NEW Rorquarl's Lament (TNG) 2/22
Frank Meeker
Author: Frank Meeker
Series: TNG
Part: 2/22
Rorquarl's Lament - CHPT-2
Captain's Log, Stardate 45949.4
"We are en route to Aquapura, a water planet in the far arm of the
Pacifica star system to observe and report on some discoveries of
great importance to the Federation. It seems that an outpost on the
planet, established two years ago under the guidance of the Terra form
Command, has developed an alternative to Dilithium they call
"Hexadilithium." By their reports, Hexadilithium is six times more
efficient than Dilithium when it comes to matter/antimatter reactions.
They have offered this substance for trade with the Federation in
exchange for the sole rights of development and distribution. The
benefits of such a chemical, should the claims made prove to be true,
could provide a potential leap in technology which hasn't been seen in
many years. Solely based on an efficiency boost to the warp drive
process, Hexadilithium could be the missing key which will allow the
9.9 warp barrier to be surpassed."
It had been a long day. After the final messages had arrived from
Starfleet, it seemed that all Picard did was attend meetings. Picard
was ready to get on with it.
Walking into his quarters, he unfastened his tunic while turning to
face the replicator system. "Tea, Earl Grey, hot," he said, adding a
second later, "Lights, level 3," and the room dimmed to a comfortable
level.
He quickly changed into his more simple attire, black pants, black
undershirt, casual slip-ons, and an unzipped soft grey tunic with
black piping. Picard smiled. If humor was a part of his programming,
Data would be amused and absorbed in a discussion as to whether it was
proper to refer to an open top which relied on Velcro for its means of
fastening as "unzipped".
As for the slip-ons, they were a gift from his brother Robert during
their last meeting back on earth. Picard had worn them with great
personal attachment ever since. "Surrounded by all of that cold
emptiness of space," Robert had said to him one night as the two
sipped mulled wine by the fire, "you'll need a set of fine deer skin
slippers to warm your feet in the privacy of your room. Besides," he
added, "they will add a sense of humanity in your recovery," he had
said quietly while taking another sip. With even the casual mention
of the Borg, Picard gave an involuntary shudder and took another sip
of his tea. The thought of melding flesh and machine still caused him
moments of inner terror.
He glanced down at the slippers. Their softness surrounded his feet,
bathing them in comfort and were remarkably soft. A Borg would not
have appreciated slippers. Comfort and softness were not a part of
the Borg Collective.
Years ago, Picard hardly would have thought a pair of slippers could
hold such importance to his daily life when he first received them.
He had never found much enjoyment in the "sport" of hunting. The
thought that a life had been removed to provide him with an article of
clothing didn't seem right. Yet, there was no denying that now, he
looked forward to coming to his quarters, slipping them on, and
relaxing.
They were never really that close, Robert and he. Age, conflicting
interests, scholastic ability, sporting competence... all tended to
drive a wedge between them when they were younger. As adults, when
Picard chose Starfleet over the family farm in France, the distance
seemed insurmountable. Yet, when Picard was in need of companionship,
rest, solitude and time to reflect, it was back to France, to Labarre,
to home, to Robert and his wife Marie, that he went. Clearing up past
sins and misunderstandings with Robert had prepared the way for Picard
to clear up the last vestiges of the Borg. He returned to the
Enterprise again as the ship's Captain, renewed in spirit through the
sense of belonging with his brother and his brother's family. They
now enjoyed their times together whether walking in the fields, baking
bread in the kitchen, or as on that night, drinking wine by the fire.
The replicator beeped a second time. Removing the tea from the
dispenser tray, he moved over towards the couch, setting the tea on a
nearby pedestal, to ponder the possibilities of an "improvement" to
warp travel.
Certainly, the replacement of Dilithium with this newly created
chemical Hexadilithium was something to reflect on, as this could be
the next step in man's exploration of the farthest reaches of space.
But Picard was always leery of claims regarding warp engine
enhancements. Engineers were always trying to, what was that old
earth saying,..."trying to push the envelope,"...when it came to
interstellar propulsion. In fact, following the introduction of the
failed transwarp drive concept back in the early 2280's, extension of
the primary warp field efficiency barrier was proved to be just not
possible.
Yet, it wasn't really fair to consider the Transwarp Project a
failure. Advances were made in warp power generation and field coil
design allowing greater efficiency levels. Upgraded with what at the
time was considered newer technology, the Starships Excelsior and
Ambassador had served Starfleet in an admirable fashion, and in fact,
even after all of these years, they continue to do so. This in itself
was a testimony to the engineering feats that came out of that
project.
But the failed promises of faster craft laid before the eyes of
Starfleet was difficult to accept when it came to the concept of the
Transwarp Drive. Ever since that time, every engineering student
coming out of Starfleet Academy dreamed of being the one to discover
the hidden key, the missing concept that would uncork the genie from
the bottle and make Transwarp Drive a reality.
Lifting the cup from the saucer, Picard took a sip. The tea had
cooled and so he went back over to the replicator for a reheat. Maybe
some music would sooth the mind and help him focus better. What would
it be tonight? "Music,... Piano,... Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata,
Level 1," and then responding to the replicator, he removed his tea,
and settled back down into the deep corner of the couch to consider
just what Hexadilithium could do for the Federation. Based on Mr. La
Forge's briefing on this subject this morning, it could prove to be an
interesting mission indeed.
* * * *
Kicking a dusty toe at the light blue webbed hand of his friend from
Pacifica, Garic Sandmussen yelled out "Get an antigrav unit over here
now, I think I have found another body". Looking down at the mash of
what appeared to be Amberdeen, Garic could only shake his head. Well,
maybe friend was carrying things a bit too far, after all, the
assassin's main role was to watch over the investment monies of AFT.
Maybe the term acquaintance would be more appropriate. Whatever the
case, Amberdeen and his so called usefulness to this expedition was
now quite over. It was difficult to tell if he died from the
explosion, or from the weight of one of the boilers collapsing on him.
It didn't really matter anyway, dead was dead.
Two workers rushed over to his location, quickly attaching the
antigrav unit to what a short time ago was a key component to the
replacement for Calypso's recently destroyed main power system. As
for Amberdeen, the pulp of the once strong body was now more like a
blood soaked sponge rather than the powerful frame that had once been
the chief enforcer for the AFT corporation. The fates had not been
too kind to him in his demise. The light blue head was squashed
beyond recognition and scales had already flaked away from the chest.
Insects were setting upon the body, and it had only been laying here
for half an hour, at least. Geeze, what a mess, he thought!
The workers settled the piece down in an out of the way location.
Garic moved over to inspect the damage, kicking here and there,
bending over to pick up a piece of debris, or pushing some rubble away
now and then. This piece of the right nacelle boiler resembled the
one destroyed on Calypso's former power plant that they had powered it
up three months before until it too had been destroyed. The newer
machines had proven to be as energy efficient as the Ferengi had
promised increasing their available power output to levels where
Liquiform output had quadrupled in less than two weeks. But as soon
as the plants were up and fully operational, those damn fools would
mount some form of attack and cripple the plant. Well, usually they
would only cripple the plant. This time, the damage was more severe
as he could see from the smoking ruins of the large plant. It had
also obviously been sabotage, and worse, this attack had claimed the
life of Amberdeen. Oh well, the Praefect would just have to work out
another deal with the Ferengi, and hopefully drive a harder bargain
than he had for this batch, maybe include some troops with some
firepower to protect the operation. They had only just recently
exceeded the schedule placed upon them by AFT and he had hoped that
with these new plants on line, he would be able to wrap up the
demonstration project well in advance.
The city itself was flourishing at rates faster than he could
comprehend thanks to the introduction of the planet to the Ferengi
Alliance. It seemed that anything the scientists needed the Ferengi
provided. What a difference this was from the help provided by AFT
and the Federation. The Federation was so wrapped up in their Prime
Directive b.s. that they couldn't see the benefit of providing the
colonists with the type of materials that the Ferengi were only too
happy to provide. While it was true that AFT had provided the seed
money to get the operation up and running, and while further true that
their contract was still valid, funds from their benefactor had
started to dry up about the time the attacks on key components had
started on their outposts. Garic had speculated this was do to the
ever-present, (well not anymore), Amberdeen who always seemed to have
an inside connection back to the home planet.
But when the Ferengi showed up and demonstrated that there were
nuances of the contract that were not enforceable on the part of AFT,
and that they would gladly step in as the main source of funds and
legal counsel on the project, well, it just would have been foolish to
turn them down. Especially when you considered what they were
offering. There was no comfort he had asked for that had not
materialized within a week of asking. Their planners, scientists and
engineers had beamed down to the planet with a host of specialized
robots and modified the layout of the city, and then using Liquiform
Construction techniques, techniques that the Ferengi engineers had
readily adapted to, they had expanded the city until it stretched for
kilometers in any direction.
Starting basically from scratch, the planners had programmed the
robots to concentrate on building a central command structure on
Manitkos Hill, followed by replacement residential areas for the
workers. This was quickly followed by an agricultural production
facility which for the first time brought fresh vegetables and greens
to the population which also for the first time included a variety of
races, many of which seemed to thrive on this type of produce. The
Ferengi continued to make other needed improvements including mining
for necessary natural resources, and starting other colonies, linking
them together with an elaborate communications network that the
Ferengi supplied at no additional charge. With the introduction of
factories and laboratories based upon some of the Ferengi's newest,
and probably more controversial research areas, moral quickly started
a steady increase.
Since then, other races had initiated trade agreements with them, and
Calypso continued to improve with steady growth and prosperity. Each
new settlement took on the character of whoever was colonizing the
area, which gave each city its own distinctive look. Aquapura was
fast becoming the jewel of the Ferengi Alliance, and all was happing
under the noses of the Federation who seemed they couldn't care less.
Of course, that wasn't to say that everything was working out as
planned. Some of the technologies the Ferengi were using weren't
exactly the most environmentally friendly. Evidence was already
starting to mount against the new power generators. It was evident to
anyone who could read a strip chart of the routine sampling done on
the upwelling currents from the Marseilles Abyss. Upwellings consists
of water which is brought to the surface from some of the deepest
waters on the planet. Usually, this water is rich in nutrients vital
to much of the sea life on any planet where the ocean plays an
important role in the planetary ecology. Historic information
collected from this water showed an even balance of most of the trace
elements used by the various types of plankton, mostly creel, as their
major food source. Recent information hinted at some type of
imbalance in these the readings that the planetary scientists were
looking into. Also, some of the zooxanthella reefs were looking
stressed but what the cause was, he didn't know, and as long as the
money was still pouring in, he didn't care.
There was one thing that did bother him, and that was the terrorists.
Garic didn't know how they had gotten a foothold on the planet, or why
they were doing what they were doing. He suspected they had posed as
a potential trading partner transporting their equipment and
structures down onto the planet with the hundreds or so others
transporting materials and goods down to the planet, and were just
flat missed in all of the confusion. Whatever the case, they were
firmly implanted now, and nobody knew of their location. Their
attacks were always well planned and coordinated, done at very little
risk to themselves, and always causing considerable damage, and
sometimes, as today, loss of life.
"Praefect to Sandmussen," his communicator blared.
"Sandmussen here," he responded not caring to think of the mood the
Praefect would be in for a while.
"I need your assessment of the damage."
"About 30 highly trained workers were killed in the explosion.
Amberdeen is dead too. About another 120 were injured. As for the
plant..." he said taking in a breath.
"Yes, what is it, I'm waiting," came the nasally voice.
"It is a total loss," was his quiet reply.
"Damn those incompetents at the Defense Force. You find out who is
responsible for letting these cretins get onto the planet, and close
it off fast," he howled. "Once your done with that, report back to
me. Praefect out."
There was a time when he thought this job was going to be fun, he
thought to himself. He turned around, surveying the smoking ruins of
the power plant one more time, and headed back to his vehicle shaking
his head. The headaches would start again, he just knew it, so he
might as well head back home and go to bed. Any further review could
be handled tomorrow, and he had had a belly full today.
* * * *
Geordi La Forge entered the briefing room just prior to the start of
the staff meeting. Adjusting his VISOR, he appeared to be just a
little less cool today than normal. His usually friendly demeanor was
replaced with a mixture of excitement and curiosity that was tough to
control. It wasn't that he hadn't given briefings before, he had, and
considered himself quite good at explaining difficult engineering
concepts to people outside the field in a way that made them
understand what he was taking about. Today was different. Explaining
the warp drive concept would require him to use skills which he was
afraid might be beyond his ability.
Certainly all of the people at the table, the Captain, Commander
Riker, Counselor Troi, Dr. Crusher, Commander Data, Lt. Worf, and the
new visitor recently picked up at Starbase 4, had a working knowledge
of how the Warp Propulsion Systems operated. But he, 'Mr. La Forge'
was to make them expert on the details of the subject with just one,
quick briefing!
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Oh yeah, he thought,
The fun was just beginning. Dr. Crusher had just found her seat when
Captain Picard began...
"Yesterday," Picard said in quiet tones, "before leaving Starbase 4,
we received a priority message from Starfleet. It simply stated that
we were to receive a passenger, Mr. Jai'tai, an expert in industrial
chemistry and ocean biology from the planet Dulcant, and proceed with
all haste to the planet Aquapura, located in the Pacifica Star System.
Startling events have transpired on Aquapura, and for once, it would
appear that the events herald good news. Scientists and engineers
from the AFT Corporation believe they have discovered a chemical
called Hexadilithium. This chemical is believed to be six times more
efficient than Dilithium in regulating the warp drive process."
Picard paused for effect.
"Since the mission involves some of the more technical aspects of the
Enterprise's operational capabilities, specifically the relationship
of Dilithium to the warp drive process," he continued, "I have asked
Mr. La Forge to prepare us on the more detailed concepts of the warp
propulsion systems. Understanding of these components may prove
crucial to the successful completion of our mission which involves the
complete evaluation of the new chemical. Mr. La Forge, if you
please."
La Forge stepped to the front of the briefing room. As well as being
the ship's chief engineer, he was probably the most well liked person
found in the entire ships complement. His friendly style and demeanor
glossed over a keen mind and a great sense of humor.
Setting his VISOR to thermalscan, he noted elevated body temperatures
from most of the individuals present. He had never really seen real
colors before. It was only through trial and error experimentation
with Data in the engineering room that he was now able to associate
the finer hues of the color spectrum with the correct name. The color
comparisons in this room were more interesting than usual.
Counselor Troi's scan always radiated a high intensity of red and
orange seemingly centered between her waist and neck. Today, her
hands tended to show cooler blues and violets indicating poor
circulation, or more likely, based on the cooler spectrum just visible
around her sternum, she had just come from Ten Forward having had one
of Guinan's famous Deep Space Chocolate Death desserts. Dr. Crusher,
on the other hand, normally transmitted cooler colors, with a stream
of magenta running down her arms to hands the color of crimson. Yet
when near the Captain, her colors blazed into a consistent
yellow-orange, with the exception of her face which was tinged in red
violet. The Captain radiated a consistent cool blue, yet, next to Dr.
Crusher, even his colors turned warmer than usual. Commander Riker's
red intensity centered around his heart in a vivid tangerine. His
arms and legs showed salmon, flecked with lines of dandelion. Little
points of silver or cornflower indicated he had just come from a
workout in the gym. Commander Data on the other hand radiated a
consistent tone of gray. No emotional hot spots there he thought.
"Good morning" he began. "The Captain has asked me to provide you
with a more than general working knowledge of the warp drive system,
specifically those areas associated with the Dilithium process, and
discuss the potential importance of the new chemical Hexadilithium,
should its advanced billing measure up to its reputation."
Geordi moved to the wall and pressed a button. The wall panel slid
sideways to reveal a miniature view screen similar to the one on the
bridge. The lights dimmed automatically in anticipation of its use.
"After the development of stable warp fields, the key to the creation
of a non-Newtonian method of transport, began with the concept of
nesting many layers of warp field energy within and around each other.
Each layer exerts a controlled amount of force against its next
outermost neighbor. The cumulative effect of the force applied drives
the vehicle forward and is known as 'asymmetrical peristaltic field
manipulation'. When the warp field coils in the nacelles are
energized in sequential order, fore to aft, each new field layer
expands outward from the other. This helps to transfer energy from
normal space to subspace and the craft slips into warp drive. All of
this comes at the expense of energy."
Geordi could feel tension mounting in the room. A few people shifted
positions in their seats. Possibly he was already getting too
technical for this discussion. Heat patterns increased visibly on all
participants in the room. "Maybe a drawing would help," he said
cheerfully. "Computer, display the maximum warp speed versus needed
power generation graph from the engineering log. Continue with
acknowledgment response for the remainder of the presentation."
"Working,...acknowledgment response activated,....display location?"
"This screen in here will do just fine thanks. Lights, level 0.5."
"Acknowledged."
Pointing to the chart, he continued.
"As you can see here, the faster the warp speed, the more energy is
used. The energy used is gradual at first, right up until you start
approaching warp 10. At warp 10, the exponential value of energy
usage is for all practical purposes, is infinite. With our current
levels of technology, you can never reach this value."
"Let's look at an example. Our own specifications for the Enterprise
required us to be able to sustain a normal cruising speed of warp 6
until fuel exhaustion, a maximum cruising speed of warp 9.2 and a
maximum top speed of warp 9.6 for twelve hours. At speeds in excess
of warp 9.6, our energy needs become greater than our ability to
produce, and hence we burn up our available amount of fuel faster than
we can attempt to use it."
"Now, how does a power consumption curve fit into our warp drive
propulsion system in the real world you might ask? Computer, please
display the main components of the warp drive system."
"Working," replied the female voice.
"The warp propulsion system is complex, but it basically consists of
three major assemblies; the matter/antimatter reaction assembly, the
power transfer conduits, and the warp engine nacelles."
Geordi continued, "I am going to ignore the sections to the left of
middle here which show the EPS power taps, plasma injectors and warp
nacelles. Instead, I want to focus on the matter/antimatter reaction
assembly which in engineering, we call M/ARA."
"Computer, zoom in on the M/ARA subsystem please."
"Working."
Pointing at the diagram, Geordi continued, his pace quickening. "At
the top of the M/ARA diagram is the deuterium supply, which of course,
is the matter for the antimatter reaction. It connects to the matter
reactant injector. This runs from the magnetic constriction segment
and into the matter/antimatter reaction chamber. At the bottom here,
is the antimatter stream which consists of the antimatter supply. It
moves from here into the antimatter reactant injector, through another
magnetic constriction segment, and on into the matter/antimatter
reaction chamber. As you can see, one system is a duplicate of the
other, except that the one up here deals with matter, and the other
with antimatter."
"Geordi," piped in Picard from his chair, "perhaps we could move on to
the specifics of Hexadilithium."
"Of course Captain. Computer, give me a blow-up of the
matter/antimatter reaction injectors."
"Working."
"The key element in the efficient use of matter/antimatter is the
Dilithium crystal. This material is nonreactive with antimatter when
subjected to a high-frequency electromagnetic field in the MCGA-watt
range."
"Geordi, where are the two matter/antimatter injectors?" asked
Jai'tai.
"Here they are sir," he said pointing to different areas on the
screen. "One for matter on Deck 30 and the other one for antimatter
on Deck 42."
"So then that large bulb in between is the Dilithium housing," he said
referring to the large semi-circular housing which was pulsating
various hues of blues and purple on the screen.
"Yes sir," Geordi continued with a smile. "In between the injectors,
on Deck 36, is the Dilithium housing itself, which contains the
Dilithium crystal articulation frame, the actual cradle for the
Dilithium crystal." Maybe he wasn't losing the crowd after all he
thought. Nevertheless, he'd better wrap this up quick.
"Computer, show the molecular make up of a Dilithium crystal."
"Working." The computer quickly brought up a diagram of the dual
chained, Dilithium crystal.
"Now, normal Dilithium has a crystalline structure based on the
formula 2<5>6 Dilithium 2<:>1 diallosilicate 1:9:1 heptoferranide."
He stopped and turned back away from the screen again. "Now, this is
where it gets interesting. Computer, display the molecular makeup and
chemical formula of Hexadilithium."
"Working," replied the computer as the screen broke up into three
separate screens. On one of the larger screens, the computer
displayed the complex formula for Hexadilithium. On the two smaller
ones, one window opened to show the dual strand, molecular
construction of the Dilithium crystal, the other, a more complex
molecule, similar in many respects to the Dilithium molecule, but in
others, obviously different.
"As you can see," he said turning back to the screen, pointing between
screens, "Hexadilithium is very similar, (6)2<5>6 Dilithium 2<:>1
diallosilicate 1:9:1 heptoferranide. The increased number of
Dilithium molecules allows for a more efficient transfer of antimatter
into the matter/antimatter reaction chamber, with 1/6 of the energy
loss, hence, there should be around a 6 fold increase in warp engine
efficiency. However, Hexadilithium is substantially different from
Dilithium in that these six molecules are packed into a denser
crystalline matrix! Without any real refinement, it could be
incorporated into our existing warp drive systems with virtually no
retrofitting!"
Geordi turned around with a flourish, hands out open to his peers, a
broad smile on his face. "So," he asked, "any questions?"
There were none. Had he had done such a great job that there were no
questions, or, was everyone bored to death, he wondered while taking
his seat?
Picard stood up, straightening his tunic. "Thank you Geordi," he
said, "that was,... most informative. Since there seems to be no
questions,... Mr. Data, please proceed with a briefing on the planet
Aquapura."
Commander Data, stood, and took his place at the front of the table.
"Computer, start Aquapura System Sketch 1, active response," he
stated. There was no hint that this "being" was in reality an
android. Only his white eyes and gold toned skin coupled with a
consistent tone of delivery provided the evidence of his origins.
"Working."
The view screen came to life zooming in on the star system as if the
Enterprise was flying into the system for a normal planetary approach
followed by a standard orbit. The zoom stopped to reveal a picture of
a Barrel Spiral System. The pale glow of its two small central stars,
gave off a warmth that concealed the age of the stars and planets
which formed the barrel spiral arms. This system was less compact and
dense than other spirals as the arms which trail from the spindle
shaped spherical hubs of the central axis were finely drawn, almost
aerial as they encircled the hub. A large, central sun cluster was
found on each end of a barrel shaped central group of stars giving the
system the impression of an immense dumb-bell with pieces of star
matter flying off into the cosmos due to the rotational spinning of
the system.
"The connected star cluster you are viewing is called the Dwarf Twins
System. One is named Romulus, the other Remus after the legendary
founders of the city of Rome. Romulus and Remus were believed to be
twin sons of Mars, the god of war, and Rhea Silvia, the daughter of
Numitor, king of Alba Longa. Rhea a vestal virgin, not by choice mind
you, but under duress by her uncle, Amulius imprisoned Rhea after
giving birth. He ordered servants to cast the infant twins adrift on
the Tiber River. Further investigations on my part provided more
interesting information which..."
The computer had started flipping pictures on the screen of Roman
ruins and structures as Data continued. Paintings of Romulus and
Remus flashed past as did pictures of Nero and the burning of Rome.
"Computer, halt." said Picard. "Mr. Data, would you mind sticking
with the subject of Aquapura for the time being?"
"Of course Captain," he replied. There was no hint or resonance of a
recognized rebuke from the Captain by Data. No outward sign of
displeasure. The only look was one of efficiency as he effortlessly
switched back to the rest of his presentation.
"Computer, proceed to global projection of Aquapura, with rotation,
280 degrees, mark 41, magnification 20."
"Working."
As the computer rotated the view around to the far side of the star
system, the view screen zoomed in on the planet Aquapura. The planet
rotated slightly on its axis showing an atmosphere consisting mainly
of clouds with open patches of azure blue water. A few large surface
disturbances could be detected on the planet, swirling against the
blackness of space. Data continued. "Remove cloud layer."
"Working."
Instantly the picture showed a rotating three dimensional view of the
water planet, with a few large land masses.
"Aptly named, Aquapura is a typical class N planet, 26,928,892
kilometers in diameter. It has two moons Tiberius, and Tritonius.
Tritonius is a counter-rotational moon which produces a tidal effect
of great magnitude. Aquapura is 92.5% sea water. Various continental
land masses, really floating oceanic plates, cover the remaining 7.5%.
With the exception of the ratio of water to land, Aquapura is very
similar to your own planet earth. The class N rating of the planet is
due to:
1) the percent of water covering the surface,
2) its tidal amplitude of 5-22 meters along its coasts, and,
3) the tremendous amounts of oxygen produced by the microscopic
symbiots called zooxanthella, the most dominant species on the planet
surface. Zooxanthella is so named for the flagellate alga that lives
in a symbiotic relationship with living hydrocoral found on the
planet.
It has been shown that zooxanthella produces over 2 billion times its
own molecular weight in oxygen on a daily basis. This helped provide
Aquapura an atmosphere almost 3 million years earlier than on earth.
Although scientists currently do not understand exactly why this is
so, zooxanthella is a true facultative species as it is capable of
living off a process similar to photosynthesis, or thrive on most
known natural air pollutants. This trait most likely developed when
the seascape of Aquapura was dominated by volcanic activity. When the
molten core of the planet cooled and the volcanic sea mounts subsided
back into the sea, zooxanthella mutated and developed its current
capability of bi-respiration. In any case, the end waste product of
either process is the production of water vapor and oxygen. Further,
since zooxanthella replicates easily, adapts to almost any environment
and has no known source of predation, it is a stable source of oxygen
to the atmosphere."
"Mr. Data, if you please...," said Picard, sounding a little more
irritated than the last time.
"Of course Captain, you did want a full briefing,... did you not?"
"Yes, but,..." he paused as if trying not to hurt the androids
feelings. "please, let's move on."
"Due to the tremendous amounts of water vapor produced, the planet is
usually shrouded in clouds, with violent storms developing in a period
of time measuring from hours to days. Many of these storms exceed
2000 kilometers in diameter with wind speeds in excess of 600
kilometers/hour."
"Computer, projection 1 please."
"Working." Within a moment, the computer had produced a schematic
cross-section of the planet.
"This schematic cross section," continued Data, "shows the inner core
is solid, with an average temperature of 4,150 degrees, a molten outer
core of approximately 4,000 degrees, a lower mantel of 3,265 degrees,
and an upper mantle of 1,600 degrees, Celsius."
Data continued on, his vast positronic brain pouring information out
at a rate almost too fast to retain. "The total land mass for the
combined plates is 36,906,250,000 square kilometers. One plate, known
as the Malabar Plate, holds the planet's largest landmass, Melanonia,
an island 22,470,250,120 square kilometers in size, abutting the
Capricorn Rift. At the subduction zone caused by the Malabar Plate
overriding the Capricorn Rift, are numerous small islands, and the
Marseilles Abyss, the depth of which is currently unknown, but
estimated to be 54,780 kilometers. On the other side of the Capricorn
Rift is the Aquitania Plate upon which is located the island of
Micronesia. Micronesia is 13,245,664 square kilometers in size and is
home to the only known settlement, Calypso."
"Just off the coast of Calypso is a small remnant of a volcanic island
called Mantikos Hill. It is here that the government seat is found,
headed by one Praefect Giza Lrant. In size Mantikos Hill is similar
to the area of earth known as Mont St. Michel named for the famous
medieval church that crowns a tiny granite island in the eastern end
of Normandy's Bay of St. Michel."
"For your information Captain, in Greek mythology, Calypso was the sea
nymph who delayed Odysseus on her island. He had other delays with
interesting women as well. As an enchantress, Circe held him for a
year having changed his crew into swine... it was only by...."
"Mr. Data!" Picard cried, "I am quite familiar with the works of
Homer. Is there anything else you would like to contribute?"
"Unless there are some questions, nothing more at this time sir."
"Thank you. Well then," Picard said to his staff, "are there any
questions?"
Checking around the table, Picard was relieved to see that the entire
staff was still with him. Mr. Data at times had the annoying habit of
becoming...verbose. This was due to his created ability to store vast
amounts of knowledge. While comparable to that of a well trained
Vulcan, it has been shown to be considerably more expansive.
"Yes sir," Will Riker spoke up. Cocking his head to the left and
leaning his tall frame back in the chair, he asked, "Is there any
information regarding population size or technological skill levels
for this planet?"
"There is Commander. The original development team landed on Calypso
approximately two years ago. The full team included a complement of
engineers, surveyors, scientists, and technicians assembled by the AFT
Corporation totaling 200. Using standard projections for population
growth, the current population should number no more than 270. Being
a new outpost, we would expect their technology level to be 3, the
basic comforts, nothing more. They might have picked up some other
minor items, as they are in a free trade zone area. There have been
reports of the Ferengi attempting to establish a trading guild with
the inhabitants."
Wonderful, Riker thought. One could always expect some kind of
excitement when the Ferengi were involved. While not a violent or
aggressive race anymore, they are...slimy and manipulative. When it
comes to territorial exploration, the Ferengi rarely ingratiate
themselves with the people they deal with. If flim-flam and scam
artists had developed space travel in the early 20th century and been
forced to flee the planet due to their activities only to establish
one colony in the far reaches of space, Riker believed the Ferengi
would have been the outcome of their decedents. How did that joke
Geordi told him go? What is the difference between a Ferengi and a
catfish? Answer. One is a cold blooded, mud sucking, bottom feeding
scavenger, the other is a fish!
"Captain, of what interest does Aqueous Fluid Technology have in
Aquapura?" asked Worf. The Klingon's dark features only hinted at the
violence capable of his race. Naturally suspicious of all outsiders,
Worf's sense of duty to the security of the Enterprise extended to the
belief that he was responsible for the security of the Federation of
which the Klingon people held not only a written treaty, but a blood
bond that the Klingons held in the highest regard.
Captain Picard turned to the Dulcant. "Mr. Jai'tai, would you care to
respond?"
Jai'tai stood. Framed in front of one of the view ports, his body
looked almost frail. Thinning white hair covering split-pointed ears
gave an indication as to the age of the golden skinned Dulcant. He
turned to face Worf.
"Mr. Worf," he started as if addressing a young student. "Aqueous
Fluid Technology Corporation is a large firm with their home offices
on the Planet Pacifica. They are also members of the Terra form
Command. They are known throughout this system for their skill in
developing everything from cities to starbases. Although they are
based on Pacifica, they deal in speculative ventures on other planets
and have located a small colony on Aquapura. When the two scientists,
Stillwell and Sandmussen developed the technology for building raw
land from the secretion of dissolved minerals onto framed structures
called the Liquiform Construction Process, AFT, seeing the potential
for a radical new way to manufacture undersea buildings on Pacifica,
decided to explore the possibilities elsewhere on a test planet."
"Where does this Hexadilithium come from?" asked Beverly Crusher.
Picard swivelled his seat around to face the Enterprise's lovely red
headed chief medical officer. "The recent discovery of Hexadilithium
was to be frank, an accident. We are not exactly clear on this point,
but it appears it was found as an unknown chemical constituent of the
brine left over after the construction process was complete. To be
more specific, it is believed to be a part of the process needed in
the electro chemical process for power generation. The colony on
Aquapura is being quite secretive regarding this issue."
"And the Liquiform process," asked Deanna Troi turning to Jai'tai?
"The Liquiform process is done by establishing a direct electrical
current between electrodes in an electrolyte, in this case sea water.
On Aquapura, sea water contains 10 major elements, sodium, magnesium,
calcium, potassium, chlorine, sulfur, potassium, bromine, carbon and
braxite. There are other minerals in trace quantities, obviously
Hexadilithium included."
"Electrodeposition," asked Worf?
"Yes lieutenant," replied the Dulcant slipping back into teaching
mode. "Electrodeposition. It is the secretion of rock-like substances
from surfaces submerged in sea water attached to some form of direct
electrical current have been known for many years. It would appear
that the developers of the Liquiform process have taken this concept
to new heights."
"Mr. Jai'tai?" asked the soft spoken voice of Deanna Troi. "Of what
importance does the Federation place on this Liquiform Technology?"
Facing the ships Counselor, Jai'tai motioned with his hands. "Imagine
if you will Counselor, the ability to perform construction activities
in a virtually weightless environment, without the constraints of the
vacuum of space. Imagine the ability to form complex shapes using
simple techniques from a virtually inexhaustible supply of raw
material. Imagine the ability to repair or recondition a structure in
situ should it fail or become damaged in any way merely by
reestablishing the electrical current which produced it in the first
place. Further, imagine assembling this material into structures
resembling the framing structures of a starship, only in this case,
they are formed in a few days, instead of a few months, their strength
is...."
This guy is starting to get boring thought Will Riker. Every little
question he treats as a need to demonstrate his superiour knowledge on
the subject. If his head was any bigger, he wouldn't be able to walk
through the door. Will's mind began to wonder and inevitably, it
turned to Deanna.
She looked lovely today. Not that she didn't look lovely all the
time, after all, few people, if any aboard the Enterprise could match
Deanna when it came to beauty, grace, charms and ability. However,
today she looked especially nice, he mused. She always managed to
keep her posture perfectly erect. He on the other hand tended to
slouch sometimes. A casual walk for Deanna was a picture of poise,
where he usually leaned in the direction he was turning. She was very
logical and matter of fact in her analysis, he had to be held back at
times from acting on instinct. They had worked together as a team
many times, had been lovers once, and tended to compliment each
other. Maybe he should see if she was available for dinner later.
Then again, maybe he shouldn't. They had both agreed that things
could get complicated should they start up their past relationship
onboard. Best to let things be for now he thought.
Picard was speaking. Riker forced his attention back to the meeting.
"..and so you see, Hexadilithium is of great importance to the
Federation. This process could be our next important technology leap.
So far, Hexadilithium has only been found on this planet."
Picard leaned forward for one final point. "This new form of
construction, this Liquiform process, could make the establishment of
trading posts, outposts and land based star settlements occur far more
rapidly, with little need to transport the materials necessary to
build it. The rights to sell this form of technology after full
development could propel AFT into a major player in galactic space
development. Further, this seems to be the first successful
application of terra forming which doesn't use the destructive effects
of the Genesis Wave."
"The Genesis Wave," asked Riker? "I thought all uses of that method
was banned."
"Not exactly banned Commander," said Jai'tai, slowly, "but greatly
curtailed. Limited Genesis research continues. This method, the
Liquiform Process, doesn't require the catastrophic realignment of the
molecular matrix like the Genesis Wave so if it works, it could herald
the boon of a new era of exploration."
"I see," Riker continued, "so it is the belief of the TC that this new
methodology is more environmentally sensitive than the Genesis Wave
and its effects?"
"Precisely so," he replied.
Picard started to draw the meeting to a close. "So, we will be
arriving at Aquapura within two days and beaming down to the capital.
I want Commander Riker to lead an away team with Counselor Troi, Lt.
Commander La Forge, Commander Data and the Mr. Jai'tai. You are to
see the Liquiform Construction technology, evaluate the potential for
Starfleet, investigate the new chemical Hexadilithium, and open
negotiations for future trade. You will beam down to the section of
Calypso called Mantikos Hill to meet with this Praefect, Giza Lrant."
"Commander Riker and Counselor Troi will be contacting Giza Lrant to
explore the trade negotiations and research into the environmental
safe guards. Mr. Data, you are to investigate the properties of
Hexadilithium. Mr. Jai'tai and Lt. Commander La Forge are to evaluate
and assess the applications of Liquiform Technology."
"Captain," said Worf. "Should not the away team have a small security
detail as well? On an unknown planet, it would not seem prudent to
have them beam down without some protection."
"Quite correct Mr. Worf. I trust in you to make the proper
assignments." The Captain stood. "Thank you. Dismissed."
Rising from the table, Riker collected his thoughts glancing over his
shoulder to see if the Counselor had left yet. She had not. She was
sitting in her seat, arms crossed over her chest, one gorgeous leg
placed over the other,...and smiling at him.
End Part 2
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