LtCmdr Jovenan – I’m not superstitious, it brings bad luck and we’re on a streak!
Jovenan
((Faraday room, Garden Cave, Callis I))
Just a few days ago – or even few hours ago – Jovenan wouldn’t have believed that she would be standing in front of a console trying to turn it on. Before reaching the garden cavern, they were close to starving and entirely without hope of having any electronic or powered tools or equipment to save them from their untimely fates. Now, they had bellies and backpacks full of fruits, combadges chirping and the ever-curious Starfleet explorer mentality pushing them ahead to figure out the machines left behind by the ancient dwellers. It wasn’t quite yet the salvation for them, since the spatial anomaly that had doomed them down here was still interfering with their technology if they left the room, but it was certainly a major step towards leaving the planet. Or whichever direction their journey took them, since the path to being rescued was still obscured by the uncertainty.
But now, instead of thinking of finding the way home, Jovenan’s focus was on taking the next step. The machines hadn’t reacted to Bancroft’s efforts, so it seemed they needed to be powered somehow. After all, they still didn’t know how long they had been unused. They couldn’t expect any of the planet’s power plants to supply them energy, but Jovenan hadn’t given up yet.
Jovenan: I doubt something that was built in a place like this would require much outside infrastructure to turn on. Can you see anything that could be a power source, or anything where we could attach one of our own?
“One of their own”. As if they actually had anything to plug into the system. Besides their combadges, it appeared the only functional device they had with them right now was the pod’s accident data recorder Bergmen had with them, and Jovenan doubted the Starfleet equipment were compatible with these machines. However, if they were going to spend days or weeks here, they had to start with something. What else did they have?
Bergmen: Any chance there is a port the size of a shining, glowy crystal?
The crystals? Jovenan turned her head and searched the rocks they had seen somewhere in the room. It would be rather convenient if the power source was just lying on the table, but then again, it was the natural place to leave them, near where they were needed.
Bancroft: The jewelry? ::considering:: Well, if the last few missions have been any indication, it’s never just a crystal…
K’Wara: ... ::looks to Jovenan:: Is this a thing that is said aboard the Artemis?
Raising her eyebrows, Jovenan shrugged lightly. They had been involved with crystals several times before, including recently on the Boraxian Cityship – it felt all too distant to think of the artificial world where the edge of the vast abyss was never far away, having been stuck for days on the world where there was no escape into the space – so maybe there was some truth to it. Either way, they found the place where they could insert the stones. It was enough to bring the devices back to live. The screen flickered a little before shapes and symbols emerged on the interface. Jovenan sighed upon seeing it; it was all similar to the carvings in the walls of the caves.
Jovenan: I don’t know what I expected. ::pause:: At least it works. Good job. Now, anyone see familiar symbols?
Bergmen: I recognize this one.
Bergmen pressed the symbol, inviting the machine to expel dust through its seams. The rattle it made startled Jovenan, whose mind jumped into the debate whether she should stand still and retain her cool, or to jump away from the monster they had awakened from its slumber. Retreating wouldn’t have been unjustified, considering how lethal even Starfleet’s newest consoles could be when the ship took damage, but before she could do much more than to flinch, the rattle subsided and the image on the screen changed. Overtaken now by curiosity, Jovenan’s eyes darted across the view, trying to decipher the graph. Bergmen continued operating the device, and the image changed again to reveal more.
Bancroft: ::musing:: Network map, yeah? Like… the public transit boards on Ferenginar. Except, you know. This isn’t screaming at us for money. Yet.
K’Wara: ::smiles:: Doubt we have their currency anyways.
Ignoring the conversation on… xenopalaeoeconomics for now, Jovenan took in the graph before them. The lines connected nodes, which were in a few different colours. It was easy to see it as a map, since it resembled the topological representations they would sometimes see. The people who had made it had very different culture and very different means of communication, so jumping into the conclusion that was a map instead of some other kind of graph felt too hasty, but Jovenan couldn’t see it as anything else.
Bergmen: So, we have a map of something, if this is the map of… something.
Bancroft: Infrastructure… communications... power? ::tilting head side to side:: Or the universe’s most aggressive recipe index.
K’Wara: Don’t think it’s power. If our theory is correct, power can’t exist outside this room, after all.
Jovenan: I don’t think power or communications are viable options given the Maelstrom’s effect. Unless the map is old, from before the Maelstrom if such time existed, or unless they figured a way to circumvent its effects, in which case we really want to know about it.
Bergmen returned the view back to the previous screen. Although interfaces could vary massively across the cultures out in the universe – before interplanetary cultural exchange, at least – this appeared to be an analogue to a menu or index in the Federation’s programming parlance.
Bergmen: Any other pictograms someone recognizes or wanna try?
It was Bancroft’s turn to interpret one of the symbols on the screen. He raised his hand towards one, although Jovenan wasn’t quite sure which one he meant from pointing alone.
Bancroft: The icon that looks like two beings with arrows between them. One pointing each way. Either it’s transportation… or communication… or maybe we’ll get a recorded PSA about respecting boundaries.
K’Wara: Communication to where?
Jovenan: One way to find out. Let’s try it.
Bergmen: Response
The machines whined against their users again, but the image changed again. Now, the screen was overtaken by series of squares, each with a unique pictogram. Jovenan could see some tiles representing physical features she could recognise – wavy line was almost universal for liquids, especially for water, while some of the rectangular figures looked a lot like the city scene they had seen carved to the cavern leading into here. Meanwhile, some of the other symbols remained incomprehensible to her. After all, even something as simple as an arrow didn’t necessarily symbolise pointing or movement to a culture that didn’t use bows, and the team was missing on a lot of the culture that must have been obvious to these people.
Bancroft: Look – almost all of the tiles are yellow except those two. The blue ones. One of ‘em has that city symbol again, and the other has… well, actually, I have no idea what that symbol means.
K’Wara: To be entirely honest, we have no idea what any of them mean, beyond guesswork. ::grins.: Luckily, we’re becoming somewhat experts at Pictionary.
What’s Pictionary? The ending “tionary” could be derived from “dictionary”, while the Picts were historical group of people from somewhere on Earth Jovenan couldn’t remember. Or, it could be a clipping from “picture”, in which case it could mean a “picture dictionary”. That made sense. K’Wara was alluding to them being familiar enough with the past culture of this planet to compile a pictographic lexicon. Granted, it wouldn’t be the first time she was wrong about etymology. When Jovenan had thought Vitor wanted a spherical holographic map of their region to the bridge, she had learnt that “disco ball” had nothing to do with “discovery”.
Jovenan: Right. Um. Normally, we would take much more time into figuring out what the ancient text mean before pressing buttons, but in our circumstances, I guess some risks are tolerable.
Bergmen: Response
Bancroft: I say we give it a shot. ::grinning:: What’s the worst that could happen?
K’Wara: Oh, so many things. Electrocution, the walls could start moving, the door could open and a Thing could jump in, static electricity could ruin my hair... There’s no end to the list, really.
K’Wara was right. Some cultures viewed luck as a finite resource, and someone who believed in it might already urge them to stop, seeing that they were bound to lose eventually after so many fortunate events today. However, Jovenan didn’t believe in such superstition, and besides, their streak might just as well continue from here. She felt that they were close to a great discovery, and her curiosity didn’t permit her to quit now.
Jovenan: That is possible, and we shouldn’t be taking unnecessary risks with our lives. If anyone wants to step outside, I won’t mind that. ::pause:: Otherwise, which icon do you want to try first?
Bergmen/Bancroft: Response
They clicked the blue city tile. While nothing special seemed to happen on the console itself, one of the other screens reacted to the command, opening another view. Instead of graphs, maps or tiles like before, the image they saw before them was much more detailed and vivid.
K’Wara: What is- ::widens eyes:: Oooh. It’s another room. Empty though.
Jovenan: What room is that? Are we looking at a recording of this place?
Bergmen/Bancroft: Response
Jovenan stepped closer to the other screen and looked at the details. The room certainly had something similar to the one they were at, but the details were all wrong. Probably somewhere else then. It had to be a recording, though, since there was no chance the console would be receiving live image. Had they discovered the security station of… the mountain? Was it a facility of some kind?
K’Wara: So, all of those tiles? Are they these, uhh, ::looks to Jovenan:: ‘power cage’ rooms?
Turning towards the others, Jovenan returned her attention to the console and the selection of tiles.
Jovenan: Power cage rooms… ::eyes widened:: Faraday cages, like this one. ::back towards the screen:: There are other rooms that are shielded from the Maelstrom.
Bergmen/Bancroft: Response
K’Wara: Faraday. Right. ::looks around:: But the gold ones- ::tries tapping:: They don’t work. So they must’ve been left open, for some reason, or maybe ruptured?
Jovenan was barely listening. Focus. Focus! She felt like nearing an epiphany. They were seeing an image of another Faraday room, somewhere else. Most of the similar rooms must have lost their protection or power source – like this one before they inserted the crystal in – but there were a few still intact. Still operational. Still… transmitting. On a planet where there was no communications.
She turned back to the team sharply, almost as if taken by violent ardour.
Jovenan: We’re receiving information! There’s a method of communication despite the Maelstrom! How!?
Bergmen/Bancroft/K’Wara: Response
Jovenan felt almost dizzy. The dusty room with poor ventilation and uncomfortable amount of noise didn’t help her feel any better, but more than that, it was her own mind that disturbed her so. Equations, models, scientific theories, they all flew past her eyes as she tried to make sense of what they had found.
Jovenan: I doubt physical lines would remain shielded long enough, but folded-space communication through the Maelstrom’s fields would be prone to data corruption.
Bergmen/Bancroft/K’Wara: Response
Jovenan: Right. ::pause:: What was the other icon? Maybe we’ll find more answers with more information.
Bergmen/Bancroft/K’Wara: Response
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11