'External Affairs' Discussion Thread

[Grizz]

Yes, it's the episode that you dread every season. It's the one where a few people sit down and talk for a large duration of it. It's the one where words such as 'diplomacy' and 'convene' and 'peace' are muttered repeatedly. It's the one which will be at the bottom of the episode rankings with all the others. But that won't make it any less noteworthy for multiple reasons.

"Goodnight, Archibald"

It was an ordinary evening aboard Pioneer, apart from the Chief of Security allegedly drinking atop of the bar. Lieutenant Archibald was finally putting the final pieces of the restored Promenade sign together. He spoke briefly with Lexi Etis as she retired for the night, while finishing up - planning to join the others in Gaila's and report his progress to McClintock. Unfortunately, he would never make the few steps over to the bar, as not long after Etis departed, the Travel Center reported a medical emergency to Sickbay.

By the time Doctor Rogan arrived, Archibald was lying in a pool of his own blood - formed by a stab wound, where a blade had cut right in to his heart. The station was put on alert, the deck was locked down and those in the bar spilled out on to the Promenade. But it was to no avail. Archibald was long gone and apparently... so was the invisible killer. Fourty-Eight hours later and the investigation was still underway... amid other matters which needed attending.

"You need to be prepared. I don't know how all this is going to play out."

With Michael Layton promoted to Assistant Chief Engineer and new arrival Jennifer Satterfield learning the ropes, the senior staff finally learned the truth. Yes, Walter Peirce and Ambassador Taval are dead. We, of course, knew this already - but our characters did not. Doctor Hampton delivered the news while presenting the supposed evidence for Klingon involvement in their executions. Long running Klingon Envoy, Ka'teth and new Romulan Ambassador H'daen i'Mnaeha tr'Velal (that must be a mouthful) arrived aboard Pioneer to discuss the allegations flying between all three parties. Ka'teth continued to deny Klingon involvement in the two deaths, while also implying that the Federation was conspiring with the Romulans due to their continued intervention. Hampton and Velal pushed to dismiss this, but were interrupted by news from across the stars. Klingon and Romulus forces were clashing within the Tyrella Sector.

While discussions were underway below decks, Costello, Rogan and Bennett had joined forces to determine the type of blade used to kill Lieutenant Archibald. By the time the Hera got underway, they made a discovery. A form of Romulan ceremonial blade was used in the attack. The three envoys departed on the ship, not knowing of this development.

"ATTENTION KLINGON VESSELS!!" - Said Ka'teth, using his indoor voice...

Upon their arrival at the plasma-charged Vergal Belt, the crew found three Klingon Birds of Prey and two Romulan Warbirds locked in battle. Initial attempts to intervene failed, and ultimately drew the Klingon ships to attack, while the Romulan vessels held off. Ka'teth left the Bridge during the battle, claiming he was contacting High Command. However, not long after his arrival, the three ships broke off from the Hera. While these events were unfolding, Michael Bennett was snooping around in Security - still on the case of Archibald's death. He discovered an anomalous, masked communication which had been recorded aboard Pioneer two days prior - shortly following Archibald's death.

As Ka'teth returned to the Bridge, Costello and Menden decoded the message - now knowing what they were looking at - and were able to translate it via audio. The message sent by Ka'teth himself, to somebody aboard Pioneer, warning them to flee the system - asking 'is it done?' Hampton had Menden place Ka'teth under arrest, concluding that he sanctioned Archibald's death. But the (former) Klingon Ambassador still maintained the they had nothing to do with the deaths of Taval and Peirce. Nevertheless, two of the three parties responsible for signing the Taylor Peace Agreement were now disgraced, and Menden, Hampton and Velal were left pondering over the meaning of what had taken place and why they had done so. If the Klingons aren't to blame and the Romulans aren't to blame... who had orchestrated the whole affair? Well, somewhere in the Alpha Quadrant....

"Captain, my Captain. We have a lot to discuss, you and I. Shall we begin?"

Aboard her facility in an unknown location, 'The Director' was monitoring an inbound shuttlecraft. She instructed the transporter chief to establish a lock and beam over a third party. The figure that materialized on the transporter pad was Captain Mason, herself.  Asking where she was, The Director replied that they quite simply, needed to talk.....

...that has got to be an encounter that has been worth the wait, right?

Well there's a week between now and then... and only one episode between us and the Dark Star reveal. After a slower installment this week, the final three episodes really push down on the accelerator as the fifth season heads towards a "spectacular" conclusion. The Director's words... not mine.

Thank you all for attending - all 12 of you, only 1 absentee on LOA! Feel free to rate and discuss, above and below.

[Borkless]

This is more a question about me than the SRP, but Jen spent most of her time in Engineering checking systems instead of being involved in any real plot. I get that each session will have different focuses, but is there more I could have done to get involved in the plot?

[Martin Thompson]

I liked the episode. The murder of Archibald felt a bit rushed in my opinion but in the great sceme of things we did need the time there. All the political talk might seem a bit boring to some but they are really what gives the RP its characteristic backstory and depth we've all come to love. There was a lot going on at one point, with the ambassadors talking to eachother and OPS also being busy with a hail from Mark Devlin (what was HE doing in the system???) and it was a bit hard to follow everything at that point, but again, the ammount of content all contributed to the entire story.

I'm looking forward to next week since we're going back in time, those episode always have a more special feeling, especially since it's set during a time in the storyline some of us where present for in Astroid Base. So, see you next week!


@Borkless: For your first SRP attendance you did really good there, it was nice having a new addition to the crew! It is true that the junior positions are a bit less involved in the plot, however, that doesn't mean it is any less fun. You can always listen in closely to whats going on and contribute to the plot if you think your contribution will add to it. I have to admit, sometimes it is a bit hard because of distingushing "plot jacking" (aka saying or doing something that completely doesn't match the episode/plot) and contributing, but if you are in doubt you can always PM the RP runner to ask if your idea is ok or to ask for something else to do. You can also pro-actively in-character do things like when you see your superior officer ask him/her about what's going on and if you can help with that or not.

[Grizz]

This is more a question about me than the SRP, but Jen spent most of her time in Engineering checking systems instead of being involved in any real plot. I get that each session will have different focuses, but is there more I could have done to get involved in the plot?

I often say that everyone should be prepared to bring their own personal stories or side-projects to the table. Not only does it add depth to all of our characters, but it also means there's more to do than waiting around for orders. But on that note, department heads are generally pro-active in dishing out tasks for their officers when not contributing towards a larger project. I did send out a message (there will be logs to prove it!  ) to have Satterfield represent Engineering in the Archibald investigation, but I can only imagine it wasn't received or perhaps got lost due to the map restart.

I would have been able to do more with your arrival had I been playing the CO, this week. Unfortunately as a visitor, I was restricted in my ability to go between departments and relied on PMs and the XO to keep things moving elsewhere while I was sat in a little office somewhere. That won't be an issue next week - though we'll all be playing different characters.

[Mutatio Nomen]

My character was pretty busy throughout the RP, and I was forced to go AFK (AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME) so I apologise in that I wasn't able to give my junior officers proper attention this time around.

In terms of it overall it was good having Archie around one last time, repairing something that will forever be associated with him - the promenade sign. It was slightly difficult waiting for a quiet moment for me to type and submit something, being so chat-tastic this week.