Ensign Jovenan – There's something in the air and it ain't love
Jovenan
((Courtyard, Palace of Culture, Tecra, Meranuge IV))
Jovenan found herself in courtyard of the Palace. The commotion went on in the distribution area, while the Da’al authority and the rest of the away team were attempting to make the desperate refugees fall into a neat line. She had escaped the ruckus as she had received a call from a colleague on the other part of the city.
Jovenan: ::stressed but friendly:: =/\= Jovenan here. Can I help you, Jones? =/\=
Jones: =/\= Would you mind taking a look at something for me? I've detected a molecular compound in the dust that frankly shouldn't exist. It's also behaving weirdly. I'd appreciate your scientific input if possible. =/\=
Weird molecular compounds? This surely was better than the chaos in the distribution area.
Jovenan: =/\= Sounds interesting. Can you send the data to my way? =/\=
Jones: =/\= Transmitting now. Thanks, Jo. Jones out. =/\=
The voice link terminated, and soon she could direct the data stream from Jones to her tricorder. The figures danced on the small screen of the device as she tried to make sense of the readings. What the other team had found was certainly curious. Jovenan checked her tricorder logs. She had scanned the air when they arrived, but she had not detected any of the substance here. Perhaps there was more of it by the crater, or maybe they had been more thorough with their scans.
Si3Na2Ga5CaO2. The charges didn’t add up. A molecule like this shouldn’t persist even for a second, it would tear itself apart immediately. But the charge of the molecule they had found was fluctuating. And gallium? Why gallium? It had really low melting point, seeing it bonded to all those other elements made little sense. Gallium itself wasn’t in any way dangerous, irritating at worst, but compounds could have properties that are very different from its parts.
Gallium wasn’t too common, but it wasn’t rare either. The city or the ground could have some. She tapped her combadge.
Jovenan: =/\= Computer, access Starfleet observation data on Meranuge IV. Are there any records of gallium or gallium compounds in or within 200 kilometres of Tecra? =/\=
Somewhere above her, the Artemis communications subprocessors transferred her request to the library access computer, which conducted a large data set query and analysis before sending the message back to the communications and to her combadge.
Computer: =/\= Negative. No gallium deposits of significant size have been detected in the designated area. =/\=
Hmm. The meteor was likelier contestant as the source of the metal, although even it was far from certainty. And the meteor strike could also be the reason of such a molecule forming: there were enormous forces, heat and pressure involved in an impact that could level an entire city. Those same factors could form some unusual compounds, although even then it didn’t explain how this molecule not only persisted but fluctuated.
Jovenan: =/\= Computer, create an uplink to my tricorder. ::click on tricorder:: Does Starfleet have any records of this substance? =/\=
Computer: =/\= Negative =/\=
Hmm…
Jovenan: =/\= Computer, use resources allocated to the geosciences and access Starfleet records on Meranuge IV and scan data saved under Experiment Jovenan Mu-1. Supposing the presence of gallium on the meteoric object indicated in the experiment, could the impact cause the formation of this molecule? =/\=
Computer: =/\= Calculating… Affirmative, however the molecule formed in the designated manner is unstable due to the negative charge. =/\=
At least one part of the mystery was solved: the impact most likely created the molecule. But it didn’t explain the fluctuations in its charge.
Jovenan looked around for a few seconds. Was this really all that important? It was a mysterious substance among other, something she could dedicate a lot of research time back on the Artemis after the mission. There were people suffering inside and her teammates working hard to assist them. They needed her more than this one science project. Maybe she could set it aside just for a while…
She spotted a few Da’al child watching her from the other side of the courtyard. The looked curious, most likely due to the fact that there was an alien talking to itself nearby. Jovenan smiled at them and waved, before lowering her hand quickly. She didn’t know enough of the Da’al culture to know if they recognized the gesture. The kids didn’t seem particularly nonplussed but remained calm and curious. They were very different from the people in the distribution area. The kids probably didn’t even know they could go and try grab themselves some nice Starfleet ration packs from the other area.
oO One more time Oo
Jovenan: ::sigh:: =/\= Computer… Using the Starfleet records and the scan data, are there anything that could cause the molecule to persist or fluctuate in charge? =/\=
Computer: =/\= Analysing, please stand-by. =/\=
Stand-by? This is pointless, there are better things to do. She was probably needed more helping out with the crowd in the distribution area than analysing some random aerosol. She had her tricorder analyse the air and look for this molecule in the air. There was none – or too little to notice – in the courtyard. Pointless. The crater team could study the substance so much better than she could here. She should just go back, she what’s the situation and inform Jones of her opinion when she had the time. However, she had the tricorder continue the aerial analysis as she walked back to join her teammates.
((Distribution Area, Palace of Culture, Tecra, Meranuge IV))
Silveira: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? YOU HAVE A WORLD TO REBUILD.
Jovenan found the distribution area in similar state as it was when she had stepped out, expect for the fact that Lt Silveira wasn’t shouting at some poor refugees sheltering in the Palace the last time. And it was some nice, motivational speech, too, although the context seemed somewhat odd. The Da’al crowd was more confused than motivated.
Adea/Kag/Kleebohn: Response
Jovenan joined the team.
Adea/Silveira/Kag/Kleebohn: Response?
Jovenan: It was Ensign Jones, their team had discovered something they wanted my opinion ab…
A beeping sound cut Jovenan off. For a split second she was confused of the source of the sound before realising it came from her belt. She picked up her tricorder, which made noise to get her attention to it. It had found something.
Jovenan: Oh dear, it’s here too!? Sorry, sir, I need to go!
She ran back to the courtyard.
Adea/Silveira/Kag/Kleebohn: Response
((Courtyard, Palace of Culture, Tecra, Meranuge IV))
It was here, too. The weirdly acting aerosol, the unknown gallium compound. It was here, in the Palace of Culture like it had been in the crater. Not as much as here in the courtyard, for some reason, but there was sufficient amount of it in the distribution area to trigger the tricorder.
It was an aerosol. It was in the dust. The distribution area was open but had little source for ventilation, not to mention, the people were covered in dust. The courtyard was mostly covered and well ventilated, with few people. Not as much dust here.
She tapped her combadge.
Jovenan: Ensign Jovenan to Ensign Jones!
Jones: Response
Jovenan: I need to be quick; we might have a potential riot at our hands! The molecular compound was almost definitely formed by the impact, but something is causing the molecule to persist and fluctuate in its charge. I’m still looking into that.
Jones: Response?
Jovenan: It’s everywhere, in the dust! I found some of it here, mostly in the areas with dust covered Da’al refugees. I presume there’s more of it there.
Jones: Response
There was something more that made Jovenan wary.
Jovenan: Jones… Is it possible this aerosol could have biological effects? Commander Adea started feeling off when the Da’al crowd brought more dust in. But… none of the others have been affected.
Maybe Jovenan should have talked with Commander Adea, too, and she would after this call. Jones had discovered it, maybe he had noticed something.
Jones: Response
((OOC: Thanks Kris/Jones for chemistry facts and coming up with stuff about the Da’al dust thing!))
TAG/TBC
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Ensign Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11