Lt. Robin Hopper: Quantum Quandaries
Robin Hopper
// Chief Science Officer’s Log – Stardate 240008.03
Since Amity was first established, a growing number of unusual phenomena have been recorded in the benamite fields that litter the nearby Nurioop– No, uh, Nooriu. No, that’s not right. ::Pause:: In the benamite fields that litter the nearby Nuriootpa Solar Nebula.
::Ahem:: The first recorded example of this occurred when the Independence-B and Kitty Hawk traveled through the nebula, and the Indy found itself caught inside an unstable gravity well. The Hawk’s Science Officer, Kivik, noted at the time that the ships’ warp fields could have triggered, or at least worsened, the effect of the benamite-induced “subspace ripple” effect that formed the well…
((OOC – Relevant sims: Here and Here))
Since then, incidents seem to be increasing in regularity and severity. Ensign Veers, Lieutenant Flint, and I – along with the Chief of Mining Operations here, Evelyn McLaren – also experienced a similar, yet smaller event several months ago while investigating a series of unexplained disturbances in the benamite fields… and, of course, most recently, there was the… ::whispered:: quantum singularity that led to… you know what.
I’ve filed a report with Starfleet Science Headquarters but, while I await their recommendations, I’ve decided to continue investigating these strange happenings of my own volition. I’m pleased to say that Ensign Veers seems keen to continue exploring the anomalies with me – and, I’ve even called in a favour from another interested party. //
((CSO’s Office, Level 12, Science & Research Center – Amity Outpost))
Hopper shut off her log recording as the silhouette of the expected officer appeared outside the frosted glass of her office doors. Taking just a moment to quickly push a strand of chestnut brown hair out of her face, she folded her hands together on the desk and spoke.
Hopper: Come on in, Ensign!
Veers: Response
Robin smiled as Cara entered the room. Since Veers had first arrived on the station, the two of them had found themselves both rather ‘in the thick of it’ – first, with the Hirogen tribes station tour and subsequent wargames, and subsequently with an unexpected voyage into a dark and troubling alternate reality.
While she was pleased to see that Cara had survived that mission relatively unscathed, Robin also figured that they could both use a little bit more “normalcy” during their shore leave routines – for a pair of physicists like them, that meant lab work. When Veers had reached out, expressing interest in continuing their research into the Nuriootpa anomalies, Hopper had been more than happy to assign them both to working on the problem.
Hopper: ::Gesturing:: Grab a seat, Cara – oh, and, before I forget…
She reached down to the mini-fridge below her desk and pulled out two frosty glass bottles – one with a blue label and the other with a red label. The liquid inside both bottles appeared practically identical – a black translucent carbonated beverage.
Hopper: Are you familiar with Earth colas? ::Pushing the bottles forward:: Take your pick – if you like. Otherwise, I can replicate anything you might want. Our ‘partner in crime’ should be arriving here any moment, but there’s no hurry. I’m hoping we can just start with some discussion.
Veers: Response
Robin nodded, taking care of Veers’ drink preferences, and then popped the cap on one of the red-lidded bottles for herself. As she finished taking a sip of the refreshing coca-cola, another, shorter, figure appeared at the frosted glass doors and a little chime sounded.
Hopper: Enter!
The door slid open, revealing the Kitty Hawk’s J’naii Chief Science Officer. Ne smiled uncertainly, and held up a hand in a slight wave, before stepping gingerly into the room and clasping nir hands behind nir back, rocking gently forward and back on nir heels.
Hopper: Hiya Kivik! Thanks for volunteering your time. I believe you and Ensign Cara Veers know each other already.
Kivik: Good morning. ::Nod to Veers:: Ensign, it’s good to see you again.
Veers: Response
Kivik: ::Looking around the room, uncertain:: I like what you’ve done with the office, Lieutenant. It’s, err, eclectic. The, erm – ::squinting:: – advertisements are an interesting decorative feature.
Robin chuckled. The office was only half-finished, in truth. She’d filled it with plants and a few old movie posters – but it was all sort of haphazard for the time being. It simply hadn’t been a priority, given the extremely busy nature of the past few months for Amity’s science teams.
Hopper: ::Smirking:: Thank you. Why don’t you grab a seat? We were just about to start going over all the weird reports we’ve been seeing out of the nebula over the last year or so, try to find the connecting threads, get a sense of how to direct our research going forward. I invited you here since you’ve been operating in the area since Amity opened, you were there for the gravity well incident, and I figured you might have some insights.
The J’naii took the offered seat beside Veers and fidgeted for a moment, trying to find a spot to rest nir hands, before finally setting on crossing nir arms in front of nir chest.
Kivik: That makes sense to me and, yes, certainly, I’m happy to render any assistance that I can. ::Pointing to the cola on the desk, rubbing the back of nir neck:: Could I get one of those?
Robin smiled, nodded, and retrieved a drink for Kivik, sliding it across the desk’s glass surface.
Hopper: Alright, now, let’s get down to business. Cara, would you mind providing a summary of the incidents we’ve experienced so far and point out any similarities – or noteworthy dissimilarities – between them? If you have any theories, I’d also love to hear them. Remember, at this point, we’re just spitballing – so no wrong answers.
Veers: Response
TBC
