LtJG Jovenan – Please have your boarding passes ready for the flight to Berlin
Jovenan
((Bridge, USS Artemis))
It was something. Even if it had been visible to the sensors for less than a second, it had been there.
Jovenan: Sir! I’ve spotted something that might be an impulse wake.
Had she found the Berlin? It was definitely something, but it was difficult to say if it had been their opponent in the drill or just – well, what else could it even be?
Yalu: I’m not seeing it, Lieutenant. If it dissipated that quickly, could that indicate a ship in distress?
MacKenzie: response
Jovenan: Not sure. It was there just for a split second before being obscured behind that plasma bubble. Permission to activate a multiphasic scan on that direction? It would give us better readings but might alert them that we’re scanning them.
Their acting first officer seemed to think about her proposal and exchange looks with the Captain. The Captain was giving Commander Yalu a lot of responsibility in this drill. It made sense to train a potential future captain as well.
Yalu: Do it, Lieutenant.
Jovenan nodded and began to prepare the sensor pod for a multiphasic scanner sweep over the general direction where they had spotted what might have been the Berlin. The bridge crew kept discussing as she worked.
Silveira: It’s a worthy risk in my opinion.
Savel: I agree with the lieutenants. Even if our scans alert them, we will know their position before they discover ours.
Silveira: Is there a way to filter the plasma readings? Or a way we could … ::He paused as his mind began to brew a possible plan. Turning to Nan he asked.:: Forgive my stupid question, but is it possible we instead jury rig some sort of alternate scanning system.
Jovenan stopped working with the scan. She looked at Commander Yalu and the Captain again, waiting for instructions if she should initiate the scan or try to produce an improvised scanning technique.
Yalu: Alternate is good, lieutenant. Our opponents know everything we know. A novel approach could give us the edge.
Okay, then. Let’s invent something new.
Jovenan: Well, uh, the multiphasic scan is the most efficient method to scan through heavy interference. I don’t know if we can get better results with any other type of standard scans. Maybe we could try something non-standard if you have ideas.
Vedic: Maybe. The auxiliary sensors are tied into the navigational deflector array, so we could try it.
Silveira: Like I said it’s likely a stupid suggestion, but instead of relying on the usual scans, why don’t we search for them using some alternative way, like… The wavelength of the deck plate, or the feedback from their own sensors, or the transponder signal… OK maybe not that it’s too obvious, but something that in the middle of this Nebula mess we could pin point from the Berlin?
Jovenan nodded slowly while thinking. This was turning to a cross-department brainstorming. Good, it added variety to their ideas, but they might need to act soon, or they might lose the Berlin.
Savel: I believe Lieutenant Silveira may be correct. The nebula will interfere with our attempts to find the Berlin through traditional scans. A number of variables will have to align for a successful sweep after many attempts and adjustments.
Jovenan: ::to Silveira:: Those are all possible options, Lieutenant, but, um, they all have either of the two flaws: either their range is too limited in the Nebula, or the Berlin would be able to detect the scan. If it weren’t for the interference, we could do any and all of those right now, but… Yeah.
Jovenan felt useless. All she could do was say that the others’ ideas didn’t work.
Savel: Instead of attempting to detect a signal from the Berlin or variance in the nebula, we use the Berlin as a reflector for a signal we send out that we can easily detect through interference.
Yalu: I’m intrigued. ::to everyone:: How might this work?
Vedic: Like echolocation. You mean send out a resonance ping and time the responses. Longer response times mean more magnetic resonance, meaning denser material. The problem is that the ping would be traceable back to us, too. We would need to mask it somehow.
Silveira: Pings in space? Sounds good to me. ::He smiled to Nan:: However this is your turf Lieutenant. What do you think?
Jovenan wasn’t sure what to say. She felt like they were going in circles without knowing it.
Jovenan: Well, the active scanners operate on that principle: we send a pulse or a beam and analyse whatever feedback we receive. The problem is, as Ensign Vedic said, that pretty much all pulses and beams are traceable back to us. Unless we come up with something they would ignore or not notice, they’ll be heading right towards the sender of the pulse.
Savel: The idea is akin to the strategy of 20th Century navy ships on Earth using sonar to attempt to locate potential threats. A signal originating from the searching vessel that is then returned by surrounding ships.
Searching vessel? Having a separate ship to send out the signal could work out as well, if they only had one.
Yalu: I think what I’m hearing. But would this serve our defense and our offense at the same time, or would we sacrifice one in pursuit of the other?
Vedic: We would get the readings we want, but any half-decent science officer would be able to reverse engineer our position. Unless we sent out probes to do the pinging for us.
Probes could do fine. Ensign Vedic had had doubts of his skills before, but Jovenan found him the most qualified of the punch.
Silveira: I am certain Lieutenant Lorana will be able to pick it up, but your probe plan does buy us time before she can get to us. ::He turned to Savel and Vedic:: I like your thinking, Ensigns.
Since when has Luxa been a lieutenant? The rest of the bridge crew seemed to be getting their thoughts as mixed as Jovenan was. Focus, this is just a game! Game, in middle of an ocean. During a storm.
Yalu: I do, too. ::to Vedic:: Let’s do it. ::to Jovenan:: We have a full complement of probes, Lieutenant. Let’s use whichever class you think will do the best job.
Jovenan: Aye, sir! Mister Vedic, prepare a set of Class 3 Probes for neutrino pulse emission… please. ::to Yalu and MacKenzie:: Class 3 is almost invisible to sensors so that it can study planets that might have pre-warp civilizations. That might buy as some time. Neutrino pulses can also be natural, although I doubt Ensign Lorana will fall for that. They’ll bounce off from shielded systems within the Berlin.
As Jovenan explained her choise, Kole had prepared the probes for firing.
Vedic: Probes are ready, Commander. Firing controls sent to tactical.
MacKenzie: response
Silveira: Probes ready to fire.
Yalu: Let ‘er rip.
MacKenzie: response
Silveira: Probes launched.
She could see bright flashes leaving the launchers and fly into the distance. Until the probes were in position, she and the crew could only wait. Turning her head to her interface, she reminded herself to still keep tract of their environment. The Nebula was their biggest enemy, regardless of if they found the Berlin or not.
Vedic: Response
Jovenan: Received pulse and telemetry! Compensating for interference and triangulating!
This was centuries old technique. It wouldn’t take computer for long to give them the results.
Silveira: I only need to know one thing.
Yalu: Let’s hear it, Lieutenant.
Silveira: Where they are.
Oh, Silveira. Your turn is just about to begin.
The triangulation was complete in matter of seconds and the interference checks came out clear. She had the coordinates. It was time to share the results.
Yalu: Looks like we found them. But have they detected us yet?
Jovenan: Uncertain. New pings will tell if they’ve changed their status in a moment.
Vedic/Savel: response
Yalu: Lieutenant Silveira, I think it’s time to bring those torpedoes online.
Silveira / MacKenzie: response
Yalu: Red alert. All hands to battle stations. Let’s not wait for them to come to us. ::to Kader:: Bring us around and approach them from behind. Maneuvering thrusters only, so we don’t make the waters too choppy.
Red alert. It was long since she had heard those words. If she recalled it, they had only gone to yellow alert before the Excal had been disabled by the nanobots. The klaxon and flashing red lights gave her chills.
Kader: response
Yalu: Target their sensors and prepare to fire.
Silveira: Response
As they came closer to the Berlin’s position, the passive sensors picked up the ship as well. The readings were however somewhat incongruent. They were trying something. Luxa must have her hands in this.
Jovenan: Their shield resonance is close to that of the plasma flares! They’re trying to hide, locating them exactly and aiming will be difficult. I’m trying to compensate!
Yalu/Silveira/Savel/Kader/Vedic/MacKenzie: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11