'Dawn of The Lightbringer' Discussion Thread

Started by Grizz, December 06, 2015, 06:45:06 PM

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How would you rate 'Dawn of The Lightbringer'

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Grizz

"Who watches the watchers, Miss Mason?"

On the Bridge of the Starship Helia, Captain Mason met with a mysterious stranger who claimed to have knowledge of the plot Maria Vega has been embroiled in... the one which over the years has seen Accobar fought over by the Romulans, the Klingons, the Illuminati and now clandestine organisations operating because 'they are allowed to' for the greater good of the Federation - citing Vega's previous homestead of Section 31 as a prime example. This man, referring to himself as 'The Truth,' knew that Menden's team had flown in to a trap - and his revealing of this to Mason was the last we saw of their conversation this week. But there is a second half which we'll be going back to at the start of the next episode, for there is more light to be shed on Mason's timely arrival at the scene of the Ariana's capture.

"Take it all in... I know I had to."

With the Ariana being pulled in to the (Vega) Sphere, the Helia arrived in time to knock out the Borg tractor emitter and position itself between both ships - allowing the Ariana to dock before making a quick exit - courtesy of it's Quantum Slipstream Prototype (the fourth, to be precise). Welcomed by Mason, Meden's team stepped on to the Helia and was granted the freedom of the ship to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings while an increasingly stable McClintock was transferred to Rogan's new digs. As the team reintegrated with the crew at large, Menden briefed the Captain on their Rajusca excursion, pondering Vega's ultimate intentions in luring them there and choosing to experiment on McClintock. Was it to force the expenditure of the Halkonian nano-virus - or just to monitor it's progress... and was McClintock not supposed to make it out of Rajusca at all? Vega seemed keen to get her hands on the away team.

"Why process and refine it... when you can just steal it?"

At a staff conference, Mason revealed that they were on 'temporary' assignment to the Helia, courtesy of Fleet Admiral Bonchune (#namecheck), and under orders to proceed to the Ore Processing Facility in the binary pulsar system of Fedron. The facility there has been responsible for processing the Ikomine extracted from the asteroids in Accobar's asteroid field. Not far from Pioneer, Mason stated that Starfleet saw this as a viable target for Vega - if she needed Accobar for the unique materials it possessed - it would be a fitting upgrade to her already hybrid technology responsible for her drones. The facility was already under evacuation and the Helia would be there to ensure it's success. With Starfleet having not revealed the Borg threat, the reasons given were due to 'instabilities' caused by the nearby binary pulsar. Mason also revealed that she disagreed with the decision not to reveal the threat at this time, but insisted that her staff followed suit.

"Just pretend we're not at slipstream velocity. You'll be fine."

During the journey to Fedron, the crew continued to familiarise themselves with the Helia. Among them was an awakened Craig McClintock, who Mason insisted on escorting to Engineering personally to gauge his reaction - and she was not left unsatisfied. When the ship arrived at Fedron, however, the ship-warming party was cut short. With one freighter destroyed and another under attack by a Borg Probe (believed to have come from the Sphere), the Helia was forced to intervene with force. The probe was soon dispatched, but the freighter captain revealed that a second ship had already beamed the Ikomine right out of the facility. Sure enough, despite it's best efforts in hiding, a second probe was tracked down on the other side of the pulsar by Etis. With the probe attempting to flee, Mason ordered that the Helia be taken through the pulsar to gain the best chance at catching them before they could jump to transwarp speeds. Although Menden's maneuver put strain on the ship, it was nothing that she and its crew couldn't deal with.

"Welcome home, Sophia."

Clear of the pulsar, the probe jumped to transwarp while the Helia accelerated to slipstream velocity. Attempting to keep up long enough to project a course, Etis was soon able to determine that the probe was heading to a nearby system - or 'back to mommy' - Accobar. Mason kept the Helia on course for Accobar and despite being wary of a trap, they arrived to relative calm - although the probe had already reached Pioneer,

Seeing a clear path to Vega, Mason ordered that Menden move the ship within firing range of the station as Costello readied weapons. Menden objected, but ultimately complied. But Vega was more than ready for their arrival. Hailing them, she welcomed Mason back to Accobar - but insisted that she leave. Mason did not respond to Vega, who chose to show the crew why it would be unwise to approach Pioneer. She already had the leverage she required to hold them off.

Sending visual feeds straight from her drones to the Helia, Vega revealed that she had Jemma Etis and Nathaniel Fox under surveillance 'at both ends of the quadrant - with the latter within Starfleet Academy. With the implication being that she could strike at any time through infiltration, Vega revealed that she also had the crew under watch. A final video link was established which showed the Helia's bridge - from the perspective of Josh Riker. Etis sealed the Bridge and Costello moved to secure Riker - who pleaded his innocence in front of an enraged McClintock who was otherwise, urhm, unconvinced. What happened to Riker when he was trapped in that room on Rajusca? Is he really a more advanced Vega Drone than had been previous encountered? How far does Vega's infiltration go and what will she use the Ikomine for? How will Starfleet... and the Government... respond to this latest development? Well, if you're interested in finding out, you'll just have to come back next week.

"How much are you willing to risk to take a shot at me? How many?"




Thank you all for attending - and Klaw for dropping by  ^-^ I have few complaints about how this episode went, though was at times concerned that a character or two didn't seem to find much to keep themselves busy aboard the Helia. I did devote some 'free' time aboard the new ship so I hope it wasn't too lacking in this period. I was also wary that the scene with 'The Truth' was a bit talky - so don't worry, the second half of that conversation is scaled back in comparison. Though you'll be seeing more of him (and Eva) as we progress through the season.

We have a new ship but we possibly have an intruder in our midsts! Swings and roundabouts. Thanks again for coming - please rate and discuss, above and below.