Ultra Low Level Transmission
Origin: Somewhere in the Taus
Source: Unknown Ship, IKN transponder
Message Begins:
...---... ...---... ...---...
Message Ends
Repeat on loop
*Onboard the colonial frigate Magnesia*
Definitely Morse. Apparently someone's in serious enough trouble to use the least sophisticated way of communicating it.
Sensors, please note down that signal and see about establishing its exact point of origin.
From the bridge of the [FP-6]I.K.S. Vort'cha
"Did you get that, Sir?" asked the helmsman of his commander.
"I did, Lieutenant," answered Matok, "try to pinpoint its source."
"It is a primitive human form of communication, Sir. Morse code. An S.O.S. I think," the helmsman replied, "I have a general direction but no source."
Matok then made a short transmission in it's direction, "The is Commander Matok of the Freeport 6 security cruiser Vort'cha to unknown signal, please respond."
He just waited.
"Captain Malice...something strange for ya sir."
"Strange...do not say strange....strange usually means credits out of my wallet."
"Well...Sir...its in an old ancient code on a repeat loop, took me 2 hours to find a manual with the translate protocols and..."
"Listen Mack....just give me the short version....any money in it for us?"
"Could be...Sir....could be a distress call...but a...the signal is to weak or corrupted...all I get is ....? ? ?, but it could be someone in need of help, maybe a salvage job Sir."
Malice looked over at his radio man and stared at him hard. They had been doing the same trade route for weeks, and the boredom was getting to his crew, maybe a little adventure into the unknown might do them some good. He wrote down a message and handed it over to his radioman. "Here, send this if we get a response back, maybe we can look into it.
"Thank you sir, Ill get on it right away." Mack was happy to have something out of the ordinary to do. He sat down at his communications station and send out the reply.
Transmission Initiated: Protocol Low Level Morse
Signal Boost: Maximum Power Long Range
Sending Message
..- -. .. -.. . -. - .. ..-. .. . -.. / ...- . ... ... . .-.. --..-- / .-- . / -.-. --- .--. -.-- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ... .. --. -. .- .-.. --..-- / -.-. .- -. / .-- . / -... . / --- ..-. / .- -. -.-- / .- ... ... .. ... - .- -. -.-. . ..--..
Transmission Terminated.
Now, all we have to do is wait for an answer Mack thought to himself.
Matelot Gérard Levesque squinted at his display, faint against the Auroch's faint blue running lights. Another day had bought with it another supply run, and Brioude and her two escorts had been unfortunate enough to be available at the time. The small convoy streaked through the Tau's, headed for the newly-christened Agincourt jump gate. The name change had been good for morale. The name Leeds already had far too much blood associated with it for settlers. There it was again. A faint series of audio spikes flashed across his screen, one of the oldest communication methods still employed on human ships.
The Matelot flagged the signal, monitoring its strength as the convoy powered on, automated systems slowly chipping away at the origin of the transmission. It wasn't much, true, but the Royal Navy had learnt far too quickly to be cautious of the apparently inane in the Taus. The fighters could narrow the transmission down and, if he were exceptionally lucky, keep another hole from being punched in the already battered freighter.
Four minutes later, two of the convoy's escorts peeled away, Lynx's burning blue streaks across the jet black sky. A pair of 3D cones flashed into existence on the Matelot's display as the fighters powered up sensors, hunting the wayward signal.
Signal was taken up by Ghost trackers and first read is stating an emergency signal sent from a Kusarian Imperial Naval transponder. Razgriz soldiers are advised, in case of encountering the signals source, to leave a tracing marker and transmit position and marker frequency to the Royal Fleet forces. No action except preventing designated target identification be captured by other forces is stated as task.
Callsign: IKN Akira Kimura
Location: Leeds, West Leeds Smog Cloud
Piloting his Umibozu, Akira flies through the Smog Cloud in search of straggling Gallic Naval pilots to raid when he happens upon a faint trace of a signal, transmitted on familiar frequencies. "This can't be good.." He maneuvers to receive the signal when he is suddenly able to make out the noises coming from the other end. "....S......O....S...?... It's one of ours... but who?.. and where?" He retransmits the message to his commanding officer. "Sir, we may have come across something out in the Taus... I can't quite pinpoint it, attempting to establish communication..." He assembles a broadcast message in tune to the IKN Transponder.
[[ .. -.- -. + -.- .. -- ..- .-. .- + - --- + .. -.- -. + ...- . ... ... . .-.. + .--. .-.. . .- ... . + .-. . ... .--. --- -. -.. // ]]
He transmits the message towards the Tau Region in hopes of a reply
Communications operator Mack Hennesy was sitting at his set of consoles, his hands pressing hard against the headset he was wearing, as if to somehow be able to better hear any incoming signals. His closed eyes suddenly opened, and his quick motions to grab a pencil and a scratchpad caught the attention of the rest of the crew on the bridge.
"Mack?"
"Give me a second Captain" a tinge of annoyance in his voice at his concentration being broken. "Sorry, Captain..." he realized his answer had come off a bit hot.
"Relax Mack, it is all good, when your ready." Captain Mat Malice looked at his radio operator, 30 years his junior. He envied the mans intensity and poise and understood the slight slip in tone from his young protege'. "Charlie...bring us out of cruise and get ready for a course correction." He said to his helmsman. "Maybe cutting down our speed a bit we can get a better read on that signal."
"Copy that captain, initiating the drop sequence, it will be a couple minutes sir, unless you want everyone strapped in for an emergency stop." replied Rice, his hands starting to move across the controls of the DL-BWT.
"Nice and slow Charlie, no need throw anyone to the deck." Replied Malice, "As soon as you can, get us a fix on our position and sector."
"Roger understood." Rice began to ease the ship out of cruise and set the nav scanners to long range to get an exact position of where they were.
"Captain...this is a second signal, its got to be, but it seems it got garbled along the way, does not make sense sir, its stronger and its got to be coming from a different sector." Mack Henessy had not slept in two shifts and it was starting to take its toll on him, he stretched out his arm towards his captain with the translation on a piece of scratchpad.
"Well, just show me what you got." Malice said taking the note.
|IKNKIMURATOIKNVESSELPLEASERESPOND|
"That´s it?"
"Yes sir....sorry sir, I don´t know what to make of it, or who is trying to talk to who."
"Ok, Mack, no worries son, go get some shut eye, you need some rest, put that frequency on the speakers, if anything comes through, we will wake you..and no lip about it." Malice said looking at the transcription and thinking, he reached for his own pad and started writing. "Belay that, transmit this first then get some shut eye." He handed Mack the transmission. "You maybe right, there might be some salvage fees to be earned here, but lets not get ahead of ourselves."
"Yes sir." Mack was in some way glad he was being ordered to get some rest. He sat down and started working the keyboards on his console.
Transmission Initiated: Protocol Low Level Morse
Signal Boost: Maximum Power Long Range
Sending Message
- .... .. ... / .. ... / - .... . / ..-. .-. . . .-.. .- -. -.-. . / - .-. .- -.. . / ...- . ... ... . .-.. / -.. .-.. -....- ....- ----- --... --... / -... .-.. .- -.-. -.- / .. -.-. . / - --- / ... .... .. .--. / .. -. / -.. .. ... - .-. . ... ... .-.-.- / .-- . / .-. . .- -.. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ... .. --. -. .- .-.. / .- -. -.. / .- .-. . / .-. . .- -.. -.-- / - --- / .- ... ... .. ... - .-.-.- / -.-. --- .--. -.-- ..--..
Transmission Terminated.
"Done sir," Mack Hennesy said as he got up from his station. "I´ll get some rack time now sir if that order still stands."
Ultra Low Level Transmission
Origin: Somewhere in the Taus
Source: Unknown Ship, IKN transponder
Message Begins:
- .... .. ... / .. ... / ... .- - ... ..- -- .- .-.-.- / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / -... . . -. / -... .- -.. .-.. -.-- / -.. .- -- .- --. . -.. .-.-.- / -.- --- --. . -. / .... .- ... / .-.. . ..-. - / - .... . / ... .... .. .--. / ..-. --- .-. / ... . -.-. ..- .-. .. - -.-- .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / .- -.. .-. .. ..-. - .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.-
Message Ends
Ze'ev Barak was given a message about the signal that was being received in the Cape Soya comm room. It was in morse code, just as they had planned. Ze'ev was really never sure wether this message would be used, it was an emergency plan, set up between two men who hadent spoken in close to 5 years. But here it was, the time had come, and of course, this could change Kusari forever. Barak quickly wrote down some dots and dashes and handed it to the comms officer. "Transmit this of a loop." he said, "and let me know if the signal changes." With that Barak went to the hanger bay and started preparing he ship for launch.
The comms officer transmitted the message:
-- . ... ... .- --. . / .-. . -.-. . .. ...- . -.. .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- / .- -.-. - .. ...- .- - . / .--. .-.. .- -. / .- .-.. .--. .... .- / ...-- ..--- --... .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- / .--. .-. --- -.-. . . -.. / - --- / .-. . -. -.. . --.. ...- --- ..- ... .-.-.- / -- .-. .-.-.- / --.. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .-- .- .. - .. -. --. .-.-.- / --. --- --- -.. / .-.. ..- -.-. -.- .-.-.-
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