LTCmdr. Quentin Collins - I Can Reach Any Star

[Justin Partridge]

((Interior. U.S.S Arrow, Deck 1. Conference Room.))

Quentin Collins bounded into the Conference Room with an excitement he hadn't really felt since the Academy. Clad once again in his beloved Blue uniform and having already been in contact with his equally eager Study Group associates down in the Labs and Stellar Cartography, he strode into the Conference, very ready to do whatever needed to be done in that moment.

Maz and The Captain were conversing at the head of the table as the rest of the crew trickled in. Quentin idly flipped through his orders PADD as he chose a seat at the opposite end. 

After a few moments, The Captain started to speak, laying out their objectives.

Shayne: If you’ll turn your attention to this unspecified region here, you’ll note a distinct lack of things to note. 

It was a largish chart that threaded itself into a photonic being above the table. But even more noticeable was the holes littered throughout it. Literally uncharted territory. Quentin was absolutely thrilled. 

Shayne: It has yet to be properly charted, which is not surprising; however, the vitality of our mission in the Isles dictates a swift and thorough charting escapade. 

A question occurred to Quentin as he rose and peered more carefully as the holey star chart.

Collins: Any known celestial bodies or noticeable anomalies?

Any: Response 

Shayne pointed an index finger at him. 

Shayne: Nothing specifically, beyond your average planetary and nebular bodies. However, some passing scans taken from old Theta 122 records suggest the presence of a… something. Electromagnetic interference and subspace decohesion. Nothing too unusual, and most of it is explainable by the presence of a star, but we’ll be there to confirm that. 

Quentin produced his new glasses (thick tortoise shell frames), placed them on his face, and peered even closer at the indicated area. He couldn't tell from the chart itself, but it looked as if space seemed to...bend slightly around this particular hole in the chart. 

He added it to the list of questions he was going to ask Chief Frell after the meeting.

Any: Response 

Shayne: This will be a mission that will push our scientific division, newly formed and led. As such, each of you should expect to lend your services to the science division for the duration of this exploration mission. 

Quentin took his cue, standing to full height.

Collins: Chief Frell and I will be monitoring the sector in Stellar Cartography, but we will need all the sensors and probes we can get. We also need to be especially cautious for spatial distortions and grav-wells as we travel. Just because we can't see them NOW doesn't mean that they aren't there. So thoroughness will be the name of the game here for the most part. 

Any: Response 

He gazed at them all. 

Shayne: Let’s do some mapping, folks. Anything to add, Commander? 

Maz took a beat and then spoke cleanly.

Rodan: I know that a rudimentary mapping mission might not be everyone's cup of tea... But this is a very rare and exclusive chance to get the first real map of this region. ::He grinned.:: I'm very jealous of the stellar sciences department right now, Commander Collins. I think we all know a rather mild-mannered Bolian stellar cartographer down on Deck 4 who I'm sure would like her name in some textbooks! 

Quentin smiled and crossed his arms.

Collins: Oh, trust me, she's already ahead of all of us by now. But I am around too should you need me. Just shout if you need me on the upper decks.

Any: Response

Rodan: Then let's be the first Starfleet crew to see what's in these Isles. 

They warmly adjourned and Quentin aimed himself toward Deck 4.

((Interior. U.S.S. Arrow, Deck 4. Stellar Cartography/Astrometrics Lab.))

Quentin Collins stepped into the domed and darkened compartment to a much larger version of the map Captain Shayne had shown them. One that made the blank spots look somewhat disconcerting. 

But that apparently didn't seem to be stopping Chief Frell, who was savagely studying the area while continuously pitching and yawing the map around the dense spot Shayne had pointed out.  Quentin approached her carefully, which gained her attention. 

Chief Frell: Hey, Commander, I may have found something really strange.

Collins: Yes, Captain Shayne saw it too. I was planning on asking after it.

She zoomed in again on the spot and it was like it was...a nothingness. A sort of voided area of space, erased from reality completely.

Chief Frell: For some reason, our scans at this range still can penetrate this specific spot. You would get this kinda interference from a star or a black hole but...

Collins: But what?

She huffed slightly, jamming her hands onto her hips in frustration.

Chief Frell: Well with that sort of interference you have bad signal bleeds or even a harmonic scramble. But this is too smooth of a nothing to be naturally occuring.

Collins: Meaning what, exactly?

Her voice dropped slightly.

Chief Frell: Meaning, this isn't reflecting our scans. It's REFRACTING them. Bouncing them off of something to keep us from getting a hard locked read on them. You only really get that with...

Collins: Shields and specific metallurgic compositions...yes...now that IS interesting...

He crossed his arms in thought And moved closer to the representation of the "Dead Zone". He dropped his voice into a sort of whisper.

Collins: What don't you want us looking at, I wonder...

He took a beat and turned back to Frell.

Collins: We are going to get closer in the next few hours. Let's see if that cleans up the signals, alongside the probes we have at the ready, and if not...we can try a different tactic...

Any: RESPONSE 

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TAG/TBC

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Lieutenant Commander 

Quentin Collins III

Chief Science Officer

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U.S.S. ARROW NCC-69829

ID: E239512QC0

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