Lt. Cmdr. Katsim Peri - "Other Options"
Amanda Nordstrom
(( Lower Astrometrics Lab, Deck 11, Octavia E Butler))
As they came into the Omicron Victor IV system, or OVIV, Peri and the officers with her set their sights on finding out more about the area where the Unity Dow disappeared. Little was known about the area, as it wasn’t explored by even the UDP or, as far as they knew, their predecessor, the Dominion. Going in blind, the OVIV’s goal was to do just that, explore and find out, but in doing so, it had disappeared.
Now, the Octavia E. Butler came behind them, their mission a bit different than the OVIVs. Though they had to explore, it was in order to find the lost ship rather than explore for exploration’s sake. Because of that, they also had to determine what danger lay ahead for them in an effort to prevent the same thing happening to their ship. At first glance, nothing strange jumped out at them, but an oort cloud at the region’s edge proved to be difficult to comprehend.
Katsim: Hm. It seems this cloud remains an enigma. Even with the newest sensors, the ship can’t penetrate past them.
Nilsen: and as you said, how do we know that we won’t get caught in whatever happened with Unity Dow
Yinn: Response
Promontory: Well, our primary objective at the moment is to ensure that the system is safe for the Butler to enter.
Nilsen: I don’t know how we’d do that without being able to see into the system
Peri nodded to both men. That was the entire point of going in, eyes wide open. That knowledge would help prepare and hopefully help protect them from a repeat. However, if they couldn’t penetrate the oort cloud, then they were in the same position as the Unity Dow. Tapping at the console, Peri attempted to find a work around, but continued to hit a wall.
Katsim: I’m adjusting parameters, frequencies, but all I get are sensor echoes and bounce backs.
Blind. They would have to literally traverse the same path as the Unity Dow. The only difference was, they were aware the place wasn’t as safe as it might initially seem.
Yinn: Response
Promontory: So, what can we recommend to increase ship safety, maybe some modification to the shields?
Nilsen: I can have some fun with the shields if Kessler will let me. If that cloud is a barrier of sorts maybe we can adjust the shields to interact or protect us from the cloud, but until we really understand what the cloud is made of, we may as well just be hitting random buttons and hoping for the best
Dark eyes flicked up to Nilsen. Not a fan of randomly hitting buttons, Peri was nonetheless aware their options were limited. Teeth worrying her lower lip, she still inserted some caution in the almost flippant commentary on part of the HCO officer, her soft voice ringing with warning.
Katsim: It would be prudent to try all other methods before we resort to that.
Yinn: Response
Promontory: (letting out a breath) I guess we’ll have to see when we get there.
Nilsen: Yeah, for the best idea of what to do our shields, we’ll basically have to park right next to it and poke it with our sensors.
Katsim: If our sensors can’t penetrate it, that may still prove difficult, even if we’re inside it.
After all, the cloud blocked sensors ors, in the case of certain frequencies, sent them right back with nary a clue as to what actually lay beyond. The Unity Down had stepped through the front door and now, when they came knocking, no one answered. Would a similar fate await them?
Yinn: Response
Nilsen: Have we got anything we can use to look in side when we get there? Like radar? Radiowaves or anything else we hadn't thought off.
Promontory/Yinn: response
The suggestion gave Peri pause, not because it was a bad idea, but because she had pondered the same thing in the back of her mind. Now he gave voice to her thoughts, as if the two had somehow subconsciously telepathically communicated. Nodding, she gave silent encouragement to the idea even as the man already brought up information on radio waves, then adjusted the numbers to indicate the speed of the ship relative to the waves so as to keep them ahead rather than behind.
Nilsen: That would work I think. The range would be limited; we'd have to travel no faster than 1/4 impulse or we'd outrun it. We have no idea how the cloud will react to us, whether it will be a smooth ride or if we'll encounter turbulence but it would provide something resembling a map. Depending on the cloud's composition, we might have to repeat the process on the other side. From a pilot's perspective, we prefer to avoid clouds where possible. Just like in an atmosphere, turbulence is a factor in space too. Both…
He trailed off for a moment, his expression thoughtful as he continued to examine the figures he’d conjured. It wasn’t long before he spoke again, that time with a determined confidence.
Nilsen: Both me and Tox could pull that off.
Katsim: If impulse is 300,000 kilometres per second, we’d stay with the signal. We’ll need to go slower to keep it ahead of us.
She glanced at the final number, the 75,000 - ¼ impulse. That would keep the radio waves in front of them.
Katsim: But that only provides one aspect of the equation.
She wasn’t strictly talking about his maths, but more about the situation as a whole. The plan was good, at least for trying to give a little bit of information, even if it meant moving forward as they did so, but there was still more they had to work out.
Promontory/Yinn: response
Nilsen: This all helps the helm and I’m coming at it from that perspective but it’ll do nothing for the shields. We still have that issue to solve.
Katsim: As far as we know, the shields should protect us from standard radiation and general collisions.
Or, Prophets forbid, help protect from some sort of attack, though shields would degrade over time under incessant force.
Katsim: But we still should remain cautious.
Promontory/Yinn: response
Nilsen: Alright, tell me what you need from Ops and I'll get it for ya. I can access to entire OC from here.
Katsim: Flexibility.
Peri turned to a different console and tapped upon the screen. Once again, the sensors proved fruitless, for the ship could still glean no information from the cloud. As if she realised her comment wasn’t enough to help the others understand, she elaborated.
Katsim: Modulating the shields can help slow degradation. We should be ready to do so if need be.
Nilsen/Promontory/Yinn: Response
Peri shook her head. There was more they could still do, even if the sensors weren’t able to provide the information they so desperately wanted.
Katsim: Before we move, I would like to employ stellar occultation. It won’t be as detailed as the sensors, but it will give us some information.
Nilsen/Promontory/Yinn: Response
Even as she spoke, Peri’s fingers danced frantically over the surface of the console, evidently initiating the sequences and commands on the fly. At first, they were blind, but between Nilsen’s suggestions and, hopefully, her own, they would have a little bit of a picture.
Katsim: We can use microlensing to help map out unseen objects by detecting the slight variations in the gravitational field they cause.
It wasn’t perfect, but when technology like the sensors failed, sometimes they had to fall back on other methods that could still prove useful.
Katsim: Response
-- Lt. Cmdr. Katsim Peri Chief Science Officer USS Octavia E. Butler M239008AD0