Lieutenant Josh Herrick: Connected Across the Stars
Mark P
((Undisclosed Secret Lair Dome, I-Kiyo
Dyson Ring))
Up to this point, the combination of Starfleet officers and synthetic I-Kiyoan engineers hadn’t yielded any meaningful solutions. Right now, the working theory was that the internal system diagnostics may not be revealing all the issues. Kimonzi and one of the synthetic I-Kiyoan engineers who'd gone to take a closer look were rejoining the group.
Richards: Well. Figure anything out?
Lahl: Well, we did figure out the diagnostics. ::goes into technobabble::
Engineer: ::frustratedly:: Yes, we did. ::further technobabble::
Richards: Oh. Well that sounds like good news!
Lahl: Well…
Josh looked expectantly at the Trill, waiting for the other boot to drop.
Engineer: We came up with an enhanced scan protocol, but…
Richards: But… What?
Lahl: Well, it’s going to take a bit.
The chief engineer wondered if the lavender representative had paid Kimonzi a visit and gave her a lesson in being just as forthcoming with information. The engineer beside her seemed quite disgruntled and transfixed on something, and as Josh followed his eyeline he saw another display with a similar countdown that had shown up on Anton’s device.
Anton prodded her a bit more.
Richards: Oh. So how long will that take?
Josh was expecting weeks or months, some sort of manual diagnostic that would take ages.
Lahl: About 24 standard minutes.
Herrick: (same time as Mi’ch’ael 65, with raised eyebrows) That’s quick.
Mi’ch’ael 65: (same time as Herrick, with raised eyebrows) That’s long.
Josh shot a look towards the synth — when 43 years was the yardstick to measure against, he thought 24 minutes was a drop in the bucket.
Richards: So then… we wait?
Lahl: Yes, we wait.
The group didn’t seem much in the mood for conversation, even if they were artificial beings Josh thought he could feel the anxiety radiating off them as they stared at the timer and waited for the diagnostic to complete.
Josh had taken to flipping through the digital pages of the manuals. He’d much rather be flipping through StarFlirt profiles after he’d paid for the upgrade, but alas the mission took priority. As he continued looking, he stumbled across an archive of fragmented material in alien symbols. The symbols looked familiar, but he parked that for another time as the results came in.
There was an audible chime, and as he stood up, he saw grim faces on Lahl and her engineer ‘friend.’
Richards: How much less time are we talking about?
Lahl: A lot less time than any of us want.
Mi’ch’ael 65: I do not think our government invited you here to make the situation worse.
Lahl: I’m not happy about this either! ::her frustration was rising at the whole situation::
Lahl was visibly stressed; and Josh knew why. Not even a few months out of the academy, and she felt the pressure of the fate of an entire civilization resting on her. Josh’s facial expression became quite stern, and he found that he had to be mindful of not raising his voice.
Herrick: Look. All we did was help run a diagnostic, which provided a more accurate clock on how long you have rather than the overly optimistic estimate over there ::jabbing his finger toward the countdown clock:: So, unless you have something constructive to offer, I suggest we get future focused.
His nostrils flared as a deafening silence fell. When he finished speaking, he realized that it was also how he had been feeling recently, likely he’d transferred a bit on to this situation. But it was unfair to make her feel that way. For people that needed help, they sure were making it hard to do so with a smile on their faces.
Mi’ch’ael 65: (beat) So what do we need to do if we’re being future focused.
Engineer: The Sn’alzi’to Rotational Cylinder appears to be slowly being misshapen as friction has caused it to deform which will lead to our eventual demise.
Herrick: oO Loving the optimism here. Oo
Richards/Engineer: Response
Lahl: Look, we just need to figure out how to reengineer a 12,000 year old shield generator. How hard could it possibly be?
She looked at the other engineers in the small crew they assembled.
Richards/Engineer: Response
Lahl: Well, what is the first thing we can do? Would it be possible to replicate all new components for this and just replace everything?
Richards/Engineer: Response
Lahl: Right, we’d need to turn it off to Ship of Theseus it.
Josh’s mouth curved upward a bit at the analogy, which looking at the patchwork repair jobs that he could see just from this vantage point, it was rather fitting.
Herrick: The only issue with our replicators is we don’t have a reference pattern; we’d need a working replica of the cylinder or at least a proper 3D model for us to create something usable.
Mi’ch’ael 65: So, you can’t help us?
Herrick: I didn’t say that, just that we just need some options.
Richards/Engineer: Response
As Kimonzi scratched her head, it sparked a memory of Alpha Brenkelvi II, with those beings that had been inside their heads. The symbols that Arlill’s tricorder had taken into the UT program on that planet were similar, if Josh’s memory was working properly. It had been ages since they’d been there.
Herrick: So, a crazy idea. We could try to run some of the fragments of the old manuals and see if there’s anything there that could help with our current… predicament.
Lahl: Oh, that might work.
Richards/Engineer: Response
Mi’ch’ael 65: That language fell out of fashion in the traditional era; we’ve never been able to translate it.
Herrick: We have thousands of linguistic references; right now, we’re desperate for options and this seems to be one. ::producing his tricorder and flipping it to the UT program::
Richards/Engineer/Lahl/Mi’ch’ael 65: Response
Josh felt the tricorder heat up in his hand as the full processing power was consumed with translating a long-deceased Gamma Quadrant language to Standard. As each symbol was translated, using the reference file from Alpha Brenkelvi II, he noticed the I-Kiyoans gathered behind him to watch as their ancient secrets slowly became unlocked.
Richards/Lahl: Response
Josh froze the system at their request, missing what they’d seen, and on the display was a component that looked strikingly similar to the cylinder that had shown up in the diagnostic. There in Standard was the dimensions and metallurgical makeup.
Herrick: Is that… it?
Herrick/Richards/Engineer: Response
(OOC: Feel free to add as much as you want here, just bringing us to a close)
((Some time later, inside the core of the generator))
They’d been granted the use of their communication devices to upload the schematics to the OEB, which in turn transported down the component. Once they shut down the main system, the emergency backups would only last a few hours before the ring’s atmosphere would be vented into space. There was a sharp whine emanating from the compartment where the cylinder was located.
Herrick: Ready?
Richards/Engineer/Lahl/Mi’ch’ael 65: Response
After the appropriate sequence was entered on one of the panels in the room, the systems shut down, emergency lights came on, and klaxons started blaring. Mi’ch’ael 65 opened the grate and immediately everyone was hit with a blast of hot air. The synth reached in, and with effort, pulled out the misshapen component.
As he placed the new one in the slot, it slid in with a satisfying thlunk that as the magnetics attached. Another few panels taps later, and the lights were back on.
Herrick: So… did we do it?
Richards/Engineer/Lahl/Mi’ch’ael 65: Response
Relief set in and he was reminded why he joined Starfleet. Because in times of need, where a dash of ingenuity can save the day, the Federation readily offered assistance. He looked over at Anton and Kimonzi with a big smile. Today was a great day to be alive.
He did wonder what implications their discovery had for the I-Kiyoan government, now that it seemed like they’d uncovered some shared ancestry with a distant system. But that was a mystery for another day.
[Tags/TBC; End scene for Herrick]
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Lieutenant Josh Herrick
Chief Engineer
USS Octavia E. Butler
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)