Technician Specialist Burlag: Making Friends
Mark P
OOC: Letting Burlag get a bit more loose. As always, even if there isn't a top-level OOC note, all actions and dialogue are purely IC and never a reflection on how I feel of our crew.
((Upper Primary Computer Core 1, Deck 7, USS Octavia E Butler))
As Burlag materialized within the computer core, he felt slightly nauseous from the extended transport sequence due to the additional security screening. Hopefully he hadn’t left a few atoms behind in the buffer. As things came into focus, he was shocked to find another two individuals already there. He’d expected free reign to get up and close with his the Butler’s core.
The woman, last to join Burlag’s transport party, immediately began a round of introductions.
Hamada: My name is Kiyo.
Burlag: ::rather self-importantly:: I am Technician Specialist Burlag, on loan from the Okinawa Daystrom Institute to Deep Space 14 and subsequently this vessel as one of the original designers of the M47 computer system outfitted on this vessel.
He waited momentarily for folks to gush over him and his claim to fame, but before a pregnant pause gave birth, the Vulcan picked the conversation back up. These people obviously didn’t subscribe to Crusaders of Computing Monthly.
Valk: Petty officer 3rd class Valk, ma’am.
Iliac: I’m Ensign Iliac, this is Dr. Brzezinski, the Federation’s foremost neuroscientist in the quadrant!
Burlag wondered if the Deltan had meant the Alpha or Gamma Quadrant. If it was the former, impressive indeed; if it was the latter, were there much competition? And what were they doing here, other than being oblivious to the actual expertise in the room?
Brzezinski: I also am a specialist in bio-neural gel packs, hence…
He watched her hand wave around the room, a touch of panic creeping into his voice. What had they been mucking around with?
Burlag: Is there something that piqued your interest?
He’d been through seven wives, now on numbers eight to ten. Each of them had left him as he’d always jump to conclusions regarding people but less so with technology.
Iliac: The doctor has detected a number of engrams in here that look suspiciously like a set of self-aware consciousnesses. (beat) That’s not normal for a Federation computer, of course.
Hamada: Yes, there are quite a few items listed that could be more easily classified as personality quirks rather than programming flaws.
Of course there weren’t programming flaws; unless these reckless Butlerians had decided to touch the kernel. As he wondered if he’d strengthen the security enough, a PADD popped in his direction and he tapped through the findings.
Hamada: Those that have been reported have all be listed here. The sub-file is titled Quirks and you will find it under “programming”.
Valk: Understood.
Brzezinski: I think the engrams are actually two distinct clusters, with remnants of a third. One alone would be a cause for concern, but this is next level.
Burlag: (somewhat incredulous) Are you suggesting that there are three ‘personalities’ based on your findings?
He thumbed to the relevant tabs.
Hamada: Response
Burlag: Well, I can tell you that there haven’t been reports of schizophrenic M47s.
Hamada: Response
The comment helped put the man more at ease. It was just an unvalidated hypothesis and they were here to find the root cause of the reports.
Valk: I assume we are to pick a task and begin working on it, ma’am?
Brzezinski: Have at it. (beat) But leave the engrams to me! (beat) And don’t call me “ma’am.” (beat) “Doctor” is fine.
He watched a roll of the eyes from Illiac and suppressed the urge to do the same — thought he suspected their feelings were not of the same nature. The engrams were likely where the answer lay, and if she was the first to discover it…
Notoriety surrounded the people that made the discovery, and rarely the supporting actors.
Hamada: Response
Valk: In teams or individually?
Burlag: We can collaboratively work together; we just need a couple of ideas of where to start in addition to the gelpacks.
Hamada: Response
Burlag: ::nodding:: Along with those tests, we’ll need to find out when each of these ‘clusters’ started to appear. There should be sufficient logging for us to wade through.
Hamada: Response
Valk: Understood.
Burlag tried his best to subtly wander step by step until he was standing directly beside the two party crashers.
Burlag: What have you found to reinforce your theory?
Iliac: We’ve scanned all the rows above this line. (she indicated the row she was currently working on) The data is being compiled on this secondary system.
He watched the more junior officer, who technically outranked him, point towards the floor.
Brzezinski: The science data processors were also showing a high degree of issues.
Then followed her motion to another bank of processors.
Burlag: ::looking at Hamada and Valk:: Have they been purged recently?
Hamada: Response
Well that was troubling, even the overrides weren’t working?
Valk: Slow processing speed and occasional glitches…seems easy enough.
Hamada: Response
Burlag: I…
He was about to disagree, but he was countered by the ‘popular’ officer.
Brzezinski: No, that’s not a good idea.
He bit his tongue as folks seemed in agreement and nodded along. It could yield some beneficial information.
Hamada/Valk: Response
He tried his backdoor command code.
Burlag: Computer, recognize Burlag-Alpha-Foxtrot-One-Seven-Zero-One. Initiate Purge Protocol Omega and reset operating parameters.
The computer hadn’t even bothered to respond verbally, instead it gave him a flat tone of denial.
Hamada/Valk/Brzezinski/Iliac: Response
The second attempt had gone worse, with the bulk of lighting shutting down. The only illumination came from the gel packs, casting haunting shadows on faces.
Burlag: (irritated) Now, look what you’ve done.
He rested his hand against one of the wall terminals, trying to pat it as if to calm it down. For his efforts he received a static shock. He pulled his hand away and shook off the tingling sensation.
Hamada/Valk/Brzezinski/Iliac: Response
Burlag: No… this is not standard M47 behaviour.
[Tags/TBC]
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Burlag
Technician Specialist
Daystrom Institute (Okinawa)
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)