Aliens give you a starship...

angryscotsman93

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I'd utilize the ship and the incredible power it contains to (somehow) force an era of cooperation between various world governments (perhaps the threat of utterly destroying the entirety of Earth's satellite network would make them change their tune). While the dust settles on Earth, the shipboard AI and I (I'm going to assume that this ship's AI will be pretty goddamn smart) will hammer out a design for a relatively cheap, mass-producible interplanetary ship that can be designed with only minor advances in Terran technology.

Upon completion of the design, I will contact all major space administrations and any group willing to make use of these ships for purely peaceful purposes and provide detailed instructions on their construction and maintenance. From my position as shipmaster of the most advanced vessel in the Sol system, I can monitor mankind's space development as the nations of Earth work together to spread out across the system. Meanwhile, the AI and I will continue to make greater advances in technology, including medical tech (if need be, I'll invite some doctors aboard, to let them have a gander at all this new tech that could possibly be employed in the biomedical field). Every few years, we'll publish an update in the construction methods, subtly adding new features and components; in exchange for this, I will demand every single health-improving, life-prolonging development that stems from study of this ship be given to me for free (In other words, sweet new cyborg body).

With any luck, by the time I start giving these guys half-decent weapons, I'll be so heavily augmented that I'll be able to stay alive for centuries, and the various people of Earth might actually be able to stand each other long enough to form a unified government. It is at this stage that the odds of somebody trying to use armed ships to fight me will become rather large. This is when I will unveil my latest project:

The development of a fleet of advanced warships, developed with advanced alien technology, crewed by men and women loyal to my cause, and with their shipboard AI's ultimately serving my will alone. Any and all armed resistance will be crushed. Rebels will be dealt with... Harshly. I will reign supreme over an interstellar empire that man had once only dreamed of- an empire of cyborg humans, ruled from aboard an ancient alien starship by the first and greatest shipmaster of Earth's history.

And, when I die, I will have them burn my body to ash and throw it into the sun, saying, "Here lies Emperor Perry, First Shipmaster of the Empire of Sol, Patron Saint of all who travel through the cold void."

Yeah, you read that right- I'll force the Catholic Church to sanctify me. They know what'll happen if they don't.
 

ecoho

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take my family and friends on board first and foremost, then after they are safe carpet bomb a few evil basterds in the middle east and North Korea respectively. tell the world to shape the fuck up or id be back with a lot more fire power then have the ship take me to mars terraform it, download all current tech into computers on the planet then go around the world looking for healthy people from 6 to 25 to colonize the planet with all current tech at their disposal being down loaded in their brains from the new super computers were they will of course advance faster due to little infighting and me as their king. after about 25 years of this return to earth and if they haven't fixed this shit declare war with my army of giant robots and starships and conquer the world wiping out all who oppose my will.
 

Gordon_4_v1legacy

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Well obviously the first thing is to make the computer record the voice pattern of Sir Christopher Lee for all its verbal communications.
 

The_Darkness

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Trivun said:
(sings) Iiiiiiiiiii'm... hooked on a feeling! (points for reference! It's an easy one, come on...)
I don't suppose you'd be using your starship to guard the galaxy by any chance? ;)

Personally... A starship at Enterprise-D level is a piece of work. A lot of power to put into the hands of one person. I'd need some time to think it over - then I'd probably request a meeting with the UN to discuss how best to put it to use. Hey, if it's got anything resembling replicators, and a decent power source, then I may have just simultaneously solved the Energy Crisis and World Hunger.

Though you can bet that I'll be exploring the solar system quite soon. Stuff outside the solar system can wait until I'm sure I won't get hit by relativistic ageing problems (I'd like to be able to come home to my friends and family, not their great-grandchildren...)
 

000Ronald

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Edith The Hutt said:
That clarifies things considerably. While I can't say for certain what I would absolutely do under these circumstances,

First Day: I would set the ship in orbit around the moon, and immediately question the ship as thoroughly as possible. For the sake of simplicity, I'll assume that I wouldn't find out anything more than what you have told me. Upon learning that the ship could hold at least four people, I would transport my sister, my niece, and my mother on board with me. Of the people I care about, I feel they are the most vulnerable. I would also christen the starship Elysium, and order the computer to only answer to the name Elysium or Elsa.

The last thing I would do before going to bed was set up a message for Elsa to give any foreign nation or dignitary attempting to contact her; "This is the captain of the starship Elysium. I am preoccupied with matters on the ship, but I can promise that both she and I have only peaceful intentions."

Second Day: I would set up a series of commands and fail-safe measures for the ship. I can't give a complete list here (having not thought it through as thoroughly as I would like), but they would include:

-Advising me against any action that may result in mass death or destruction, any action that would violate human rights as recognized by the United Nations, and any action that would violate international law.

-Setting up a password (actually a pass phrase, in two parts) in order to fire any of Elysium's weapons, and a second, further two-part pass-phrase to fire on any targets on Earth.

-Ensuring that both prisoners and crew are protected from harm while on board Elysium, as much as she has the capacity to do

-I would set up different four tiers of authority, at least on a preliminary basis; guests, crewmen and officers, and myself. My mother and my sister would be guests; my niece would also be a guest, but would have no authority beyond being able to contact Elsa. This wouldn't be set in stone; eventually I would use a set-up similar to the U.S. navy, but for the time being it would work.

-Monitoring every major English-speaking news-station for news regarding Elysium, recording any newscast with her or myself as the subject.

-Monitoring my close relatives and friends, with a notice that they are to be transported on-board the ship if Elysium judges them to be in imminent danger.

I would also set up a list of nations that Elsa is not to reply to, although the only nation I could think of offhand is North Korea.

Third Day: I would go to my home and grab some-maybe most-of my belongings. Even if the ship can replicate a bed with blankets and pillows, it's still not MY bed. I would also probably set up a bunch of more personal, home-y stuff on Elysium, since it's going to be my home now. I would also contact a couple friends of mine-one of them was in the navy and could presumably help with diplomatic stuff, and the other was in the army and would be a good head of security.

Second Week: In order to garner favor and to generate some kind of income, I would begin the process capturing and delivering to the FBI every person on their 10 most wanted list[footnote]Just as an aside; I would also do this if I somehow gained super-powers allowing me to do so. Which is also a scenario I have thought through. For funsies.[/footnote]. Presumably, this would also serve to open diplomatic avenues to both The U.S. and The UN. I have to imagine that they have some kind of regulations in place, and even if they don't, I would give them my upmost assurance that Elysium is a peaceful vessel, and does not have the capacity to fire on earth at all.

Anciliary: If protocol involves some kind of military action, then I'll make it clear that they can fuck themselves and go back to the moon. Give them time to cool their heads; and in the meantime, I'll find another means of revenue, like getting rid of nuclear waste or supplying rare goods from other planets. In fact, I would probably at least attempt both of those avenues at some point. I would give them another month to cool their heads and attempt to contact them again, re-stating my peaceful intentions.

I would transport my sister, niece and mother back to their homes; they both have work, and my niece needs to go to school, after all. I would, however, have Elysium monitor them at all times, with a notice to transport them to the ship if they are on.

Third Week: I would make my first trip out of Earth's atmosphere, probably to Pluto. I may pick up soil/atmosphere samples from all the planets, just so I have them on hand.

I would begin (with my first mate-and Elysium's-help) plans for modifying the ship for larger human use; while I don't think it would ever be necessary to have 500 people, I imagine I would need a crew of at least 150, not counting room for guests, diplomats, and prisoners. I would also build labs and expand the medical wing, assuming that there was one. If there wasn't a medical wing, that would be the very first thing I would add. That isn't to say that any of this would get done right away-figuring it out exactly what needs to go where and why would take time, and I would want Elysium to project several different potential models. I would put a great deal of thought into it is what I'm saying.

Second Month: After delivering the FBI's 10 most wanted to them, I would start tracking down people with a red Interpol notice, and delivering them to Interpol, in order to further diplomatic ties. I would also go on the talk show circut, and explain (to the best of my ability) what is going on (I have a starship now, and I'm outfitting it so that it can have more people), what I intend to do (GO TO TEH STARZ!) and what kind of people I was looking for (Scientists, doctors, explorers, contractors to fix up the ship). With the UN's blessing, I would dock the ship somewhere in the ocean. Probably on the east coast; maybe New York or DC. This would serve three purposes; I would have somewhere to bring the man-power and (maybe) materials on board to fix up the ship, I would be able to scout for prospective crewmen by allowing them to explore the ship, and I would be able to normalize the atmosphere in the ship for human use. I would also set up a free medical clinic-not just to set up more goodwill (because while The US has perhaps the best medical technology and best-trained medical technicians on the planet, not a lot of people have access to those things), but because I would be very carefully looking for a skilled doctor who could operate the medical tech with a reasonable amount of precision, to add to the crew. I would also be sorting through prospects to add to the crew of The Elysium during this time; with any luck, I would have found at least fifty people, and five medics. I would stay docked for...maybe a month, maybe longer. The idea would be to impress that I'm not a threat to anyone.

After that? Well...help humans set up shop across the galaxy. First set up a colony on the moon, then on Mars, then on Jupiter's moons, then in different systems. I'd let people have access to more and more of the tech on the ship, eventually building replicators and even more starships, with any luck. I don't know that I can guess what would happen when that level of tech is available to us, but I have faith that we'll be alright.

Perhaps what I would do isn't as important as what I wouldn't do. I wouldn't rule over the planet with an iron fist. In fact, I wouldn't try to rule over it in any capacity. But at the same time, I wouldn't just let them run roughshod over me, either. I am as much a part of things as they are, and I would remember that. But maybe more...significantly, I was raised with the understanding that my opinions aren't always the best ones. So ruling as an overlord? Right out. Helping people though? With a firm, but gentle hand? That I can do, and will do, to the best of my ability.

People don't make the world better in huge, giant swaths. No one's going to cure cancer anytime soon, but maybe a handful of committed people can cure something like polio. No one is going to invent a magic machine that solves all the worlds problems, but maybe someone can bring a little light to a dark and frightening world. People are always going to disagree, but maybe someone can invent a way for people from all over the world to come together from the privacy of their own homes and disagree together. And all those little steps add up. I don't think I could possibly hope to do more than that.
 

Shoggoth2588

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I would take some time to get familiar with the ship first; use it to download some of my favorite Eartly media, set myself up in one of the larger rooms, etc. I would then send out some invitations to some friends to see if they'd like to join me on my travels around the Galaxy. After that, My and my crew of between one and five other people will set off on a voyage across the Milky Way. Depending on how quickly I can get back to Earth, I may or may not set up a trade agreement with the highest bidder for non-Earth materials, mostly just mineral unless I can find some flora. I don't think it would be right to bring alien creatures back to Earth from whatever world, asteroid or, moon they call home...Videos yes, but that would be about it. Thinking about it, I probably shouldn't sell that kind of material to the highest bidder...strictly the highest bidding universities and think-tanks!
 

Johnny Impact

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This is pretty close to the start of a great trilogy called Empire From The Ashes. An astronaut using ground-penetrating radar on a lunar mission discovers the Moon is composed mostly of empty space and ultrahard alloys, i.e. not a ball of stone like we think. Before he can tell anyone, he is whisked miles beneath the surface, where an AI tells him the Moon is actually a camouflaged Death Star and he is the new emperor of mankind.

OT: Priority one is make sure I maintain control. Learn how protected I can be. Presumably the ship can repel, shoot down, or avoid Earth's puny weaponry. I'm really more concerned with hostage situations, assassination attempts, political double-talk, and other such idiotic bids to gain control. It's not that I'm in love with myself, exactly, I simply do NOT trust the government or anyone else to share the potential wisely.

Letting anyone on the ship is a risk. With that in mind, I figure out if it has internal force fields, or can beam the bullets out of everyone's guns, or something like that. Star Trek had a list of banned and restricted substances transporters couldn't be used on, I want something similar. Establish protection protocols and think about them for at least a couple weeks before moving to phase two.

Oh, and anyone who threatens or harms my friends and family will be located and vaporized within seconds. No compromise. I will probably need to show by example that I cannot be bought or bullied. Going to have to be a cost of doing business.

After that, improve the human race's knowledge. Take scientists to other planets, other stars. Invite engineers aboard to attempt to learn how to build another one. Establish Moon base, Mars colonies. Give the Earth a REAL space program. Use replicator technology to produce expensive medicines (not for profit, just to help people). Presumably even a self-sustaining future-ship has limits on its resources, so make sure to ration things so it can be used wisely forever.
 

DerangedHobo

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I'd offer a few friends a place on the ship then leave for stars unknown. Keeping tabs on the earth every few years might be fun, too.
 

sanquin

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Firstly, I'd put all of my friends and family on board so no government could blackmail me. Then, I'd invite the world's top scientists working in fields to do with the universe a tour to some interesting places. Then, I'd personally start taking applications to explore space. Some scientists, some military personnel (America is automatically excluded in this, too violent for my tastes), some technicians, etc. Plus anyone from my family or friends would get to stay of course. :p And my focus would be scientific. To hell with anything military. The only reasons I'm allowing guys like that on my ship anyway is because of the possibility of hostile species out there.
 

Rebel_Raven

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Go to the holodeck, and retire... What? >.> Okay, okay, here's a longer list of notions.

Or maybe find a way to gain immortality via interfacing with the computer like what happened to Barclay on that one ep of TNG. Polly that. Become part of the ship, live dang near forever, explore. Wait until humans are worthy of going into space, or somehow filter them coz lets face it, not all of humanity's ready. Few friends could come along.

Honestly, I don't need a huge ship. I mean if I can maintain luxury, heavy firepower, and defenses a Danube class is fine with me. Like some glorified Winnebago. Maybe with wings? I wouldn't want a ship too huge for one person, or even a handful. Maybe a more luxurious Defiant class?

I'll park it in orbit until people annoy me too much, and they will, then I'll just warp to the far end of the solar system and maintain an orbit around the sun there. Or go a light year, or two away, and they'll prolly never find me, or get to me in any reasonable amount of time. It won't be open for joy rides, it won't be open to the public.

Oh, hey, I could try, and pull a gundam, and try to intervene in armed conflicts, and just generally stop wars. But that'd be stupidly difficult. Pinpoint accuracy, or collateral damage.... but I could work on replicating a gundam. That's be awesome. Maybe create an armada for some reason.
 

Addendum_Forthcoming

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Feb 4, 2009
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I would analyse the starship.... learn its secrets... build an armada... then destroy the aliens who abducted me. Humanity first, bitches! In all seriousness I would attempt to elevate my fellow humans as an interstellar species.
 

Fieldy409_v1legacy

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PaulH said:
I would analyse the starship.... learn its secrets... build an armada... then destroy the aliens who abducted me. Humanity first, bitches!
Something like this?


I think I might want to change my answer....
 

Addendum_Forthcoming

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Feb 4, 2009
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Fieldy409 said:
PaulH said:
I would analyse the starship.... learn its secrets... build an armada... then destroy the aliens who abducted me. Humanity first, bitches!
Something like this?


...And when people ask me if I destroyed their race and plundered their technological secrets to maintain my own personal power as ruler over the galaxy....

 

Edith The Hutt

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Oct 16, 2010
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Risingblade said:
So how long before your loved ones are kidnapped and ransomed for your starship?
This is the part where it starts to get interesting. How do you respond to that? (given you have the ability to rain down orbital death, but not necessarily to trace a specific person) How do you devise countermeasures to that happening and what does it turn you into?

My own answer to the question is that I'd sell out as quickly as possible to a consortium of nations based around where my loved ones reside and offer them starship services in exchange for security (the original scenario noted you can't give away the starship, but there's nothing to stop you from following instructions).

My answer also involves a profit-splitting deal involving asteroid mining and reverse engineering the starship technology but those follow as best choices given the limitation of having to strike a deal.
 

Fieldy409_v1legacy

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Edith The Hutt said:
Risingblade said:
So how long before your loved ones are kidnapped and ransomed for your starship?
This is the part where it starts to get interesting. How do you respond to that? (given you have the ability to rain down orbital death, but not necessarily to trace a specific person) How do you devise countermeasures to that happening and what does it turn you into?

My own answer to the question is that I'd sell out as quickly as possible to a consortium of nations based around where my loved ones reside and offer them starship services in exchange for security (the original scenario noted you can't give away the starship, but there's nothing to stop you from following instructions).

My answer also involves a profit-splitting deal involving asteroid mining and reverse engineering the starship technology but those follow as best choices given the limitation of having to strike a deal.
You could probably enlist any nation you want to investigate the matter for you and find them. Most every nation(that isn't the kidnapper) would jump at the chance to get you on their side.
 

Joccaren

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Mar 29, 2011
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Step 1: Beam up personally, beam up all my family, friends, and anyone I don't want to lose. We shall live on the space ship. Otherwise, they will be killed or held hostage. Fucking aliens forcing this onto me.

Step 2: Fly up into HEO, out of range of all conventional weapons, and far enough away that anything coming my way from Earth will give a long warning, and I can intercept at will. My ship may have the ability to defend itself handily from others, however I'd rather not risk any damage, nor let them gain any information on my defences that they may be able to exploit.

Step 3: Split my friends and family into "Crew", and "Civilians". Those that wish to help me crew the ship shall be interviewed, and the task they are best for they will be assigned to. Interviews will be short as I already know most of them pretty well. Civilians will be placed into the living areas of the ship, which will be self sufficient, but sealed off from the rest of the ship. Crew can go in and out and spend time with their family and friends, however civilians can't leave and risk endangering ship operations because they don't agree with what the crew has decided. Crew will all be executive crew. To prevent mutiny, they will all have a say in further actions, and we will come to an agreement on a good course of action before acting.

Step 4: Gather information. Connect to Earth internet, and stream news, stream internet forums, read and listen to everything that can be read and listened to. Find out what Earth's reaction to all this is. Ask the ship's computer to display its data stores on the rest of the galaxy; habitable planets, alien races and civilization, amount of galaxy explored, resource deposits that may be useful, and information on any threats to the ship, or to Earth. If the aliens died out, something undoubtedly caused it. I want to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to me.

Step 5: Contact Earth. Enter into negotiations with the UN. Goal: World peace. They will not have access to the ship, the ship's schematics, or any information on it or the galaxy/universe at large until they achieve world peace. All wars must be stopped. Patriotism needs to be replaced with humanism. Military forces, once the world is at peace, need to be disbanded and entirely dismantled [For things like Jets, tanks, ect.]. Put them to work as police peacekeepers instead. Since we have Star Trek level technology, give them non-lethal stun weapon technology to replace lethal firearms for these purposes. World hunger must be solved. Give them limited information on the functionality of my ship's replicator, getting advice from the computer as to whether they would be able to use it to replicate something to harm me first off and then asking it if it is possible to modify the design to produce only food, not weapons. If yes, ask it how, and do so. This process will take many years, and whilst we shall force world peace to eventually occur, we shall not force specific morals, or ethics, or government types, onto any country, state or person. Freedom shall be maintained, and the world will need to sort out its own problems in those regards. I won't force North Korea to not be a dictatorship, but if it can't join in with the rest of the world, it will not get the benefits of my ship's technology. I won't force those who hate gays, or abortions, to accept LGBT people, or be pro-choice. They will just need to learn to live in peace with others, using only peaceful protests as opposed to violence and bullying [Not saying this happens a lot or is remotely common in some areas, however it will need to be eliminated entirely, everywhere] to express their views. This should be agreeable for most, as I am not forcing my ideals on them. Merely telling them they need to live peacefully, and not force their ideals on others.
In this time, we shall monitor Earth, and demand information on all government activities from all governments. If they refuse, the entire planet will be denied any of the ship's technologies. If aggressive action against the ship is taken, all orbital infrustructure will be destroyed. GPS, mobile, scientific, and broadcast stations will be destroyed. They will be given one week to evacuate the ISS before it is destroyed. Any subsequent launches into space will be shot down. If no aggressive action is taken, they will be left in peace.
Additionally, more crew and civilians will be recruited from Earth, based on a strict selection criteria. If the ship has internal defences for crew, they shall be set to defend myself and civilians foremost, followed by the rest of the crew. Aggressive action by any crew or civilian will negate their protection until they are subdued.

Step 6: Research the Galaxy, and perform activities in space during time that we do not monitor Earth. Use this to gather resources, communicate with non-hostile alien races, and get information that will be useful to humanity when we finally reach the stars. Upgrade my ship with new, improved equipment, and hopefully establish a colony of humanity somewhere on a nearby habitable planet, which I shall look after [Defend from attack, not govern], whilst leaving all civilians who would rather live there than on the ship there, and ferrying select people from Earth over should they wish to live there. My crew shall act as peacekeepers, and no lethal or highly futuristic weapons shall be given to the colony. If someone starts attacking others, my crew shall beam down with more advanced weapons and defences, and subdue them. Depending on the accuracy of my ship's weapons, and how big a threat they pose, a small, isolated, orbital bombardment would be commenced on only them.

Step 7: As peace gets closer to being achieved on Earth, interfere more to help Force it. US or North Korea or Russia or China doesn't want to co-operate? Congratulations, all your farming land has just been burned, your manufacturing facilities destroyed, raw resource extraction operations ruined, and communications systems rendered defunct. You WILL co-operate for the good of the planet, or you will suffer far worse consequences. A LOT of time would be given before this though. This would be me nearing the end of my life. Once this has been done, leave the world to develop in peace for another decade or so. Whilst violence would preferably be avoided, as would chaos, sometimes you've got to stir the pot to let change occur. I'm not going to wait another 1,000 years for peace. If most of the world is getting there, but some bastions are stubbornly holding out, and look to for the foreseeable future, they will be bought down to a level where they depend on other countries. World peace countries will then be put to the test; If they do not aid the damaged country, they are not ready. If they help it rebuild, and act in a humanist way, they are. This will cause public dislike of my ship, naturally, but also the governments who opposed peace. It'll create opportunities for the people of that country to form bonds and friendship with other countries, and see how world peace will benefit them. If the country's military tries to prevent humanitarian aid, they will be eliminated. After this a period of peace will set in, and we will wait a long time to see if this forced change will lead people to come closer, and get closer to world peace.

Step 8: Choose a successor from the people on Earth, or Earth's colony, and get my crew to do the same. These people will be given the choice to be the next crew of the ship, and should they accept we shall mentor them for the rest of our lives on our plans to achieve world peace, how to operate the ship, how to negotiate with the various alien races, and everything else they will need to know to carry on in our names. Naturally, their leadership will be their own, but they shall be of character enough that they can make hard choices when they need to, but will try to avoid such choices at all costs. They will value all of humanity above all else, and wish to achieve world peace. When each of us crewmen are near dying, or wish to retire, we shall pass our permissions on to this next generation, and allow them to take our place.

Step 9: Once world peace is established, begin to promote openness and discourage xenophobia. Once the world is at peace and wants to make peace with the rest of the galaxy, forward them the schematics for the ship. They are now ready to become an interstellar empire, hopefully without waging war everywhere they go. Send them all information on the rest of the galaxy, and allow them to ascend to the stars, and create an ideal empire for all of humanity to live in.


Obviously, many of these steps will either not come up, or will need to be adjusted based on analysis of a certain situation, so these are more guidelines than what I'd do. Every choice would be highly situational, and would come down to a joint decision by myself and my crew that we all agreed on.
 

Therumancer

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Edith The Hutt said:
There's been a scenario which has been bobbling around my head for a while and I thought I'd share it with my fellow Escapists to see what they'd do with it:

One day you are abducted by Aliens and given a starship. The aliens have their own reasons for this, they may or may not explain them convincingly. The aliens then go away and leave you alone with this starship which is under your control, again they have logical reasons for this which may or may not be convincing (one variant of this is that the aliens died out and the starship is wandering the cosmos looking for a new captain, it picks you)

The starship is powerful and is made with technology vastly superior to the current Human race, let's say it's something along the lines of the Enterprise-D for sake of setting a power level. The ship is sufficiently self-maintaining, more crew might make the ship more versatile but it won't unlock any special powers and the ship won't fall or fail apart without regular maintenance. Fuel is not an issue, either you can replenish it quickly from a nearby star or you have some sort of singularity-based generator which doesn't need refueling.

The starship answers only to you, command is not transferable. You can give limited access to the ship's systems to some other crew, but things like interplanetary travel, weapons systems and self destruct are under your sole control and cannot be transferred or delegated. You can withdraw access granted to others as you see fit. The on-board computer is capable of interpreting simple commands in a safe and expert manner (e.g. "assume standard orbit about that planet", "Beam me up") but it is not intelligent enough to innovate and needs to be told what to do in a step-by-step manner.

The entire world knows you have this ship, your gaining it was not subtle and your identity was not disguised, the world's media have managed to track down and trace who you are, where you live and who your family and friends are. While many may have heard the aliens' explanation for giving you this ship, not everyone (and possibly no-one) will find it convincing.

What do you do with your new-found power and infamy?
Any alien race picking me for such a role probably made a bad choice as I'm simply not intelligent enough to come up with anything especially creative here, and I would try and make use of the ship to uplift humanity, kicking and screaming if needed. Using The Enterprise D as an example I suppose I'm basically put in the role of being an anti-hero of sorts. My first order of business would probably be to set the phasers to "Stun" much like Kirk did with his old Enterprise when he visited a low tech planet and assumed the role of a mob kingpin representing "The Federation" then I would probably use them to knock out as much of the planetary military forces as possible and pull a Kurt Vonnegut by destroying all of the WMD before anyone gets the bright idea to try and nuke me and my ship. Once I've removed such firepower I'll make it clear there is a new sheriff in town and give the directive for all national leaders to meet and create a global constitutional convention whereby they will create a single world government with certain principles similar to those of the US Constitution in place. I would play the role of "evil emperor" being as ruthless as I need to be, including mass murder to make this happen, but ensure that a global council under me winds up handling most of the actual governing. I'd also provide replicator and power systems technology in order to deal with the resources and energy problems on earth. Once I had that functioning and enough intertia behind it, I'd simply upload the ship's data banks to ground based computer systems (or provide portable versions created by the ship's own replicators) and leave to go and explore space. The bottom line is tyrants are good when it comes to conquering and dealing with extreme crisis situations, not so great when it comes to general governance. The point of giving that council most of the authority is so it would be able to step up and rule without needing their "Emperor" once I decided to depart. I'd probably be remembered as a huge bastard, especially given the number of people I likely had to kill, but for countless future generations humanity would have the stars, and the ability to explore and colonize. Even if I for some reason had to kill billions, in the scope of history and future generations it would probably be worth while. In short I'd probably wind up becoming humanity's greatest hero, by being it's greatest villain, or such would be my intent. Of course this entire "plan" is largely based on speculative fiction when similar (but not identical) questions have been presented. That said there are probably far better people than me, those smart enough to come up with alternative, equally viable plans, and see them through, the hypothetical aliens, assuming their intent is expecting something similar to my endgame, would probably do far better to select one of them. As much as I might wish otherwise, I'm just not hero material.
 

Vicarious Reality

New member
Jul 10, 2011
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Land in a desert cave after warping directly to it, avoiding detection
Check a public internet station for coordinates to interesting planets
Go on occasional road trips
Mine asteroids for gold or something

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shoulder of orion

0_o