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Well i think a huge space battle that would likely end really rather badly for us wasn't what we had in mind.

Blackstar wrote:Well, I was saying if Rochey were any indication of his species, they would have been extreamly suspicious of the situation. Rochey doesn't seem to trust anyone except the Breen officer, and he's been serving on the ship for a while. If the other Tholians were as suspicious as Rochey, then I just don't see this situation as realistic. Rochey doesn't trust people he's been working with for weeks, but the warships haven't even seen the Daystrom before.

*shrug* Maybe Rochey is just particularly paranoid.
Besides, I couldn't really think of any other way out of the situation without starting a war.

Monroe wrote:Why'd the Freedom ship even attack? What good would a suicide attack do?

It's crew expected the Federation ships to assist it. By the time they realised that wasn't going to happen, it was too late.

It was very anti-climatic.

Well, as I said, there wasn't any real way out other than starting a war, which I doubt would be very productive for our mission.
How could we have possibly taken on the five ships, survived, and managed to stop a war breaking out?[/quote]

Rochey wrote:Well, as I said, there wasn't any real way out other than starting a war, which I doubt would be very productive for our mission.
How could we have possibly taken on the five ships, survived, and managed to stop a war breaking out?

If I remember correctly, all 5 ships came from one direction. You forget the one possibility that could work: retreat.

Which would then lead to them chasing us. As the Tholian ships have, as per DarkOmen's design, Slipstream drives, they could easily overtake us.

I still don't understand why the Fifth Collumn would engage
I guess you didn't see the whole watching while cloaked for the battle to lead to the two fed's ships destruction so that the Collumn could have the war they wanted. They had no interest in fighting. Reason I made it a crappy Freedom class lol

The whole two ships on the alter of freedom thing....

I did notice it. They saw the two fleets heading straight for each other aggresively. Then the fleets stopped, so the Freedom's crew decided to try and force a fight by attacking the Tholian ships. They figured that the Federation ships would assist another Federation vessel, and were mistaken.
Anyway, that was the only way of getting the crew of the Freedom class over to the Daystrom without the ship hunting us down and revealing themselves, which I doubt would have happened from their comments.

So, is anyone gonna move the plot along a bit?

Federation ship, Freedom class

What Lt. Cmd. Mikey reported. The Tholians would also see a Federation ship attacking them. They'd assume the other two Federation ships were in on it, and either attack or at least have a LONG conversation about what just happened. And why didn't Fletcher get involved. I don't think any other captain would stand by and do nothing. At the very least they'd try to talk to the Tholians and get them to stop. Criminals or not it was still a Federation starship.

Rochey wrote:So, is anyone gonna move the plot along a bit?

no Plot movers don't seem to be in high demand right now.
Guess we're going to talk in circles without a clear objective.

i was kinda waiting for mikey to post but ill work on one...lol that being said, i ahve some new people to train at work and other tasks to work on..bah work

Sorry that I've been slightly MIA lately, guys - I've just had a real block about my next post. Any thoughts/brainstorms/muses welcome!

Well an away mission to the transport might be in order.
we dont know if the Freedom class foudn the ship drifting, or took the ship.

What Lt. Cmd. Mikey reported. The Tholians would also see a Federation ship attacking them. They'd assume the other two Federation ships were in on it, and either attack or at least have a LONG conversation about what just happened.

A Federation built vessel. If it's not a Federation owned vessel, then they should be able to note that also. There're these little things called 'transponders'. Thus the Tholian commander would notice that the two ships that just said they had no part in this are broacasting a completely different transponder code than the ship that just appeared behind them which matched exactly what they were looking for.

And if you have any better ideas on how it should have gone, by all means air them. That was the only way I could see that could get the crew of the Freedom class on board, while not starting a war.

why didn't Fletcher get involved. I don't think any other captain would stand by and do nothing.

Get involved and do what? Start shooting at the Tholian ships? Congrats Captain; you've just got your crew killed and started a war.

At the very least they'd try to talk to the Tholians and get them to stop.

And what would that do? They're hardly going to just obey what some human tells them when the ship they've been hunting for for an undetermined amount of time appears behind them and starts attacking them. Unlike the Federation, they don't follow the whole "let them shoot at us while issuing thirty different warning before returning fire" mentality.
Fletcher knew that getting involved physically would just end up with the Daystrom scattered across the system in hundreds of pieces, and with the Tholians launching an attack on Earth. He would also have realised that there was little hope of convincing the Tholians to break off their attack, and that trying to order them aruond would just piss them off.
Exactly what could he have done?

Criminals or not it was still a Federation starship.

Federation made ship, with a crew of renegades that have attacked and destroyed a civilian ship. Exactly why should he intervene?

There're these little things called 'transponders'. Thus the Tholian commander would notice that the two ships that just said they had no part in this are broacasting a completely different transponder code than the ship that just appeared behind them which matched exactly what they were looking for.

Can't transponder codes be changed? Why wouldn't the Freedom-class ship transmit a fake one?

Federation made ship, with a crew of renegades that have attacked and destroyed a civilian ship. Exactly why should he intervene?

How could he know if they were renegades or just civies with a cloak. I thought the Federation would rather bring them to justice, not destroy them.

And if you have any better ideas on how it should have gone, by all means air them. That was the only way I could see that could get the crew of the Freedom class on board, while not starting a war.

Well for starters, you're the one who had them de-cloak. They didn't need to decloak. Could've had them stick around while the wreck is investigated. Then use weapons from oposing side, attack each side and try to start a war that way. Makes more sense. Less risk to them. A few ambushes and the tensions will rise, nerves will fray and someone will make the tiniest mistake. At least that would be their hope.

Can't transponder codes be changed? Why wouldn't the Freedom-class ship transmit a fake one?

This isn't a ship of technical experts here, it's a ship of renegades who were formerly civilians. They may well not have had the technical expertiese to do that.

How could he know if they were renegades or just civies with a cloak.

Uh, perhaps because their payload perfectly matches that of what destroyed a civilian freighter, and they started shooting at Tholian vessels?

I thought the Federation would rather bring them to justice, not destroy them.

This is Tholian space, therefore we go by Tholian law, not Federation law. If Tholian law allows the ships to destroy the attacker, then there's nothing we could do to stop them bar opening fire.

Well for starters, you're the one who had them de-cloak. They didn't need to decloak.

They wanted to start a war. To do this they had to provoke a shooting match between the two forces. They see the two fleets posturing aggresively, and clearly on the verge of opening fire, so they charge forth and attack. They didn't care about their lives, as Monroe's post indicated, so there was no need for secrecy. They came out, guns blazing, assuming that the Federation ships, already seemingly on the brink of combat, would assist them. They were just unlucky that they didn't.

Could've had them stick around while the wreck is investigated.

Why? So it could become even more clear to the Tholians that the two Federation ships didn't do it, and get confirmation back from HQ that the ships were authorised to be in the area and were looking for such pirates?

Then use weapons from oposing side,

By all means, tell me how these civilians turned terrorists managed to get their hands on and install working Tholian weaponary on a Federation ship.

attack each side and try to start a war that way.

Yeah, I can just see the scene on the Daystrom's bridge now:
"Captain, a Federation vessel is decloaking and firing on us!"
"Damn! It has to be the Tholians, despite the fact that there's absolutely nothing linking them together! Well, let's go start a war in which billions will get killed."
"Good idea sir."

Yeah, that makes so much more sense.

Makes more sense.

No, it doesn't.

Less risk to them.

As Monroe's post indicated; they don't give a damn about risk. This was a suicide run, pure and simple, I just carried it on from there. You'll notice that it was Monroe who had them move in to attack, not I.

A few ambushes and the tensions will rise,

Yeah, clearly they'll be able to ambush a fleet of Tholian and Federation warships which outmatch them massively, and will somehow not bother to let anyone know what attacked them.

At least that would be their hope.

As Monroe's post indicated, their hope was to start a full scale war by provoking the two sides into a shooting match. Slowly picking off the ships secretly one by one, somehow without being detected, would only bring more Tholian ships into the area to hunt down the pirates. In the meantime, the two Federation ships go on their way and continue with their mission.