Ensign D'tin Breys - No More Waiting
Bea S
((USS Artemis-A, deck 11, Hazardous Materials Lab))
The antiproton scan had worked, whatever was in there was strange though. Whether it was technology, an artifact of some kind, or both, it was obvious this was something incredibly out of the ordinary. Breys was at a dead end though, whatever information they gathered now greatly increased the survival chances of both the group and the box.
Breys: Any ideas on how to get a clearer picture on what this thing is before we open the box completely? Maybe a probe?
Everyone in the room looked to Tarsan, it seemed like Engineers and Science Officers were always the ones who were asked about the hard problems.
Tarsan: I don’t think we need to - I know what it is. I’m picking up neutrinos. I am… very sure that’s a repurposed spatial trajector.
Silveira: A what?
Cole: Gavrin, I need the version that starts with what it does, not what it’s called.
D’tin didn’t know exactly what it was either, but it seemed like the doctor did. She was slightly taken aback at his understanding of such a complicated object.
Bancroft: Spatial trajector. Think of it as a sort of reverse-transporter. Instead of disassembling you and reassembling you somewhere else, it disassembles… well, physics mostly… and brings you and your destination together in space and time.
Breys: Like a geodesic fold! What do you mean by repurposed though?
She wasn’t sure if that was more or less common knowledge. Either way, she began to pull up all the information Starfleet had on spatial trajectors, D’tin was always a quick study.
Tarsan: So uh, remember how I thought there might be an intelligence in there? You’d need somewhere to store the neural matrix. I think rather than using it as a transporter, they’ve used it to fold space in on itself to make a sort of… dimensional pocket.
Silveira: How could that happen in such a small container? And with what power?
Cole: I don’t know how, but I’m starting to think “because they shouldn’t have” is part of the answer.
Bancroft: Well, it certainly explains the modified singularity drive we found. D’tin, did your scans show anything unusual about the backup power cell? Exotic materials, nonstandard regulators, anything that looks like it was designed by someone with a grudge against Euclid?
Breys: The connection point is lined with… ::she pauses, confused:: kelbonite? That is one of the best radiation shields that nature can make. Our sensors shouldn’t be able to get through it at all, unless the material is degrading that is.
Tarsan gestured with some stress at the displays above them.
Tarsan: I don’t know. It’s possible the pocket will crumple in on itself and destroy the entire thing. Or uh.. It might turn itself inside out and everything inside the pocket would try and… inhabit the same space as everything around it.
The senior officer of the group seemed deeply confused by this. The kind of math going on here wasn’t for anyone who hadn’t sat through Starfleet Academy’s topology class, and to say that lecture was optional would be an understatement, more than that it was feared.
Silveira: That’s… Confusing and it sounds bad…
Cole: So best case, it collapses and we lose the contents. Worst case, reality gets… ::moving her hands together into a single tight ball::
Bancroft: Huh. Second time today my entire existence has been threatened by advanced engineering. ::glancing between Cole and Tarsan, the faintest smile under his mustache:: And I can’t help noticing that the two of you are present in both incidents. ::kindly:: D’tin, in the future you might consider requesting a transfer if you’re ever assigned to a team with the three of us together.
Breys failed to hold back a grin. Though she seemed to have the least sense of humor of the group around her, it was habit to try to stay professional. Not that she was very good at it.
Breys: I’ll ::she manages to stifle a laugh:: I’ll keep that in mind.
Tarsan: Yeah uh, the metaphor kinda falls apart there.
As long as they didn’t fall apart.
Silveira: Or on itself from what you said Ensign.
She didn’t want to do that either.
Cole: ::shrugs:: That’s the trouble with metaphors.
Bancroft: ::leaning forward:: You, of all people, have trouble with metaphors? I may need to sit down.
The tactical officer’s eyes fell on Breys. Seemingly she would have the answer.
Breys: If Ensign Tarsan is right, then the folding of space is very delicate. Spatial Trajectors may have solved the problem, but usually the effort ends in at least one form of matter passing through the folded space being irradiated. If it opens, and they didn’t perfect the tech, that could be a problem for us.
This didn’t seem to make Silveira very happy.
Silveira: Let’s see if you are right, Ensign Tarsan. ::He looked at the others:: Anyone have any other thoughts?
Cole: We need to know whether opening the box reveals the contents or collapses the conditions keeping them where they are.
That was the question of the hour, what happens when you take the lid off this thing.
Bancroft: Unless something’s changed with our sensor tech in the past ::checks chrono:: few seconds, it sounds like the only way we’re going to learn what’s inside is to actually open it. D’tin? Gavrin?
Breys: If we’re going to open it, and I still don’t encourage it, then we need to make sure to do it from a safe distance. Ideally into a vacuum.
Tarsan: Response
At least one of them had said something that made sense, as Silveira turned and nodded.
Silveira: OK we can also try that. Just remember, no boom on the box
Cole: If that pocket is real, then this isn’t a box anymore. It’s a boundary.
Bancroft: The HML’s safety protocols are still active, Commander. I’m… almost entirely sure we’ll be fine.
Breys: “Almost entirely sure” is far from the worst odds Starfleet deals with at least.
Tarsan: Response
As they delicately worked on the next seal, the box opened to a hairline crack. Silveira leaned forwards slightly, and D’tin leaned back. There was a more notable hum in the air, almost with a different tone.
Cole: Easy. That sound changed the moment the seal moved. Nobody rushes the next step.
Bancroft: I’m picking up what looks like trace antineutrino residue. Can anyone confirm?
Breys: I’m seeing something anti-matter, but it could be traces of the antiproton scan. ::she looks closer at her console:: That’s interesting though, the residue seems to be filling the damage in the kelbonite.
Tarsan: Response.
Cole: So the good news is, it’s interesting. The bad news is, it might be thinking.
Silveira bobbed his head, seeming to take in everything around him.
Bancroft: Or trying to talk… that change in pitch we heard? I think it was an automated distress signal. I’m seeing what look like communication signals. Outbound.
There was a tension in the tactical officer, and it spread immediately to D’tin. She attempted to control her panic.
Silveira: Shut it down.
Breys: We can’t just yank out the power supply, right? ::she looks to Tarsan:: Tell me what to do and I’ll help.
Tarsan/Cole: Response
Bancroft seemed to disagree, she heard his voice to her side.
Bancroft: Respectfully, don’t shut down the signal – let’s just make sure it doesn’t get wherever it’s trying to go. ::looking up reflexively:: Computer, erect a level-ten subspace damping field around the Hazardous Materials Lab. Isolate the lab from all internal and external communications relays. No outbound subspace, EM, tachyon, or carrier-wave emissions without command authorization.
Computer: Acknowledged. Level-ten subspace damping field established. Hazardous Materials Lab isolated from communications relays. Outbound emissions restricted.
Silveira: Okay, fast thinking Doc… Now what?
Breys: It seems like Bancroft was right, the residue in the cracks is definitely antineutrinos, and it can’t all be residual from the scan.
Tarsan/Cole: Response
Bancroft: So, whatever we’ve got in here has antineutrino residue and is trying to phone a friend. Possibly the same system, possibly two different but interconnected systems. Anyone have any theories?
Silveira nodded. Took a breath, and said something that gave D’tin deja vu of her time on Meranuge.
Silveira: Yeah… Romulans.
Breys: The singularity core would lend to that theory, I’m just not sure why they’d make something like this. The Da’al could be using tech from multiple sources.
Tarsan/Cole: Response
Silveira shrugged.
Silveira: It’s a gut feeling more than anything. This feels like something that the Romulans would come up with. If we could get some evidence on it… ::Vitor raised his hand:: I am not saying I am right, if any of you have any other thoughts or ideas, please state them…
But I really feel it's Romulans…
D’tin’s lack of imagination frustrated her in this moment.
oO Well I don’t have any better ideas. Oo
Tarsan/Cole/Bancroft: Response
Silveira leaned closer to the box again, this made Breys even more nervous. Despite that he turned to them and began to speak.
Silveira: Can we translate that? Make it discernible or have a way to talk back? Maybe that way we get to see logs or anything that gives us concrete evidence.
I mean… What can explain the antineutrinos and that space pocket thing Ensign Tarsan explained? I… ::from the back of his mind a thought formed:: Wait… Isn’t that used by someone for transportation?
Breys: I’m reading starfleet’s data on spatial trajectors, and it just supports Tarsan’s theory. They definitely are generated by the tech. It says here the particles are incredibly damaging to federation technology as well.
She kept digging for a moment, expecting to find answers, instead the problem only became more complicated.
Breys: It looks like folded space transporters in general emit antineutrinos, and the Romulans have been using those for at least thirty years.
Tarsan/Cole/Bancroft: Response
Silveira tilted his head, seeming deeply interested in this information.
Silveira: Oh really?
Breys: The density of antineutrinos we found earlier could imply that both technologies are at play here.
Tarsan/Cole/Bancroft: Response
After being distracted by research into the nature of these dangerous particles, Breys looked back at her scanner readout and immediately panicked.
Breys: The shielding is decaying too quickly, we either need to open this thing or decode the signal.
Silveira/Tarsan/Cole/Bancroft: Response
Breys: I’m attempting to decode the signal now, something about the data feels familiar.
Silveira/Tarsan/Cole/Bancroft: Response
The data fell into a familiar pattern, but with a strange twist. It seemed to echo a transporter buffer pattern. She could only imagine how sick she would feel after beaming across kilometers or even lightyears.
Breys: The box is trying to transport something out of it, presumably with a folded space transporter. I can’t tell what the pattern is for though.
She sent the data from her console to the others.
Silveira/Tarsan/Cole/Bancroft: Response
Breys: I think the only way we’re going to find out for sure with the time we have left is opening the box.
Silveira/Tarsan/Cole/Bancroft: Response
TAGs/TBC
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Ensign D’tin Breys
Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240301DB4