Lieutenant Drex - To buoy or not to buoy
Drex Drex
((SOS Lab, Deck 10))
Hypotheses without data would lead them nowhere. Drex knew that far too well. Conjecture was useful only when grounded in something tangible. The blackout on the USS Eagle had compromised not only the amount of data they had collected, but also its quality. Their current theories leaned heavily on personal experience, on hallucinations, fear, and fragmented perception rather than objective analysis. If they wanted to make any credible assertions, they needed more. They needed evidence.
There were only a few ways to obtain it.
The first was to reenter the nebula with the ship itself. Drex pushed that idea aside almost immediately. If command approved such a course, he would submit a medical leave request before the order finished printing. He would have his hibernation period early if that was what it took to avoid going back into that place. Whatever waited inside the Killipaart nebula, it had already sunk its claws too deep into his mind once. He would not tempt it a second time.
The second option was worse, Send someone else. Let another crew take the risk. But the thought of that made his blood run cold. The memory of the Ifir and its silent, ruined corridors still haunted him. Whatever force had taken hold of that crew had done so with terrifying precision and cruelty. Handing that fate to someone else, just to spare themselves, felt cowardly.
That left only one viable option: a probe.
They could program an autonomous probe and reinforce it to withstand the unique environmental hazards of the Killipaart nebula, particularly the ipersound frequencies and the quantum fields. The probe would not feel fear. It would not hallucinate or bleed. And if it failed, at least no one would die screaming in the dark.
But building a probe strong enough to do the job was not within the sole domain of science officers and medical staff. This would require engineering and so Drex had opened a channel and requested the presence of Commander Kettick. Hopefully, Kettick would bring ideas. Hopefully, those ideas would bring solutions.
Kettick: Lieutenant, Ensign. What can Engineering do for you today?
Lim: Probing suggestions. ::She giggled a bit to herself once she realized how that sounded. : We’re trying to investigate the nebula without actually going into the nebula again.
Drex: Good day, Commander. Thank you for joining us. :: He acknowledged Kettick’s presence with a brief nod.:: We are considering the possibility of modifying a probe and sending it into the nebula. Specifically, we would need to equip it with an adaptive shielding system, something that operates on the same frequency modulation you configured on the Eagle to counteract whatever was suppressing our power systems. :: He glanced toward the others before continuing.:: Do you believe that is possible?
Kettick: Adaptive configuration of the probe aside, we would have to make sure that it does not lose power and shut down as soon as it reaches the edge of the nebula.
Lim: I’m assuming we can’t shield it like we did the Eagle?
Drex: Alternatively, we could consider modifying a torpedo casing. It is structurally more resilient than a standard probe, and we could equip it with a dedicated sensor array. :: He paused, weighing the idea aloud.:: It might give us a better chance of getting clean data through the interference.
Kettick: What about something like a modified listening buoy? Have it send signals towards the heart of the nebula from a distance, and see what comes back?
Lim: How much information would we be able to get from it? If it’s not much more than we already have then I don’t think it would be useful.
Drex: A buoy? ::He echoed the suggestion thoughtfully, eyes narrowing in reflection.:: From outside the affected area… hmm. :: He leaned back slightly, recalling the approach:: I was in the labs during our initial scans of the nebula. We did not pick up anything unusual at the tim, but then again, we did not know what we were looking for. :: He paused, fingers drumming lightly against his arm.:: Now we know. The key variable seems to be the interaction with the ipersound frequency.
Kettick: Response
Lim: Something that could pick up infrasound and I’d say something that could read the electromagnetic spectrum and chemical make up if that’s possible?
She ticked off her suggestions on her fingers.
Drex: Perhaps we should show you what the computer compiled after we gathered all the inputs... :: He turned in his chair and brought the data back onto the console display.:: When we reached the Ifir, we found ourselves at the intersection of several quantum fields. These readings came from Commander DeVeau when you restored power to the ship… :: He tapped a control, switching to a new set of data.:: But these are from the suits worn by the away team that boarded the Ifir. The data is limited, most of it corrupted or irrelevant, but there is one constant. :: He highlighted a portion of the screen, drawing attention to a persistent signal.:: The ipersound frequency.
Kettick: Response
Lim: Elor had a theory that the nebula might be a living one.
Drex: He also suggested the Romulan were doing strange experiments that went wrong…
Kettick: Response
Drex: The combined quantum fields might have acted as an amplifier for the frequencies. That could explain why we did not experience any anomalous effects until we reached a specific position within the nebula. :: He paused, thoughtful, but unconvinced.:: However, since the Ifir was already present in that area, it does not rule out the other hypothesis either.
Kettick / Lim: Response
Drex: A buoy stationed just outside the interference zone would allow us to monitor the nebula continuously without reentering the area. We could tune it to the ipersound frequencies, maybe even attempt controlled signal output and see if there is any response :: He hesitated, then added with a hint of skepticism:: But… if the buoy is outside the field, it might not pick up the deeper signal distortions. We could miss the most critical data entirely and if this is a form of communication it might not provoke anything at all.
Kettick / Lim: Response
Drex: ::Turning on his chair, he looked between Kettick and Lim .:: Well… it might be a safer first step. Worth testing before we escalate.
Kettick / Lim: Response
TAGS / TBC