crew for several hours and it?d take awhile for the gravity plates to lose their charge. If she hadn?t required the cockpit indicators or the inertial compensators she?d have shut them down too.

?Beginning thruster burn.? Ra?dok stated. A faint noise, like paper quietly ripped, echoed through the cockpit. Leral felt nothing; the inertial compensators were designed for low warp speeds. Such subtle changes in velocity would not tax them.

She looked up. There was nothing but empty space beyond the viewport. Long minutes would pass before the sop?nagh appeared.

The pilot leaned back in his seat.

?Now we wait.? He said.

Leral nodded.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: J. Carney on January 14, 2005, 01:54:55 pm: Quote
"She...looks like she wouldn't bother to kill you before she ate you."

That line is priceless. Excelent writing.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Lara on January 14, 2005, 10:19:34 pm: I'm not complaining, honest, but yanno cannon fodder is cannon fodder and that boy is not going to live to die in his sleep if he keeps up like that.

That said, where's the next chapter?
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on January 16, 2005, 11:19:19 am: mmm.. I'm not too often in favour of the role reversal most women strive for but now i can make an exeption. Make her kick hiss sorry ass
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Scottish Andy on January 22, 2005, 05:17:53 pm: Role reversal, my arse! ::)

An annoying twat is an annoying twat, no matter what race, gender, creed, or persuasion. :P

Get Leral to thrash the snotty bastard! ;D

Anyway, nicely done Larry. Looking forward to more.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: J. Carney on February 06, 2005, 06:09:31 pm: *patiently awaits the next chapter!*
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on February 06, 2005, 11:30:38 pm: I'd told Grim that I was gonna have this chapter done last week, but I'm running a little late...sorry about that.:)

I'm noticing that my chapters are shorter on this one and that it seems to make the pace quicker. Anyone else notice that or have a preference one way or the other?

------------------

Chapter Three

The shuttle coasted. Leral occasionally called out the distance remaining. Ra'dok occasionally reported a slight course adjustment. Otherwise the cockpit was silent. There was a low murmur from the crew compartment as the scientists and Marines discussed things.

Leral listened for K'tal's voice. The young officer said little of import. She was irritated with him but not for his attitude. He was distracting her.

"There we are." Ra'dok finally announced. Leral glanced up. A vague grey shape was visible in the viewport. It grew even as she watched, as did the asteroid beyond it.

"There we are." She agreed. "Three minutes. We're slightly off course, adjust to zero-nine-six..."

Ra'dok complied, nudging the shuttle about with the thrusters. Another correction was needed, then another. All were minor, however, not the series of wild adjustments that'd probably lead to a missed interception.

The sop'nagh dominated the viewport. There was a flash.

"It's feeding." Leral blurted. Ra'dok had nearly spun the shuttle into an evasive pattern.

"Yes." He replied. A comet-like wad of reddish plasma erupted from the stone eater, pulverizing a section of its target asteroid.

"Watch this." Leral smiled. Ra'dok regarded her incredulously but looked out the viewport. Thin azure beams erupted from the stone-eater's orifice--which thankfully pointed slightly away from the shuttle--and snared the man chunks of debris. With great efficiency the plasma-scorched material was dragged into the sop'nagh's maw.

The pilot grunted but watched for longer than he had to. Leral felt certain he was impressed.

"Begin landing approach...." She ordered. "...now."

Ra'dok rotated the shuttle and eased the throttle forward. The hiss of the thrusters filled the cockpit as the shuttle sailed in toward the stone eater. They couldn't make a normal approach without the impulse drive, couldn't compensate for their momentum in time to make the usual kind of landing.

"Now." Ra'dok barked. Leral activated the shuttle's tiny tractor beam, aiming at a bit of sop'nagh a kellicam ahead.

The shuttle lurched. The motion wasn't precisely violent, but it was certainly notable. Ra'dok killed the thrusters. Leral adjusted the beam. The shuttle was anchored, more or less. She slapped a few buttons. The shuttle reeled itself in along the beam.

"Five seconds left on the beam." Ra'dok said. The tractor was running off battery power.

"We're there already. Activate the clamps."

There was another violent lurch as the magnetic pads under the shuttle's keel locked onto the stone eater. All sense of motion died.

"We're on tight." Ra'dok reported.

Leral beamed

* * *

"Surface scans show something that looks like a hatch several meters to port." Huk reported, her voice filtered through Leral's helmet pickups.

"I can see it from here." K'tal informed. He was peering out the viewports on the crew compartment door. He still sounded impatient.

"As good a place to start as any." Leral stated.

"You think your underlings can decipher the hatch controls?" K'tal asked harshly. "Lingering on this thing's surface will not be safe."

"Perhaps." Leral replied. Her voice would never be as icy as Ran'jar's, but it was chilly enough. "If they can't, blasting through there will be easier than punching into the hull."

Rinbar, the demolitions man, looked at neither officer. Leral could not see his expression, thanks to his helmet, but his shoulders slumped a bit.

K'tal apparently took the meaning. The Marine said nothing more.

"Decompress the cabin." Leral ordered.

The whir of the fans was rather quiet as the air was sucked out of the shuttle's interior.

"Decompression complete." Ra'dok reported over the helmet com. The pilot would stay safe and warm in the shuttle's cockpit.

Leral nodded to K'tal. The Marine opened the shuttle door. The Klingons filed out, stepping in the odd fashion of people wearing magnetic boots.

"Interesting perspective..." Huk ventured. Leral couldn't help but agree. The surface of the sop'nagh curved away from them, the ridges and such that spoiled it's spherical profile creating the illusion of mountains, though on a small scale. The asteroid it was mutilating dominated the 'sky'.

There was a momentous flash of light, far ahead. Another torrent of plasma erupted from the stone eater. The Klingons watched it fly, upwards-seeming, to blast away yet another section of asteroid.

Leral smiled privately. She was not given to romantic notions, but she still found joy in the sight. Others might be enthralled by the color and magnitude of the display, but her happiness came from being closer than anyone had before. Her mind ran through calculations of the plasma bolt's power, the amount of rock displaced with every blast. She'd get firmer numbers from the tricorder tapes and wondered if this first mental estimation would be anywhere close.

There was more to see.

"Let's move." She ordered. The team moved forward in the clumsy way demanded by their magnetic boots. Their progress was faster than it appeared; the sop'nagh was not really much larger than a starship.

"Convienent." Huk declared as the hatch came into view. "There's some kind of interface."

"Get started." Leral ordered.

"Ma'am." The younger scientist acknowleged. She leaned over the hatch and began fiddling with her tricorder. Farther ahead, blue lances were once again spearing asteroids and drawing them into the stone eater's orifice.

"I'm getting good scans." Meran reported. He was facing the direction of the beams, taking readings with his own sensor unit. Leral smiled, but didn't respond. She glanced, instead, toward K'tal. He was watching the beams as well, rifle held casually. His spacesuit showed nothing of his posture, his expression.

"This should work." Huk declared. Leral looked towards the younger woman, who continued. "Simple base three mathematical code. I don't think this lock was really meant to keep people out."

"Interesting." Leral admitted. She heard a sigh over her helmet com. It wasn't a distinctive enough noise for her to identify it by sound alone, but there was really only one person it could be.

"I'm sorry, Rinbar." She said, turned toward the Marine and smiling. The demolitions man shrugged, the motion made awkward by his vac suit.

"Got it." Huk announced. The entire team looked toward her. The hatch opened outward, noiseless in the vacum.

"K'tal." Leral ordered. "Take point."

"Very well, my lord." He responded. She felt, rather than saw a sneer. The Ensign advanced toward the hatch, readying his weapon. Rinbar was right behind him.

The five Klingons entered the stone eater.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on February 08, 2005, 08:48:14 am: Quote
La'ra
I'd told Grim that I was gonna have this chapter done last week, but I'm running a little late...sorry about that.Smiley

I'm noticing that my chapters are shorter on this one and that it seems to make the pace quicker. Anyone else notice that or have a preference one way or the other?

------------------

Well better late then never. I don't mind the postings to be shorter, as long as the storydepth stays the same, yet i prefer the longer postings in general.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Lara on February 09, 2005, 08:20:11 am: :-*

I prefer longer chapters, but then more happens. That said I want more prose. Now. Preferably yesterday. Preferably all of it.

That poor silly marine boy. Ah well, they don't join the marines to become rocket scientists...

::)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on February 09, 2005, 08:30:17 am: Quote from: Lara on February 09, 2005, 08:20:11 am
That said I want more prose. Now. Preferably yesterday. Preferably all of it.

Well said babe but.... where's the next update of yours?
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on February 10, 2005, 09:09:00 am: You got a karma poiint for that one, Grim. :D
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Lara on February 12, 2005, 07:15:11 pm: I'm working on it?
Title: Interlude
Post by: Commander La'ra on February 25, 2005, 12:49:36 pm: I was working on the next chapter. It's not done, but this little bit is....

------------------------

Interlude

The Thing stopped.

It’d been ages since anyone had wanted to look at the Thing. The Thing knew that it was supposed to receive visitors regularly, but the lack had never affected it. For a moment, it was confused. Bits of its repast drifted into space, momentarily unimportant.

The Thing tried to remember what it was supposed to do when visitors came. It found that it could not. The memory had faded, like so many others. Should it try to do something to stop them?

No, the Thing decided. Visitors were supposed to show up periodically. That they hadn’t for so long was their failure, not its own. It would continue its meal. If the visitors wished it to stop they would no doubt assert their wishes.

The Thing turned its orifice toward the Other. The Other continued to hover well out of the Thing’s reach and had still done nothing to bother it.

Somewhere in the back of the Thing's mind, an idea began to form. Something about the Other and the visitors who were now inside it. The thought died before it was fully formed, as so many of the Thing’s thoughts did. It pushed the Other out of its regard and turned back to its meal.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on February 27, 2005, 06:37:35 am: mm.. I wonder over the what and how of the thing even more now...
Title: Chapter Four
Post by: Commander La'ra on February 27, 2005, 09:13:32 pm: Finished up Chapter Four tonight. I figured out if the only thing on TV to watch is the Oscars, I write faster. :D

---------------

Chapter Four

The Klingons burst out of the airlock, disruptors ready. There was the usual exchange of hand signals, the long seconds of waiting. No threat presented itself.

“Looks like a a maintenance tunnel, Lieutenant.” Meran had already traded his disruptor for his tricorder. “Power relays all through the walls.”

Leral nodded and holstered her weapon.

“Getting good readings on internal layout.” Huk stated.

“Fascinating, I’m certain.” K’tal growled. He and Rinbar covered the tunnel approaches.

Leral glared at the Ensign. He smiled wide enough that she could see it through his helmet, then turned away.

“It seems like the whole thing is built around a giant cargo chamber.” Huk continued. She was doing a better job at ignoring K’tal than Leral herself was. Leral was beginning to envy her. “Getting high power readings from that area, and it seems like the propulsion system is linked to it somehow.”

“Probably converts some of its food into fuel.” Leral said. "Can you locate the command center?"

"No." She confessed. "There doesn't seem to be any control circuitry that I can locate."

Leral nodded, turned to Meran. "Life signs?"

"None really." He answered. "Some ambiguous readings, but nothing background radiation couldn't account for."

Leral frowned. She doubted the presence of life. The hatch they'd came through and the tunnels they stood in disproved an old theory about the stone eaters being some kind of spacefaring creature and the interior held no atmosphere. There might be something new aboard, she supposed. It might even be hostile, but that was why she'd brought Marines.

In any case, there was only a single way to find out. She keyed her transmitter.

“Leral to Ra’dok.”

“Here, Lieutenant.” Static marred the Warrant Officer’s voice, but Leral could understand him.

“We’re inside, no hostile contact. Proceeding with mission.”

“Under...”

Leral’s earphones fizzed, cutting the shuttle pilot off. The same alloys that made the sop’nagh impervious to scans were interfering with communications, but they were fortunate that they could talk to Ra’dok at all.

“This tunnel lead to the propulsion areas?” She asked.

Huk answered. “Yes. That way.”

The party advanced down the corridor, Marines in the lead.

* * *

K'tal halted progress with a quick hand signal. Leral could only see hints of the chamber ahead of him. She wanted to see more.

She crept towards the Marine as quietly as her spacesuit and magnetic boots would allow.

"What is it?" She realized, suddenly, that the new chamber was not built along the same axis of 'up' and down' as the access tunnel.

"This area is very open." K'tal grumbled. There was a sudden professionalism in his voice.

"Sweep it, then. Use caution."

Behind his glassy faceplate, the Ensign grinned. "Yes, Lieutenant."

K'tal motioned for Rinbar and the two Marines charged forward, rifles to their shoulders, their movements swift and predatory. Their boots slowed them down the little but they covered each other well. Leral let their competence comfort her as they left her sight. Being able to take care of himself probably wasn't one of K'tal's failings.

They returned quickly.

"The area is clear. There is no threat to your technicians." The Ensign reported. Rinbar stood off behind him, looking about nervously.

"Good." Leral answered coldly.

"There's some kind of access panel nearby." The Marine continued.

"Which way?"

"Either way. This chamber loops around on itself." K'tal chuckled.

Again the group advanced. Leral's stomach lurched as she walked toward's the large chamber's 'floor'. The distortion of perspective inherent to zero-g operations was unsettling to many Klingons; she was no exception.

"This room is between the storage area and the propulsion system. It's built around the tube that connects them" Huk clarified, staring at her tricorder. "Layout is similar to a primitive space station..."

"She's trying to say we're on the cieling." K'tal barked.

"Yes." Huk agreed.

Leral nodded and opened her eyes. When the group had found the 'floor', she closed them again, trying to imagine she was somewhere flat.

The access panel was easy to find. Wide, and festooned with controls, it sat before a rather massive window. The tube Huk has spoke was visible through the 'glass', connecting with the wall of what was obviously the storage are--or the stomach. As Leral watched, bits of the tube turned a blazing red, and a spiderweb of patterns on the hold bulkhead were defined in crimsoned. Then the effect faded.

"It just fired it's plasma." Huk offered.

Leral smiled, nodded. The spectacle was repeated in blue, though the color was less intense, the effect more sustained, and the patterns on the bulkhead of a different arrangement.

Then, Leral realized, it wasn't really a spectacle. If the energy pathways were visible, disruptions would be easy to spot. She smiled.

"You can reroute the power flow from this panel." She theorized, letting her fingers drift across the controls. "Just look up, see where things are going wrong, and divert around it."

"Our Chief Engineer might call that lazy." Huk grinned. Leral chuckled.

"Can you get us into the system?"

"If it's no more secure than the hatch, yes. It might be hard to translate what it tells us, though, and...I'm not detecting the same kind of control circuitry that was in the hatch."

"See what you can do."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Lieutenant..." Meran called. The male scientist had been staring at his tricorder, a puzzled frown visible beyond his faceplate. Leral went to him, curious.

"I've figured out why I couldn't pinpoint the control circuitry." He explained.

"And?" Out of the corner of her eye, Leral noted the marines taking up standard defensive positions. She hadn't ordered it; it pleased her that she hadn't had too.

"The control pathways are organic." Meran continued. "I was scanning for electronics so I didn't notice them. There's an extensive nerve system running throughout the stone eater, and there's a huge chunk of organic matter under this floor. It's electrically active."

"So we're..." Leral began.

"...standing on it's brain. The access panel is directly linked to it."

Leral's eyes widened and she spun towards Huk. The younger woman had backed away from the panel, which was now ablaze with all manner of light.

"I.." Huk explained. "...have access."

A flash of light blinded Leral, and there was a sudden sense of flying before she crashed to the deck.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KOTH-KieranXC, Ret. on February 27, 2005, 09:47:36 pm: Very interesting. I really like the concept of the story itself, also, very original. Great job, La'ra, can't wait for more.
Title: Re: Chapter Four
Post by: Grim Reaper on February 28, 2005, 02:31:20 am: Quote from: Commander La'ra on February 27, 2005, 09:13:32 pm

“Looks like a mantinence tunnel, Lieutenant.”

a what? ;) .... a maintenance tunnel? :D ;)

Quote
"No." He confessed. "There doesn't seem to be any control circuitry that I can locate."

Since you're talking bout Huk that he should be a she...

Anyway, I probably didn't see all the spelling errors (and I probably made some myself) but I enjoyed the update. It made me curious for the next. And that is something that differentiates(sp?) between the good and the average writer.
Title: Re: Chapter Four
Post by: Commander La'ra on February 28, 2005, 09:20:51 am: Quote
a what? ;) .... a maintenance tunnel? :D ;)

...

Since you're talking bout Huk that he should be a she...

Fixed 'em, and another little mishap that was really close to Maintenance. Leral was supposed to ask Meran about life signs, since he's the one with the biology background (didn't manage to slip in Huk and Meran's specialities yet...huh. Maybe I've implied them...).

Quote
Anyway, I probably didn't see all the spelling errors (and I probably made some myself) but I enjoyed the update. It made me curious for the next. And that is something that differentiates(sp?) between the good and the average writer.

Thanks, Grim!

I wrote a weird 'semi-Trek' story last night at work. Sorta got mugged by my muse which refused to leave me in peace until I'd scribbled the idea down, so it's on notebook paper and I need to transcribe it. I dunno if I can get it up today, but hopefully tomorrow at the latest.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Mentat Jon on March 06, 2005, 04:59:05 pm: I dont hang in these parts much, that is some good s**T I just read La'ra, I might look about more threads.

Im not trek enough to write here though. :)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KOTH-KieranXC, Ret. on March 06, 2005, 09:45:19 pm: Hey, Jon, nice to see you around here! Yep, La'ra does write some top-notch stories.

Please do check out some of the other story threads. [shameless plug] Including Civilization: Omens, the story STasik and I are currently working on. ;D Let us know how you like it.[/shameless plug]

Sorry for hijacking your thread, La'ra. And now we return to your regularly scheduled Klingon fiction writing. ;)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on March 07, 2005, 01:46:48 am: You can find more of La'ra's stories at Ex Astris Scientia (http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/fiction.htm). Check the fanfiction section for the "by Larry Stovall " ones.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KOTH-KieranXC, Ret. on March 07, 2005, 07:56:42 am: There's also a bunch of them at Starbase 23 (http://www.starbase23.net), along with a bunch of other stories from several other forum authors.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Mentat Jon on March 07, 2005, 05:10:35 pm: I will take a look later on :)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on March 07, 2005, 06:31:08 pm: Quote from: Mentat Jon on March 06, 2005, 04:59:05 pm
I dont hang in these parts much, that is some good s**T I just read La'ra, I might look about more threads.

Thanks, MJ! Glad you ventured over from the land of Strife and Discord. There's a lot of good stuff here, and over on Andy's site. I'd mention specifics, but there's not a bad story at SB 23, so just pick one at random.

Hey, Kieran, if you sweet-talked Andy, I'm sure he'd be happy to post your stuff over there too. And I don't mind a little thread hijack, so long as you don't mind me erecting billboards in your own threads. ;D
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Mentat Jon on March 07, 2005, 06:41:44 pm: Quote from: Commander La'ra on March 07, 2005, 06:31:08 pm
Quote from: Mentat Jon on March 06, 2005, 04:59:05 pm
I dont hang in these parts much, that is some good s**T I just read La'ra, I might look about more threads.

Thanks, MJ! Glad you ventured over from the land of Strife and Discord. There's a lot of good stuff here, and over on Andy's site. I'd mention specifics, but there's not a bad story at SB 23, so just pick one at random.

Hey, Kieran, if you sweet-talked Andy, I'm sure he'd be happy to post your stuff over there too. And I don't mind a little thread hijack, so long as you don't mind me erecting billboards in your own threads. ;D

dont forget to save some stuff for the OBI forum ;)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KOTH-KieranXC, Ret. on March 07, 2005, 07:31:03 pm: Quote from: Commander La'ra on March 07, 2005, 06:31:08 pm
Hey, Kieran, if you sweet-talked Andy, I'm sure he'd be happy to post your stuff over there too. And I don't mind a little thread hijack, so long as you don't mind me erecting billboards in your own threads. ;D

Heh. Feel free, as long as you precede it with a comment about the story itself, I won't say anything. :D
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KOTH-KieranXC, Ret. on March 10, 2005, 09:01:39 pm: Hey, La'ra, I figured out how to put a link to this story into the little billboard you posted in my thread. Check it out. ;D

Now showing in a thread near you....

The Miners of the Stars (http://www.dynaverse.net/forum/index.php/topic,163350531.0.html)

The latest stirring tale of the IKV Hiv'laposh!

Edit: I've made a slightly altered version to serve as my signature block. ;D
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Governor Ronjar on March 10, 2005, 09:36:57 pm: Aaahhhhh.....

Good indeed.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: J. Carney on March 11, 2005, 07:09:41 pm: MIDTERMS ARE ALMOST OVER!!!

I have FINALLY gotten back around here and have the chance for some more reading.

I really like the way that the story is going. Can't wait to find out what the 'unscheduled flight' was all about.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Governor Ronjar on March 15, 2005, 06:26:02 pm: 'sniff,sniff...'

Story?

'sniff...'

No story... :-\ ??? :'( >:(
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Governor Ronjar on March 30, 2005, 07:25:57 pm: >:(
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KOTH-KieranXC, Ret. on March 30, 2005, 07:46:31 pm: Nothing new since the end of February? And I thought S and I were slow writers... *snicker*

In all seriousness though, I like this story, and I'm eager to read more!
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on March 31, 2005, 12:36:25 am: and so am I. LAAAAAAAAAAAA'RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! MORE!
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on March 31, 2005, 11:15:35 am: If you don't get it by early next week (Monday or Tuesday), you may send Governor-man to flog me, Grim.

Was working on it today.:)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on April 01, 2005, 03:38:42 am: MMMMMmmmm. How about the his coolest opponent? ;)

Anyways, glad you are working on it. Makes the waiting easier.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: S'Tasik on April 06, 2005, 04:50:49 pm: Well, it's Wednesday of the next week, and there's nothing up -- does this mean Grim gets to send the Governor-man to flog you with the cat-o-nine? ^^

Seriously, though, I forgot how much I liked the crew of the Hiv until I sat down and read this one. It reminds me of all the cool little missions you used to send them on, including one in which they met a rather unique brother-and-sister pair, the latter of which tried to seduce La'ra in his bath or something amusing like that. I also like the way you have your characters relate to each other in a natural sort of way, something I try to do whenever I set about creating a crew of my own.

So, my ranting aside -- when's the next part coming? XD

On a completely unrelated note, do you still have the same AIM handle as you did a couple of years back? It would be nice to get back in touch, see what's new, and "talk shop," as Kieran calls it...
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on April 06, 2005, 10:56:46 pm: Yeah...it...urm...is Wednesday. I've been...doing research, yeah. Research.

*pushes copy of Silent Hunter III out of view*

Actually, I'm still piddling with part four. Little late, but it's coming along. I still have the same AIM idea, Tasky, so feel free to give me a ring. Also, the story you were referencing is 'The Grim Neccesities'. It's archived with the rest of them at www.starbase23.net (http://www.starbase23.net)...and I'm actually working on a 'spin-off' (not really a sequel) of that particular story. It's got some potentially objectionable content though, so I sent it to Stephen to see if it'd be okay to post. Haven't heard back from him yet, though.

Talk to ya' soon, S'Tasik!
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on April 07, 2005, 01:39:27 am: You know Predators can cloak don't you La'ra?
Title: Chapter Five
Post by: Commander La'ra on April 07, 2005, 10:16:49 am: Heh. Okay, I finished it up this morning. I forced myself not to take my U-Boat out and terrorize the Scottish coast.

This one's a little short, but that's cuz there's another Interlude that follows immediately.

------------------------

Chapter Five

Spots danced in front of Leral's eyes. Curses and shouts echoed inside her helmet.

Her hand groped for her disruptor. She tried to move. There was something on top of her. She snarled, shoving with her left arm while rolling into it. She heard it hit the deck. There was a grunt from her helmet speakers.

Her vision was clearing, and her teammates were calling out their uninjured status. Her assailant, now flat on his back next to her, looked suspiciously like Meran. She lowered her disruptor, which she didn't remember aiming.

"You broke my fall." He explained. Despite herself, Leral laughed.

"Gravity." She heard K'tal mutter. She looked back toward the last place she'd seen him. He and Rinbar--shapes that looked like them anyway--were pulling themselves off the deck. Suk was draped over the control console. Everyone save Meran was lowering a weapon.

"Report." Leral ordered. Meran and Huk went for their tricorders. K'tal deactivated his magnetic boots.

"No hostiles present." He quipped.

"Thank you." She answered.

"Gravity and atmosphere." Meran reported. He was still on the floor, which reminded her that she was too. She turned off her boots and stood.

"Slight change in power levels." said Huk. "Access tunnels have been sealed. Looks like this ring we're in is a contained environment."

Leral frowned.

"Rinbar?" She asked. The demolition man responded with enthusiam.

"I can get us out, Lieutenant."

"Good." She turned toward Huk. The younger woman was fiddling with the console again.

"It's talking to me." Huk frowned behind her faceplate. "There's no way I can translate without a much bigger sample."

"See what you can do. Meran, what's the atmosphere like?"

"Safe."

Leral nodded and unsealed her helmet. The close air inside the suit whooshed out. The compartment's air seemed thin, but fresh. She didn't pull the helmet off, however. Who knew how long the sop'nagh's hospitality would last? Her teammates were doing the same.

"I think I can do this, Lieutenant." Huk declared. Leral felt for her. Languages were not always scientific or logical, and Suk was not a linguist. On the other hand, most of what the console told her would probably be technical data.

"Take your time." Leral advised. "Let's see if anything else has opened or closed. Rinbar, stay with Huk."

"Yes, my lord." The demolitionist hefted his rifle. The other three Klingons began to move down the hall, then Huk cried out loudly. There was another flurry of drawn weapons and seeking cover.

“I didn’t do anything.” Huk said. She was standing much farther from the control panel than she had been, her sidearm pointed straight at the console. Her tone was not apologetic; she was making a report.

Leral glanced at the control board. A panel had opened. She stepped forward. Inside the panel rested a set of headphones, and one of the displays was scrolling the same message—unintelligible as it was—over and over again. Up ahead, through the window, the illuminated pathways had shifted. No more blue and red pulses swam up the wall. The traceries were yellow now, and surging into the main conduit.

“Something’s happening…” She whispered.

Huk glanced over her shoulder. The smaller women hefted her tricorder.

“I think it’s digesting some of it’s meal…I’m detecting hydrogen. It’s probably seperating the asteroid chunks into base elements and…”

“….pulling what it needs into it’s own systems.” Leral finished.

“Efficient.” Huk remarked.

“A problem.” Leral responded. “I think it’s getting ready to go to warp.”
Title: Interlude
Post by: Commander La'ra on April 07, 2005, 10:33:13 am: Interlude

The thing was finally, gloriously, full. Meals could take a long time and this one had started months ago. Suitable food, once found, took a while to dismember and devour and rocks with the proper content weren’t as common as they used to be.

Now, though, its belly was gorged. And there were the visitors. There were supposed to be visitors, so the thing was pleased.

Would they tell the Thing not to return? It was time to return when the meal was over.

It didn’t matter, the Thing realized. If they wanted it to stop, they would tell it so. It wasn’t something the Thing had to worry about.

It rotated a bit and took a long, last look at the Other. There was still something not quite right about the Other, something the Thing felt it should realize. It considered things for a moment, and again, nothing came to mind.

It was time to go home.

The Thing rotated on its axis. Its path was clear. It leapt forward and kept accelerating, and there was a bright flash as it tore through the light barrier.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: kadh2000 on April 07, 2005, 07:05:55 pm: You know you're in trouble when the thing that just ate you decides to go to warp and head home.

Looking forward (patiently of course, given my own horrendous posting rate) to the next part.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on April 08, 2005, 04:36:21 am: Quote from: kadh2000 on April 07, 2005, 07:05:55 pm
You know you're in trouble when the thing that just ate you decides to go to warp and head home.

You know Kadh, I think you have a point there :D

Quote
Looking forward (patiently of course, given my own horrendous posting rate) to the next part.

I'll contact my Predator to wait a little longer.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KOTH-KieranXC, Ret. on April 09, 2005, 08:22:42 pm: Well, now, interesting twist. They've fought pirates, Romulans, and Feds, but how does the crew plan to extricate themselves from the belly of an astrominer at warp? Can't wait to find out. ;D
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Scottish Andy on April 22, 2005, 09:18:26 pm: And now to the item that pulled me back in to the Dyna-story-verse once again: Original and New Larry content!

As promised, Larry, here I am and commenting. Speficially: What Kadh & K-Fo said!

I of course can no longer claim a great posting schedule, but I am merely... resting on my laurels since "Aftermath"... Yes! Thats it!

*Ahem* Anyway, this is a very good story with a very original plot, very well put together and written, and I'm very much waiting on the next chapter.

(overdoing it, maybe?) *smirk*

Nah, I really do like it. Maybe I'll design a mission based on it...

And what's with that snot-nosed marine calling Leral "My Lord"? She's not the head of her house. Is he being sarcastic?
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KBF-Frankk on May 12, 2005, 07:06:13 pm: BUMP time ;D
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on May 13, 2005, 01:14:22 am: I was working on this tonight, and I have an entire week off coming. I won't promise a day, but it's coming soon. Sorry for the wait, RL's been occupied by work, mostly.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on May 17, 2005, 08:45:34 am: Just feed us :D ;)

Edit:

But not the Kadh. Never feed the Kadh. Because....

Hey Kadh,

Why the hell can't we feed you?
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: kadh2000 on May 17, 2005, 12:28:13 pm: I'm trying to lose weight!
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on May 18, 2005, 02:32:55 am: Quote from: kadh2000 on May 17, 2005, 12:28:13 pm
I'm trying to lose weight!

cry, war, destruction,
ruin, loss, decay

the worst is Kadh the not so nimble (overweighted(?))
but Kadh will have his day

? Like this?

j/k ;)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: kadh2000 on May 18, 2005, 02:01:03 pm: decay not occay
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on May 19, 2005, 02:05:29 am: Quote from: kadh2000 on May 18, 2005, 02:01:03 pm
decay not occay

K sorry thought I read it right from your sig...
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: kadh2000 on May 19, 2005, 02:22:32 am: Stolen from shakespeare. NP about the ribbing on the food. Time to change my avatar anyway.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on May 19, 2005, 02:36:38 am: I'm reading the new post btw... I'll review when i can (i actually should be working)
Title: Chapter Six
Post by: Commander La'ra on May 19, 2005, 06:28:59 am: This isn't actually two updates. I like what the short chapters have been doing to the tempo of the story, so I've been trying to stick to the format. However, but the time I finished Chapter Six, I realized that it was way longer than any of the other bits, so I split it in two.

Hope you enjoy it. Feedback, as always, is appreciated (and greatly anticipated).

----------------------

Chapter Six

"Ra'dok!" Leral shouted.

"I'm still...." The pilot's response dissolved into static. Under Leral's feet, she could feel a slight rumble, the same constant tremor nearly any ship of any race experienced when travelling faster than light. "....ating, can't stay here much longer."

"Disengage, now!" She shouted. The shuttle wasn't meant for warp. Too fast, both it and Ra'dok would be gone.

"Hiv'laposh says they're foll...." More static. "...not sure how fast it can go. Want you to slow it down."

There was a violent surge of electronic noise, more than the sop'nagh's hull could cause.

"Disengage!"

The com channel died. Leral blinked. She lowered her visor, checked the systems. The signal had been cut abruptly. She hoped that meant Ra'dok had obeyed her.

"We've moving at least warp six." Huk announced. "Judging by the power output and the mass..."

"I need control." Leral snapped. Huk stood for a half a moment, then nodded.

"I'm not sure I can translate the dialect. If I can get deeper access, it'd be easier to figure out the programming language."

"Do what you have to."

"Languages." K'tal growled. "We do not need access to their systems. The thing's brain is below our feet, and we have explosives."

Leral snapped her gaze toward the Marine.

"That would be incredibly dangerous." Meran cut in. "We have no idea which section controls the warp drive."

K'tal rolled his eyes. "So find out. Use your little scanners and find the right part."

"If you can isolate the right section, I can be pretty discrete." Rinbar claimed. He looked confident.

"You see?" K'tal snapped. "Scan so we can kill this thing and be on our way."

Meran opened his mouth to reply.

"I am in command." Leral spoke evenly, and as quietly as she could manage. She thought perhaps she was trying to imitate Ran'jar's iciness, or the quiet anger the Commander only displayed when he was truly incensed. It was possible, she supposed, that the tone was her own.

"Pardon me, My Lord." K'tal spat. Leral's eyes narrowed.

"Mind your tounge, K'tal."

The Marine stood a little straighter, chest swelling, his next words already forming on his lips.

"Figure out the system." Leral ordered. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, that K'tal's fists clenched. Huk glanced from her Lieutenant to the Marine, then turned to the console, preparing her next efforts.

"Scan the organics, Meran. If we can't get access, we may have to use the explosives."

"Yes, Lieutenant.”

“Rinbar.” She commanded. “A word.”

She guided Rinbar away from her party. K’tal moved to follow. She stopped him with a look. The Ensign was seething now. She didn’t care. Let him stew.

“Have you ever used explosives on organic material before?” She asked the demolitionist.

The young Marine hesitated.

“Not really.”

“So you have no real idea what kind of effect an explosion would have on the sop’nagh’s neural material.”

“Not yet. I can figure it out, Lieutenant…Meran can tell me the consistency, the elasticity, things like that. I can figure out what a few charges would do.”

“I meant more…” She paused, searching for the right words. “…the secondary effects. This thing has a brain, there’s more to consider than physical damage.”

Rinbar looked confused for a moment.

“You mean…like how a projectile can kill someone if it doesn’t get through their armor, sometimes. Shock or pain or things like that.”

“Yes.”

“Then I don’t have any idea. But if the sop’nagh…I don’t think setting off a charge in it’s brain would be…” He stopped speaking and shrugged.

Leral nodded. “Thank you. Talk to Meran, figure out which section controls the warp drive. Figure out what you can. We may have to use your explosives if there’s no other option. Plan carefully.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

She smiled at him. She almost squeezed his shoulder, as La’ra might do. She didn’t though. Rinbar was young enough that a woman’s touch might knock his thoughts askew. He stepped away, began speaking to Meran. He appeared less confident than she’d usually seen him, and she realized that she had caused the change. It couldn’t be helped; he had needed to know exactly what might be asked of him. Nevertheless, she didn’t like the shift.

Rinbar continued to talk to Meran. K’tal continued to seethe. Huk continued to work on the console.

There was little for her to do but wait.
Title: Chapter Seven
Post by: Commander La'ra on May 19, 2005, 06:38:30 am: Chapter Seven

Barely ten minutes had passed, but Leral now understood why the Commander paced all the time.

She looked back at her hours on the Hiv’laposh’s bridge, many of which had been spent watching La’ra march back and forth across the control center like a giant automaton. In reflection, his most lengthy, most ardent spells of pacing where when he’d given every order he could, set specialists on whatever task was needed, and then was forced to stand and wait for the results of his decisions. Pacing was a logical vent for such frustration, she decided. She wasn’t indulging in it herself. Instead, she habitually scanned the sop’nagh, or checked her comm circuits, or any little thing that would distract her.

K’tal, nearby, still seethed. She realized that he was probably going through the same thing. Worse, he’d had no orders to give. His skills had not been needed.

She thought about speaking to him, but she’d noted the harsh glares he kept sending her and decided that such an effort wouldn’t be fruitful.

“We have a partial map of it’s brain functions, Lieutenant.” Meran announced.

“Let me see.” She ordered. Meran offered his tricorder. She took it.

"There's large areas..."

"...with no neural activity, yes, Lieutenant." Meran frowned. "I couldn't find what was wrong with them until I did a very intensive microbe scan. The tissue in those areas is heavily infected."

"Infected?"

"Yes. It picked up a simple disease somehow and it's spread enough that it's inhibiting functions."

Leral nodded. They were fortunate the warp systems hadn't been affected or they might've met a spectacular demise. Of course if things had degraded to that level, the sop'nagh would've probably destroyed itself long ago.

"The highest levels of activity are there..." Meran pointed at the tricorder's display. "...and there. Both have direct links to the warp system. If we have to use the explosive, that would be the best area.”

“There’s a problem with that, Lieutenant.” Rinbar broke in. She looked at him.

“What we assume is the main power feed runs through close to those areas.”

“Can you destroy the areas without affecting it?”

“I think so. I’ll need to retool some of my shaped charges. I…” The demolition man paused. “…as you said, I’ve never had to blow up organic material before. I’ll be guessing about the yield needed and how much force might be transferred.”

“But you think you can do it?”

“Yes.” He smiled, suddenly. “I may have a little leeway. The main power feed seems like it’s heavily reinforced.”

“Go ahead and prepare your explosives. We may as well be prepared.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.” He stepped away, manhandling his pack off his back and opening it. He didn’t seem to think about how close his teammates were when he began resetting three of his charges. Logically, there was no chance of an accidental detonation – the detonators weren’t even in -- but Leral found herself resisting the urge to step away.

Meran glanced nervously at Rinbar, but said nothing.

“There’s…something else, Lieutenant.” He said after a moment. She prompted him to continue.

“It seems like the microbe responsible for the sop’nagh’s…illness is present throughout it’s entire brain structure. The areas most affect just seem to be the origin points.”

“So eventually the whole thing will be nonfunctional?”

“Yes. It’s occurred to me that we might be looking at the reason for most sop’nagh’s behavior.”

“Inhbiited brain functions?” She queried. “Wouldn’t it be unusual for the same disease to be present in all of them?”

“Not if whoever built it suffered continually from it, like the Terrans from their cold, or our brach. And I think that’s the case.”

Leral realized suddenly that Meran had been holding back information, waiting to present the true selling point of his theory until the most dramatically appropriate moment. It was a common habit among science officers, at least until impatient commanders tossed them into an agonizer booth. She’d learned not to do it, but there’d been a couple of times on the Hiv’laposh when she’d indulged herself, feeding the Commander or the First tidbits until the real meal came along. She had never done it in a crisis, but valued the times she allowed herself the indulgence.

She let Meran continue.

“I’ve found traces of some kind of chemical in the cell structure. It’s a medicine of some kind…it directly counteracts the spread of the microbe.”

“So someone has been treating it?”

“Yes, Lieutenant, but the chemical seems a bit…stale…it’s old, I think. The sop’nagh has not been treated in some time. Judging by the readings, it may have been centuries.”

Leral pondered that.

“Whoever built them no longer maintains them.” She theorized. “Perhaps their builders are extinct.”

“It’s storing cargo, Lieutenant. It has to be taking it somewhere. If Huk gets into the computer, perhaps we can find out where.”

“If she doesn’t, we can extrapolate its course.” She advised.

Meran smiled. “Yes, I suppose that would work too.”

“I’ll check on her progress, though.” Leral offered. She stepped toward the console.

"Language is pretty complex, Lieutenant." Huk declared. "But I know what this thing is."

The younger scientist indicated the headset that had emerged.

"Neural interface, I think. You put it on your head and you can manage the software mentally."

"How did you figure that out without the language?"

"Because of this." Huk said, and pressed a key. A section of the control panel suddenly changed, displaying a crude humanoid figure affixing the headset to it's temples. Short bits of unknown letters accompanying the diagram, with some instructional arrows to make things clearer.

"That text is in...something like basic computer code. I think this is what Terrans call a 'user friendly' interface."

"Yes..." Leral frowned. What sort of people had the sop'nagh's makers sent to maintain the thing.

"I was waiting for your permission to try it, Lieutenant."

Leral regarded her younger teammate. "We have no idea if this could have any harmful effects."

Huk nodded. "It seems to be the primary interface, Lieutenant. I suspect if we want into the system, we'll have to use it."

Leral frowned more deeply. Blowing up the sop'nagh's brain would be chancy, in her opinion. A sudden loss of control could be catostrophic in more ways than she could imagine without an hour or so of spare time...especially given the proximity of the main power relay. Rinbar seemed confident, and he knew his job...but explosions were unpredictable. Leral did not like variables she could not account for.

"Are there any special instructions?" She asked Huk.

"No, Lieutenant."

"All right. Please stand back." To her side she saw K'tal look up. Whether the stunned expression on his face was amazement or contempt she couldn't discern.

"Lieutenant..." Huk began.

"No." Leral responded. "My mission, my responsibility."

The younger woman blinked and looked disapproving, but she stepped back. Leral took the headset and placed the padded ends on her temples.

There was a buzzing, a slight pain in her head. Nothing else happened. She waited.

Still nothing. A thought occured.

"Meran." She called out. "Scan this device and tell me which section of the thing's brain it's connected to."

Meran complied.

"One of the decayed areas, Lieutenant."

She nodded. The thing could not hear her. She removed the headset.

"I think that leaves the explosives." She muttered. He stomach knotted. She wasn't afraid of death, but there were so many ways...being crushed to jelly after an inertial compensator failing was not the way she wished to reach Sto'vo'kor.

"Actually, Lieutenant, I could cure it." Meran announced.

Huk gazed at her fellow scientist incredulously. K'tal glowered. Rinbar's eyes widened.

"Explain." Leral ordered.

"Like I said, the disease is simple...it's very similar to Terran athlete's foot. I could probably administer an invasive counter-agent. I have something suitable in the medical kit."

The Lieutenant considered. It'd probably take a lot of medicine to cleanse the sop'nagh's brain of it's malady, but then...

"Invasive counter-agent?"

"Yes. We have several. The microbe in the tissue is a fungus, and there's no beneficial organisms of that type present. A fungal counter-agent would devour the disease, then destroy itself. No guarantee the system would become functional, however."

Leral grinned. Medicine was not her speciality, but she remembered something about such materials. Klingon doctors had long been obsessed with the idea of sending their own hunters after their microscopic enemies rather than trying to drown them in chemicals as toxic to the patient as to the germ. They'd found success a few decades back.

It could work, she decided. There was a chance it could cause a failure as catastrophic as the one she feared from an explosion, but it seemed less absolute to her. If the sop'nagh's brain functions survived the dose, but couldn't restore itself, they could still blast it to bits.

"Let's try it." She ordered.

“Are you insane?” K’tal spat.

Leral turned towards the Marine. He stood, his glower now a fully, unrestrained scowl, his hands at his sides in what Leral assumed was a defensive posture.

“No.” She replied. Her eyes were slits.

“You seek to heal this monstrosity? Despite the danger we know it presents and when a simple block of plastic explosive would free us?”

“An explosion is irrevocable. This has a better chance of leaving us with another option.”

“No.” He snarled. “Your judgment is in question. Only a fool would…”

“I am not a fool.” She declared. Huk and Meran had edged away from her, though they stood in positions of support. Rinbar merely looked confused. “And the order is final.”

“No. It is not.” His fingers slid toward his d’ktagh. “I am the next in the chain of command. It is my duty to…replace you if you become irrational. Which you have.”

“I challenge you for leadership.”
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on May 19, 2005, 07:16:01 am: Quote
"That text is in...something like basic computer code. I think this is what Terrans call a 'user friendly' interface."

LOL somebody like me did their job well then :D

Quote
“I challenge you for leadership.”

While it is in itself not a bad concept, replacing leadership during a stress situation is more likely to do harm then not. Not a good descision imho.

The techibabble did not leap out so imho is credible. Sounds pretty logical also. Just don't over do. Like in the following part:

"Like I said, the disease is simple...it's very similar to Terran athlete's foot. I could probably administer an invasive counter-agent. I have something suitable in the medical kit."

Quote
The Lieutenant considered. It'd probably take a lot of medicine to cleanse the sop'nagh's brain of it's malady, but then...

"Invasive counter-agent?"

"Yes. We have several. The microbe in the tissue is a fungus, and there's no beneficial organisms of that type present. A fungal counter-agent would devour the disease, then destroy itself. No guarantee the system would become functional, however."

Leral grinned. Medicine was not her speciality, but she remembered something about such materials. Klingon doctors had long been obsessed with the idea of sending their own hunters after their microscopic enemies rather than trying to drown them in chemicals as toxic to the patient as to the germ. They'd found success a few decades back.

It could work, she decided. There was a chance it could cause a failure as catastrophic as the one she feared from an explosion, but it seemed less absolute to her. If the sop'nagh's brain functions survived the dose, but couldn't restore itself, they could still blast it to bits.

Limited quantity of medicine limits the result... So no miracle cure and the thing is healty again. But I don't expect you'll overdo it.

off topic:

TOS is pretty much my blankspot, never seen much of it (though i'd like to). Best seasons of DS9 where the last imho so I recommend them. And the only good thing in VOY was the possibilty of a B/7 relationship. ENT lost me when they started on time travel. Though T'pol is a hottie... ;)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on May 19, 2005, 08:25:10 am: K'tal is stupid in the way only a 17-20 year old boy can be, so no, challenging Leral at that precise moment was probably not the best decision he's ever made. ;D

I was initially going to have the meds Meran is carrying eventually be able to cure the whole damn Astro Miner, based on the idea that the attacking microbes would breed rapidly and prey on any disease present until there was nothing left for them to eat. Hence, even a small dose could eventually work wonders. However, I got to thinking, and decided that anything growing that rapidly would place enormous stress on the thing you injected it into, and thus, decided to limit the effect. Perhaps the invasive agent has been genetically altered so that it can only reproduce so many times, then once the food source (the disease) is gone, the 'friendly' killer microbes rapidly starve. Meran's going to mention something about that in the next part, I think.

TOS is pretty awesome if you can get past the '60's fashion and effects. In my opinion, it's better than any of it's predesessors...and if you haven't seen 'Day of the Dove', I strongly recommend it. You could see the start of the 'honorable Klingon' there, but they still had that 'I'm the devious bad guy' edge.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: kadh2000 on May 19, 2005, 09:53:04 am: Poor Leral. Now she has to decide whether to just kill the fool or if he might one day grow into something valuable enough to just beat the snot out of. Man, using a bomb on it provokes interesting questions.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Lara on May 19, 2005, 02:58:27 pm: I DO love Leral.

And Larry darling, you never fail to gratify me with male stupidity, *sighs in pure bliss*

SMOOCH

More now?

xxxooo
Lara
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Scottish Andy on May 19, 2005, 07:46:49 pm: Hey Larry, entertaining post, I'm certainly enjoying it.

Reaper is onto something there, though. I can see an increase in your technobabble content. There isn't much, but there is more. I think reading Jaeih's stories is rubbing off on you! *grin*

I like that Leral is discovering some of the motivations for La'ra'a actions, and that the little snot is a typical teenager. Thinks he knows everything but really knows very little. Blunt solutions are everything, and all that.

I also liked your description of Klingon anti-virus/disease medication. It strikes me as very Klingon.

Great stuff, keep it up!
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: kadh2000 on May 19, 2005, 11:11:14 pm: I must be a geeky science type, but I didn't feel there was an excess of technobabble. If I had any complaint it was the overuse of comparison to Earth / Terran illnesses and so forth. Once is okay. More than that I'ld leave as Klingon:

"It's comparable to nokmoth: you just squirt an antifungal on your foot and it's taken care of. I have something suitable in my med-kit."
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on May 20, 2005, 02:55:30 am: Quote from: kadh2000 on May 19, 2005, 11:11:14 pm
I must be a geeky science type, but I didn't feel there was an excess of technobabble.

Grim was responding to a question I asked in a PM. This one does have more than my typical story, largely because it's centering on the science officer, and I was wondering if it at least sounded plausible.

Quote
If I had any complaint it was the overuse of comparison to Earth / Terran illnesses and so forth. Once is okay. More than that I'ld leave as Klingon:

"It's comparable to nokmoth: you just squirt an antifungal on your foot and it's taken care of. I have something suitable in my med-kit."

You're right. I wrote that part in a two-hour session and didn't catch the second comparison when I 'editted'. I'll implement your suggestiong when I get a chance to sit down and play with it.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Governor Ronjar on May 24, 2005, 08:16:17 pm: Tirok luv Leral!

Tirok bring Leral head of demon killed in her honor! ;)

Enjoying! Cant wait for my copy of the intact story so I can print it out and give it the real read it deserves.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KBF-Frankk on June 27, 2005, 09:52:29 am: Hey La'ra is BUMP Time ;D
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on June 28, 2005, 02:15:00 am: Workin' on it.:)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on June 28, 2005, 12:53:37 pm: Quote from: Commander La'ra on June 28, 2005, 02:15:00 am
Workin' on it.:)

work harder ;)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Scottish Andy on June 28, 2005, 07:24:37 pm: 2nded & ditto
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Lara on June 28, 2005, 09:48:21 pm: What they said
Title: Chapter Eight
Post by: Commander La'ra on August 01, 2005, 10:28:32 am: Better late than never...

------------------

Chapter Eight

Leral faced her challenger. Her fingers flexed.

She didn’t know why K’tal was doing this. She did wonder. Was it because she was a woman? Was he simply that bored and undisciplined enough to lash out at someone he disliked? Did he think she was, in fact, irrational?

Was she irrational? She reviewed her decision carefully. She could see possible disadvantages, possible disasters, but she couldn’t see any flaws in her logic or how any other course of action was less dangerous.. That left K’tal, standing three meters in front of her, about to draw his d’ktagh.

She had options. The Commander had several standing orders. One indicated that any duels required his permission. She could enforce that rule, but the idea left a bad taste in her mouth. She would not hide behind someone else’s decisions. It was also frowned upon to challenge a leader in a time of crisis. That would be hiding behind custom, which was also unpalatable.

She could fight him, but she decided with thoughts so clear it surprised her that that was a bad idea. K’tal was a Marine. He trained to kill the enemy every day of his life. She was a warrior, and had proven herself in combat, but it wasn’t her primary area of expertise. He was male. He was probably stronger than her; the disparity between male and female wasn’t as pronounced among Klingons as it was in some other species, but it existed. Her speed advantage—she was fast enough to be sure she had one—would be mitigated by her environment suit. Klingon officers were trained to be aggressive, but unlike some others, she did remember it was best to fight on her own terms or not at all.

Not fighting held disadvantages too. Letting his challenge stand unanswered would not engender respect. Respect was required to command Klingons. And either way, K’tal might challenge her later, but she would be expecting it, and could meet him in conditions more favorable to her.

She decided.

“Are you certain you wish to do this?” She asked K’tal coolly, her eyes as narrow as she could make them. She wished her gaze could be as icy as Ran’jar’s for she knew her own would not suffice.

K’tal snorted. “I do not make idle challenges, woman.”

Leral drew her disruptor and shot him in the chest.

K'tal's environment suit took much of the blast's energy, but there was still enough of a charge to send him to the deck. His arms and legs thrashed wildly and foam bubbled from between his lips. Disruptors were formidable stunning weapons, but their effects were not pleasant.

She walked toward him, weapon still trained. His convulsions made disarming him more difficult that she really wished, but after a moment or two his sidearm and d'ktagh were stuffed into her belt. His rifle has been securely slung. She took it. It was set higher than stun.

"Huk." Leral ordered. The other woman took the rifle. The expression on her face was...wary.

"If he does anything else mutinous, shoot him."

"Yes, Lieutenant." Huk responded. Leral looked to Meran.

"How difficult will it be to get to the brain?"

"Not very...the deckplates are made for easy access." He replied quietly.

"Let's pull one up then."

* * *

The deckplate required a password for removal. A disruptor provided a suitable substitute.

"Sorry." Leral smiled at Rinbar. He'd been standing by hopefully, holding a microcharge of explosive.

"Someday, Lieutenant." He sighed. Unlike Huk and Meran, he seemed quite jovial now. Leral hoped her actions hadn't soured her rapport with her subordinates.

There was a loud clang as Meran wrestled the deckplate aside. Below the flooring was a grey, obviously organic mass. Bits of it were an ugly shade of purple and a thin coating of plastic protected it.

"Is that a symptom?" Leral asked.

"Yes." Meran confirmed. "That's what color your toes turn if..."

"...if you get chu'thach." She finished the sentence, smiling.

Meran chuckled. It didn't sound forced. Leral hoped that was a good sign.

"This is a really light dosage for this much material." Meran declared, leaving down and slicing the plastic open with his d'ktagh. "If it works, it will not work fast."

Leral nodded. Meran took his hypospray out, pressed the nozzle to the brain, and administered the medicine.

"They'll start to reproduce immediately." He said.

Leral nodded again. The microbes would feed on the infection, spread throughout the entire brain eventually, though that could take months. Injecting the treatment into the affected area would mean the parts she needed would be cleansed first, but Meran had no idea how long that would take.

They waited. She sat on the deck. Meran followed suit. Rinbar stayed on his feet, leaning against the wall and inventorying his explosives again.

Leral glanced down the corridor. Huk was still covering K'tal, who still wasn't moving.

Minutes passed. Perhaps half an hour. Meran pulled out his tricorder.

"It's working." He informed.

"How soon will..."

"The infection is cleared from the area the console was communicating with. Whether it'll work now..." He shrugged.

"We'll have to try it." She stood.

"Is it working?" Huk asked, cradling the rifle.

"The microbes are. Rinbar, watch K'tal."

"Yes, Lieutenant." The demo man took the rifle from Huk. Leral stepped toward the console. She took the receptors and placed them on her forehead.

There was no pain, this time, though the buzz was still there. Nothing else happened for a few moments, then displays began to spring up in front of her. She laughed as the characters, at first in an undecipherable script, morphed into Klingon.

"I'm in." She declared.

"You are?" A voice asked. Huk, but her voice sounded far away.

"I see displays. You can't, can you?"

"No, Lieutenant."

Leral tried to nod. It took far too much effort. She realized it was difficult, but not impossible to move anything. She wondered why speaking had felt normal.

She told herself it didn't matter. She studied her displays. Propulsion was the one she wanted. She began to reach for it, out of sheer habit. Her limbs were like jelly. She chuckled again. How was she supposed to use this thing?

She stared at the listing for propulsion. Nothing happened. She spoke the word 'propulsion'. Stil nothing. She growled. She only wished to open the menu...

...the display shifted, outlining the status of engines and power systems or their sop'nagh equivilant.

Of course, She told herself.

"We're moving at warp six." She informed Huk. "Record these coordinates. If we extrapolate, perhaps we can find where these things come from."

"Yes, Lieutenant." said the odd, faraway voice.

"The Hiv'laposh is following." She also reported. "All we'll have to do is stop."

To that end, she concentrated on the 'commands' menu. It was a simple matter to tell the sop'nagh to stop.

There was an odd sound in her head. Speech, she thought, though not in a language she recognized. She listened for a moment. The sound did not return.

She concentrated again, telling the sop'nagh to slow to impulse.

The voice was louder this time. Infinitely louder.

Leral grabbed her temples and screamed.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on August 01, 2005, 12:54:57 pm: Larry! Well it's been a while m8. Great to have you back!

On to the story:
I like Leral's decision. It was the best course of action available at that time. However, one small nit: I have a crappy memory but I think someone once said in canon that Klingon disrupters don't have a stun setting. Even more so I can distinctly remember a very very rotflmao story that was called something like "set disruptors to stun" or something like it. It was hilarious.

Could be propaganda of course.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on August 01, 2005, 12:59:11 pm: Quote
However, one small nit: I have a crappy memory but I think someone once said in canon that Klingon disrupters don't have a stun setting. Even more so I can distinctly remember a very very rotflmao story that was called something like "set disruptors to stun" or something like it. It was hilarious.

I don't think that's ever been stated in canon, but I could be wrong. I'm pretty sure it's a SFB thing. If not...well, my Klingons do have stun settings. How better to capture foes so that you can place them in the mind sifter? ;D

That story belong to Captain Krenn, btw, and yeah, it was damned funny.:)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: CaptJosh on August 01, 2005, 11:24:59 pm: I don't know about cannon, but if you like Diane Carey's work, disruptors have three stun settings, though one is only nominally a stun setting, as a person stunned with it will die slowly and painfully without swift treatment. This is mentioned in Battlestations. The other two, a light and a heavy stun are true stun settings, and like phaser stuns, at close range, heavy stun may possibly be lethal.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Jaeih t`Radaik on August 02, 2005, 08:24:57 am: Excellent continuation, La'ra! I really liked how Leral dealt with that little snot-nosed brat-with-a-gun, and the story itself is developing nicely.

Keep it up, and next time don't have us wait so long between chapters!
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on August 02, 2005, 09:33:07 am: Quote from: Commander La'ra on August 01, 2005, 12:59:11 pm
Quote
However, one small nit: I have a crappy memory but I think someone once said in canon that Klingon disrupters don't have a stun setting. Even more so I can distinctly remember a very very rotflmao story that was called something like "set disruptors to stun" or something like it. It was hilarious.

I don't think that's ever been stated in canon, but I could be wrong. I'm pretty sure it's a SFB thing. If not...well, my Klingons do have stun settings. How better to capture foes so that you can place them in the mind sifter? ;D

That story belong to Captain Krenn, btw, and yeah, it was damned funny.:)

You know where to get that story? Or CK for that matter? Since the rest is returning to this warm nest perhaps he's willing too?

Quote from: CaptJosh on August 01, 2005, 11:24:59 pm
I don't know about cannon, but if you like Diane Carey's work, disruptors have three stun settings, though one is only nominally a stun setting, as a person stunned with it will die slowly and painfully without swift treatment. This is mentioned in Battlestations. The other two, a light and a heavy stun are true stun settings, and like phaser stuns, at close range, heavy stun may possibly be lethal.

I haven't read any star trek books involving established aliens and only a few books (+/- 5) others. So got any recommendations? (Klingons are +)
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on August 02, 2005, 10:17:22 am: Quote
You know where to get that story? Or CK for that matter? Since the rest is returning to this warm nest perhaps he's willing too?

Haven't heard from Krenn, lately, but several of his stories are up on Scottish Andy's site. I think that's one of 'em.

Quote
I haven't read any star trek books involving established aliens and only a few books (+/- 5) others. So got any recommendations? (Klingons are +)

Finding good Trek books involves a lot of guesswork in my opinion. There's a lot of good stuff, but there's also a lot of utter crap that Pocket Books has put out. I honestly prefer the efforts from the 80's, as they were less picky about canon and the writers got to play around more. While that led to silliness such as Vulcans being 'the perfect race' in some writer's novels, it also led other authors to do some really compelling riffs on the STU.

I strongly, strongly recommend John M. Ford's The Final Reflection. It's a Klingon-centric novel that was written long before TNG, and hence the Klingons are presented in a much different way than they are in fiction written since then. It's also where Krenn got his forum name.:) I think you'd enjoy it, it's probably the best Trek novel that's ever been written.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Scottish Andy on August 02, 2005, 10:22:44 am: Hey Grim, if you're interested, you can find Captain Krenn's excellent Set Disruptors on 'Stun' here, on my site:

http://www.starbase23.net/Stories-Krenn-13Stun.html

If you further desire, you can peruse my entire site from

http://www.starbase23.net/

Happy reading!

PS: Larry, I'll do a post on your story later. Running out of time here, gotta get to work.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on August 02, 2005, 12:26:51 pm: Quote from: Scottish Andy on August 02, 2005, 10:22:44 am
Hey Grim, if you're interested, you can find Captain Krenn's excellent Set Disruptors on 'Stun' here, on my site:

[url]http://www.starbase23.net/Stories-Krenn-13Stun.html[/url]

If you further desire, you can peruse my entire site from

[url]http://www.starbase23.net/[/url]

Hell yeah I just forgot you have one Thx

And thx Larry I'll check my local comic/dnd/scifi shop
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Governor Ronjar on August 05, 2005, 12:02:46 am: The book 'Battlestations' sucked monkey ballz.

Yes many Trek books are guess work. Some, which are otherwise good, overstress the authors opinion of their own thoughts of 'how things work'. This isn't always bad, but if overused, mar an otherwise good read. I have only read a few chapters thusly, but I sujest the new Star Trek: Vanguard series. The first book is called 'Harbringer' and it is about a Federation Starbease in Kirk's era. The author uses a little of Commodore Decker, and I always love such things.

About Leral's response, I like! Sense a bit of Ron'jar in her practicality, but then, if Ron'jar had done it, the kid wouldn't be getting back up, would he...?

PS, RL: If you read this before I get to speak with you RL, I'm hoping to continue Corpus Christi saturday. Didn't think you'ld mind, given you've practically begged (not really) me for it every time we've talked in the last month. DanBo and Kenny will be in attendance.

--thu guv'!
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Lara on August 06, 2005, 10:18:24 am: :-*
I love this. keep it coming.

xxxooo
lara
Title: Interlude
Post by: Commander La'ra on October 19, 2005, 07:56:09 pm: Will post the next full chapter tomorrow. For now though, here's the little interlude bit that comes before it.

----------------

Interlude

The Thing had settled into a welcome slumber when it heard the voice.

The Visitors, it decided. It was right that they were speaking to it. They asked it things; how fast it was going, what direction. They even asked about the Other. None of those required The Thing to wake up, which pleased it.

Then they said ‘stop’.

The Thing knew that Visitors often asked it to stop. It also knew that it was supposed to ask for the Word. The Word meant that it should do anything Visitors wanted.

It asked for the Word. There was no response.

The Thing couldn’t remember what it was supposed to do when the Word was not given, so it asked again, louder.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Governor Ronjar on October 19, 2005, 09:10:19 pm: Louder?

...ouch...
Title: Chapter Nine
Post by: Commander La'ra on October 19, 2005, 10:29:02 pm: Actually, since that part is now done, I'll just post it now and post the rest of the story (as in, it's finished) tomorrow.

----------------

Chapter Nine

Huk reached for her. Leral waved her away. She’d managed to stop screaming. The voice in her skull still boomed like artillery fire.

I don’t know what you want! She thought. The voice boomed again.

Her mind raced. What’d she done to bring on the voice? Why had it reacted?

She’d tried to stop the thing. She’d told it to stop. There was something demanding when the voice spoke.

It wants a password! She realized.

The voice spoke again. It was the same question, but quieter.

Cancel command, She thought. I don’t want you to stop right now.

She waited. The voice didn’t speak again.

“The system…the navigation system needs a password…” She explained. She realized she was laying on the floor on front of the console. She struggled to her feet. Standing felt ridiculously slow with the link active.

Huk was helping her. “Try engineering systems? Maybe you can reduce power.”

Leral nodded, thought of doing that. Again the words in front of her eyes, listing another menu.

Reduce power. She requested. She heard the voice again, hastily cancelled the command.

“That’s protected too. I can’t understand the language it’s speaking in.”

“Part of the translation software is probably infected.” Said Huk. Leral sighed. She had the glimmer of an idea.

I can’t understand what you’re saying. This is an emergency.

The sop’nagh was silent.

Emergency. Can’t understand.

She suddenly felt…helpless. Incapable. She needed to do something. She needed to help, but didn’t know how. No one would tell her how. She didn’t now. Why wouldn’t anyone tell her? She wanted to…

She tried to force the feelings away. Klingons could not cry. Instead she howled, slamming a fist onto the console. Her howl tapered off into a snarl when she realized just how odd, how childlike the feelings were.

Despite the flood of defeat, she smiled.

We need help. We came to look at you. We fixed things. That wasn’t a lie. She didn’t dare lie to something that was hooked up to her brain. We don’t have the word. We didn’t think we’d need it.

Helplessness was replaced with suspicion. She had ideas that people were coming to steal her food, to make her unable to eat.

No. She thought. We fixed you. At first we couldn’t talk to you. Now we can. There was something wrong with your brain.

Her emotions settled. They were all her own, now. The sop’nagh’s presence tickled her mind, as if, perhaps, it were considering something.

An image of the Hiv’laposh flashed through her head.

Yes. We came from there. They’re following so we can go back.

More suspicion. Images of other ships, some Klingon, many not, firing. Memories of damage taken, slowly repaired. She noted that, unlike most of its kind, this sop’nagh had usually fled its attackers. One Romulan frigate had cornered it in a dense asteroid field, though, where it could not run. The result was unfortunate for the Romulans.

Leral chuckled. She’d have to tell the First about that.

We haven’t attacked you. We’re not going to attack you. She hoped she was right. The Commander would be planning some way of slowing the sop’nagh down. It’d likely involve disruptor fire.

Doubt crept in.

Why would we fix you, then attack you?

Another moment of consideration. Guarded belief tickled her brain, helplessness returned.

Slow down, open the hatchways, let us leave. She requested. We’ll need…fifteen minutes.

A firm figure planted itself in her mind. Around her, the rumble of the stone eater’s workings reduced in volume. Huk and Meran were looking around. Some kind of alarm was ringing.

“Helmets!” She yelled, yanking the interface off her head. She pulled her own helmet on, sealed it, made sure of the air supply. She gave K’tal a fearful look. Rinbar had sealed the Ensign's before tending to his own. She nodded.

“Help me with him.” She pulled the unconscious Marine up, slid her shoulder up under her armpit. Rinbar, case of explosives and all, siezed his other arm. The air was thinning fast. She hoped that meant the doors would open soon.

“It’ll go back to warp in five minutes.” She informed as her team went toward the exit. “It doesn’t trust us.”

* * *

The five Klingons lumbered up the maintenance tunnel, gear rattling, their helmets fogging as they struggled to move quickly despite their magnetic footwear. Huk and Meran were trying not to draw ahead.

“Go on.” Leral ordered.

The two scientists looked at her dubiously.

“Did I say please? Get clear, call the ship.” She barked. Her two subordinates turned reluctantly and broke into a lumbering run.

“Should have left the explosives.” Rinbar muttered. They marched forward, lugging K’tal between him. He was weightless, but bulky.

“Should have had Meran give him a stimulant.” The Lieutenant countered. Their boots clomped heavily against the deck. K’tal moaned.

Up ahead, Huk and Meran entered the airlock. Leral estimated the distance, the speed that she and Rinbar were moving. According her the readout on her helmet visor, they had two minutes..

She decided that, when a minute remained, she’d send Rinbar ahead without her.

Another thirty seconds of effort had them at the exit. She gazed at the hatch. Huk and Meran had obeyed orders; they weren’t waiting for her.

“Go first, I’ll shove him up towards you.” She instructed Rinbar. The demo man nodded and released K’tal. Despite his early statement, he didn’t shrug off his case of explosives. He squirmed out the hatch.

Leral pushed K’tal toward the opening. Rinbar siezed the Marine’s arms. Wrestling him out of the hatch took longer than she liked. They had forty-five seconds left.

She clambered up out of the hatch. Rinbar was waiting, holding K’tal. She siezed the Marine again.

“Ready?” She asked. Rinbar nodded. “Now.”

They shoved the Marine away. His semi-conscious form spun upward, away from the sop’nagh. Leral deactivated her boots, crouched carefully, and leapt.

She hadn’t had time to notice the ill effects that zero gravity aroused in her during the run up the tunnel. The perception returned as she flew up from the stone eater, her stomach doing it’s best to turn inside out. She managed not to vomit, but her head swum. She wasn’t spinning, so far as she could tell, but it felt as if she were.

She told herself to focus. She checked to see if Rinbar was with her. He was, floating away from her. Apparently his jump had been more forceful. Huk’s voice droned in her ears, calling to the Hiv’laposh. Below her, the dull grey shape of the stone eater sat quietly. The time limit expired, yet the sop’nagh remained.

For the sake of curiousity, Leral measured the time until the giant went to warp. Six minutes passed, then seven. Finally, there was a blur of motion, and the stone eater was gone.

Leral smiled.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Grim Reaper on October 20, 2005, 02:05:33 am: So it did trust her in the end. Actions speak louder than words. I like the thing not being a mindless thing with robotic tendencies like in mainstream movies. Kudos La'ra
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Governor Ronjar on October 20, 2005, 07:23:53 am: Exceptionaly good, even for your obvious skill. I had bad feelings about the eventual outcome for the stone eater. Was glad to see there was no need to kill it to get off of it. But what of its future? Will there be wrap-up scenes?

--thu guv'!
Title: Chapter Ten
Post by: Commander La'ra on October 20, 2005, 08:57:07 am: Indeed there are, guv'nah. And yeah, Grim. I didn't want to have it be some big robot...but I didn't want to do the oh-so-obvious 'fully intelligent malevolent lifeform' thing either.

----------------------------------

Chapter Ten

“So it was intelligent?” asked Commander La’ra.

“It wasn’t sentient.” Leral explained. They sat in her laboratory. Huk and Meran were busying themselves in other parts of the room. There was a flagon of bloodwine on the table, a small reward for a mostly successful mission. “It seemed…aware, but not given to complex thought.”

The Commander sipped some bloodwine.

“So will the science council be naming anything after you this time?”

She smiled. “I doubt it. All we did was confirm that those things are artificially constructed and discover an interesting way to construct a computer system.”

“You said it felt alive.” La’ra reminded.

“Yes. That doesn’t seem consistent with the idea of artificial construction.”

“I like to think we’ve discovered something new, then.” The Commander said, taking a sip of his wine. “Even if the Science Council doesn’t take note of it. And we may be able to locate their homeworld. That’s worth investigating.”

“Yes, sir, but…its course didn’t take it through any known star systems. It could have been headed out of the galaxy.”

La’ra shrugged. “Small steps. How did your team perform?”

Leral looked up from her drink. The Commander’s eyes were concealing something. He’d heard, then, even though she’d told everyone to keep K’tal’s little mutiny quiet. She hadn’t elaborated on his dazed state when the Hiv’laposh had beamed them aboard. He’d recovered enough that his being stunned hadn’t been too apparent.

La’ra was giving her a choice, she decided. She had made it already.

“Quite well.” She said.

The Commander studied her.

“Make sure and put that in writing. Perhaps there’ll be commendations.” He said, and smiled.

“I will, Commander.”

* * *

“He’s alone?”

“Helping me run a post-flight on the shuttle. I told him I needed more tools.” Ra’dok grinned. He teeth were a bit crooked. “It’ll take me a few minutes.”

Leral nodded. The burly Warrant Officer turned to walk away.

“Thank you.”

Ra’dok snorted.

“Not for this.” Leral corrected. “For staying so long, during the mission. That wasn’t required.”

The Warrant Officer snorted again, but continued to smile. He ambled off. Leral exhaled, and slid quietly into the shuttle maintenance bay. K’tal was there, tinkering with the shuttle’s dissected nacelle.

“Ensign.” Leral said. The Marine looked toward her with surprise, then anger.

“Coward.” He spat.

She smiled. “No. Your superior. You forgot that, in the worst situation.”

He began to speak. She narrowed her eyes. To his credit, he fell silent.

“If you’re so eager to fight me, I’ll arrange it. On even terms” She offered. "If you ever question my authority again, I will kill you.”

She didn’t mention that a summary execution wasn’t the most honorable death. She didn’t mention that unencumbered, with a sek’leth in her hands, she was far more confident of a duel going her way.

He stared at her for a good while before he blinked. He snarled as he looked away, but look away he did.

She nodded.

She didn’t turn her back on him when she left. Further insult would do no one any good.

Leral waited for the door to shut behind her before she exhaled. She hadn’t know what K’tal would do. He’d displayed some restraint, some sense. She hoped that sparing him had been a good decision.

She walked back towards her laboratory, wondering about that and many other things.
Title: Epilogue
Post by: Commander La'ra on October 20, 2005, 08:59:19 am: Epilogue

The Thing woke after a long, satisfying sleep.

Arrayed in front of it was home. Home wasn’t much, it knew, only some construction platforms, but there was a familiarity to the constructs that made The Thing happy to see them.

It could acknowledge such thoughts, now. For a long time, thinking beyond the simplest thing was quite difficult. Though The Thing could never be called philosophical or cerebral, it could put its thoughts together with less painful effort.

It realized, for instance, that the last group of Visitors shouldn’t have been there. They didn’t travel in the kind of ships that Visitors were supposed to. They hadn’t known the words. Yet The Thing also realized that it was they who had fixed its mind, made it more able to judge things, appreciate them. It was happy it had run across the Visitors. It was happy that he’d given them more time to leave. It had been the least The Thing could do.

The Thing made it’s ponderous way toward the platforms. It’d been a long time since it’d seen them. Long enough that one of the other Things had been completed, for one of the platforms stood empty.

The Other Things were much larger than it was. One, perhaps three-quarters complete, was nearby, its gargantuan cone-shaped mass sitting inert, surrounded by its own platform. It knew that there weren’t many other Little Things to bring food to the bigger ones anymore. The Thing would empty its belly into that dock, then, so that The Other Thing might be completed a little faster.

With great satisfaction, The Thing delivered its cargo.

End

-------------------

And that's a wrap! Tell me what ya'll think of the whole package. It took a long time to formulate this one, but I'm pretty proud of it.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: kadh2000 on October 20, 2005, 09:03:32 am: Nice alien.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Governor Ronjar on October 20, 2005, 12:34:46 pm: This demands a sequel! Cone shaped thing indeed... ;D
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: KOTH-KieranXC, Ret. on December 05, 2005, 06:47:01 pm: Once again, not your usual story, but I like it a lot. That last part with Leral and the Marine doesn't seem consistant with what we might see in ST on TV, but it still feels very Klingon despite that. Very good story.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Jaeih t`Radaik on December 06, 2005, 01:17:11 pm: Sorry for taking so long to comment, La'ra, but for what it's worth, here you are.

Kile Kadh said, "Nice monster." I really do like what you did for the monster's personality. It made it a sympathetic character instead of one of the mindless robots we've fought in SFC.

I'm surprised at the Klingon handling of this being so delicate, but that's unusual La'ra and his unusual crew. I can only imagine that if Dath'ar (sorry JOLLYROGER, but I cannot remember the actual name of your character) handled this, the monster would be atomised by chatper 2. *grin*

As for leaving the silly teenager alive, it smacks of t`Radaik & tr`Asenth but done for better reasons. Still not sure about it, but it's believable.

Good work, and keep it up. Looking foward to your next story!

P.S. And your review of mine! If you haven't read it yet, bin what you have and I'll send you my latest.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on December 07, 2005, 02:23:12 pm: Quote
Kile Kadh said, "Nice monster." I really do like what you did for the monster's personality. It made it a sympathetic character instead of one of the mindless robots we've fought in SFC.

Thanks.:) Especially since that's what I was trying to do!

Quote
I'm surprised at the Klingon handling of this being so delicate, but that's unusual La'ra and his unusual crew.

Well, don't forget that Leral had entirely practical reasons for not using her explosives...

Quote
As for leaving the silly teenager alive, it smacks of t`Radaik & tr`Asenth but done for better reasons. Still not sure about it, but it's believable.

K'tal will be showing up again, needless to say.

Quote
Good work, and keep it up. Looking foward to your next story!

And I yours. I have a couple days off. I'm planning on allocating some of my much needed personal time to your story, and since I haven't got much time to read lately, I'm looking forward to it with much, much enthusiasm.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Jaeih t`Radaik on December 08, 2005, 06:04:59 am: QUick addition:

Quote
Quote
I'm surprised at the Klingon handling of this being so delicate, but that's unusual La'ra and his unusual crew.

Well, don't forget that Leral had entirely practical reasons for not using her explosives...

Oh, I know about that, but usually (I'd have thought) a Klingon crew encountering a damaged monster would just destroy it more quickly than bothering to investigate it. That's what I meant.
Title: Re: The Miners of the Stars
Post by: Commander La'ra on July 18, 2009, 12:52:57 am: Yet another bump.