Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper: Science Project
Robin Hopper
((Stellar Cartography, SRC, Amity Outpost))
Robin couldn’t remember a time in which Amity was not dealing with some sort of spatial abnormality in its vicinity – though the frequency and severity of the aberrations seemed to be gradually increasing. The first major incident had taken place shortly before her arrival on the station, and the most recent was still fresh in her mind.
Then again – Starfleet was no stranger to unusual cosmic phenomena. Her lasting posting, aboard the deep space science vessel, the USS Wall Street, had given her plenty of opportunities to study unusual spatial events… only the ship had always been on the move, chasing reports of anomalies generated by exploratory vessels. Amity was stationary. As the strange happenings in the nearby nebula continued to multiply, it was becoming less and less “intriguing” and more and more “troubling”.
This meant there was additional pressure to not only discover the cause(s) of the problem – but also to identify and vet potential solutions… This was proving to be a difficult task. But progress was being made. Slowly, yet surely.
Sirn: The simulations we ran included different Warp velocities, hull geometry, nacelle orientation, and common cargo.
Veers: Focusing on the Federation designed craft, though other ships such as those of the Vulcan Science Academy and even some Klingon and Delta Quadrant designs were thrown in.
The Chief Science Officer stepped forward, crossing her arms and peering at the preliminary simulation outcomes. They’d run through quite a few scenarios, it seemed – a few that might have yielded favorable results. But that was hardly conclusive. They were going to have to isolate the most feasible simulations and run through them, analyze the data themselves, and form evidence-based conclusions in order to propose recommendations for action.
Hopper: Show me – and feel free to slow things down. I want us to talk through what we’ve found, make sure we aren’t missing anything important.
While Robin did feel under a time crunch, rushing things wasn’t the way to find viable answers. It was important that they consider every angle with a careful eye.
Sirn: Starting with Warp velocities, we have found very much the same result that was discovered in 2370. The higher the velocity of the vessel, the larger the ripple, or wake, through subspace is.
Veers: Similarly to a boat traveling through the water.
Hopper: ::Nodding:: Of course – at the end of the day, we’re still causing an energetic displacement, only of subspace rather than regular matter. ::Thinking:: Of course, Starfleet began making adjustments to ship designs to compensate for this, but that’s been an ongoing process…
She waved her hand. Of course Veers and Sirn had considered this already.
Hopper: Sorry, just thinking out loud. Go on.
Sirn: When coupled with, ::Tapping console:: Hull geometry, we have found that even lower warp speeds can have a greater effect on subspace. Vessels such as the Constitution class, Excelsior class, and even the Galaxy class have more of an effect on subspace. This was of course mediated with new designs such as the Sovereign, Akira, and Nova classes, to name a few.
Veers: Brute force warp travel versus streamlined ships. A lot less wake and a lot less power needed when you make the ships more sleek.
It was funny. Early starship designers had needed to contend with the aerodynamic pressures of launching their vessels terrestrially – from a planet’s surface, through an atmosphere, to space. But it had been hundreds of years since any warp-capable vessel had been built this way in Federation territory.
They were all built in spacedock now… and for many decades, the pervading notion had been that hull geometry played little role in spaceflight characteristics. Build them big, build them powerful. With no ‘drag’ to speak of, why worry about size or shape much at all? More recent revelations had made it clear that this was a gross oversimplification of the deeper reality.
Sleeker ships really were faster – and less disruptive.
Hopper: ::Crossing her arms, tapping at her lips with one finger:: It’s probably no coincidence that many of the vessels coming and going around Amity aren’t Starfleet… or even Federation, for that matter. ::Roll of her eyes:: And the ‘flagship’ for the region, so to speak, is a Galaxy class.
So, part of the problem may well be the prevalence of “chubby” ship designs and their accordingly-higher subspace distortions. Combine that with the dramatic increase in traffic to the region since Amity’s construction, and the beginnings of a fairly sound hypothesis were beginning to form… But somehow that didn’t seem like quite the whole picture to Robin.
oO It can’t be quite that simple… Oo
Sirn: Of course, having a more compact and “streamlined” hull design can come with its own drawbacks. ::Tapping console again, bringing up a model of a Defiant class starship as well as a McCall class shuttle:: In the case of the Independence, when traversing an area of space that has already been damaged or weakened barrier to subspace, such a hull design could potentially cause the vessel to “slip through the cracks” of this damaged space.
The simulation changed to show the Defiant class come into contact with the representation of a damage section of subspace. It appeared to pass through fairly easily and found itself inside a pocket of subspace and held still – almost exactly as it had shortly before Robin’s arrival. She was glad she hadn’t been there for that, but she’d read the repors… and seen the scars.
Sirn: Even moreso, a vessel such as the McCall class or even Type-17 may find itself with the same issues, but in a more dangerous capacity. While a larger vessel like the Defiant class may be able to pass through this barrier relatively unharmed…
The simulation changed to show a Type-17 and a McCall class side by side passing through the same barrier. The Type-17 appeared to be shredded into several different pieces, while the McCall class appeared to pass through in better condition.
Robin’s brow furrowed slightly. She took a furtive glance at Veers, wondering if that imagery conjured the same disturbing memories for her that it did for Hopper. She sighed, uncrossed her arms, and placed them on her hips.
Veers: And that’s where we’re at so far. My hunch was correct, but we don’t quite have an answer as to how we can mitigate this save for no warp travel in the Nebula.
Hopper: Which is not going to be viable long-term. That Nebula is the reason we’re out here. If it becomes off-limits, our whole mission in the Delta Quadrant is going to be in jeopardy.
After all, it was the uniquely-regenerative benamite-rich asteroids of the Nuriootpa Nebula that made the entire operation worthwhile for the Federation; benamite being a necessary component for the now-vital Quantum Slipstream Drive technology.
Considering how much work had been required to secure the region for Amity’s arrival, and how much trouble was still being caused trying to find the Federation’s niche in the Delta Quadrant, Robin doubted the FDC or Starfleet would really want to maintain things as they were without the ‘honeypot’ there to sweeten the deal.
Hopper: So – we’re clarifying our picture of the underlying problems. That’s good. For a start. But we’re going to have to do better.
Veers: Sorry we haven’t got better news. I think it’d be best if we looked into other forms of faster than light or near faster than light travel for inside the nebula. Are there any promising answers for this Sirn?
Cara raised an interesting point. If traditional warp and QSD travel were causing localized disturbances… Perhaps other forms of transportation could be utilized more safely.
Sirn: Response
Hopper: I think even an Impulse speed limit would be a very hard sell. We need to make traveling to Amity appealing to the locals – that’s a big part of how we’re keeping up ‘goodwill’, after all. Start imposing barriers to that and they’ll just congregate elsewhere.
Veers: We also toyed with the idea that different powerplants would produce different results, such as the Romulan’s singularity drives… Same results.
Robin nodded. At least they knew it wasn’t Starfleet tech alone causing the problem. Any significant ongoing distortion of subspace would contribute to the issue.
Hopper: Worth checking anyways – good thinking. Might as well rule those possibilities out. ::Smirk:: Did we consider asking the Borg for their stable transwarp conduit tech? Maybe they’d be willing to lend a hand?
Sirn: Response.
Hopper: ::Chuckling:: I understand the potential difficulties with such a request. It was just a joke. ::Getting serious again:: That being said, I wouldn’t rule any possibility 100% out at the moment.
Veers: Biggest thing is, how we want to attack this next, alternate types of engines, just a hard freeze on all warp travel inside the nebula, just letting it happen and shrugging.
Hopper groaned. None of those were good options.
Hopper: Well, for now a half measure is seemingly better than letting things go on un-checked. We’ve at least got the Kitty Hawk’s Science Team lending a hand keeping an eye on the situation while they’re on a stopover here… But I don’t think we’re quite at the point where we need to take ‘drastic measures’ yet either. For now, extra caution is the order of the day.
Sirn/Veers: Response
She nodded, considering how each of them might apply their specific strengths and competencies to the challenge at hand.
Hopper: I want to circle back to what you suggested, Cara – alternative ways of getting around. I don’t just mean other space drives either. Let’s cast a wide net. ::Tilting her head, considering:: One thing we have yet to really put to use is local knowledge. The people of the Delta Quadrant may have technologies, or research, that we’re not even considering.
She turned first to Veers.
Hopper: Ensign, there’s an analyst working in the civilian science division here named Nadeshiko. She’s a genius, or well, she’s a synth technically – but you know, genius as a result. I think the research she’s conducted on Delta Quadrant species and their scientific developments could prove valuable. Get in touch with her and bump heads. ::Chuckling:: Sorry, that’s a weird human expression. See if you two can work together to identify any relevant ideas.
Veers: Response
Hopper: Good point. Make sure to bring that up with Nadeshiko as well – and don’t hesitate to call me in if you need another brain working on the problem.
Veers: Response?
With an affirmative nod, Robin turned next to their Vulcan Science Academy colleague.
Hopper: That goes for you as well, Mr. Sirn. I’d like to get you out in the field. How would you feel about joining Lieutenant Kivik in the Kitty Hawk’s science lab, for a little more hands-on research?
Sirn: Response
Hopper: The Conny-B? Really? Well, how apropos. I’m sure you’ll feel right at home then!
Sirn: Response?
Hopper: I, meanwhile, will spend some time in the archives, see what I can dig up from within the Federation – and I mean dig. Forget warp theory, forget QSDs… I’m going to get into the muck of purely theoretical and untested projects. ::Shaking her head, sighing:: It’ll be like grad school all over again.
Veers/Sirn: Response
END Scene for Hopper
((OOC – Please feel free to continue investigating phenomena and solutions in the other scenes I have suggested here and/or they can happen during the next shore leave or “off screen”))
