Lt. Commander V'Lar - 46A

[Chris M]

((Undersea Facility, Deep Trenches, Deluvia IV))

V'Lar: Do either of you possess the specific frequencies for local law enforcement?

Sevo: Not off the top of my h — Wait!

V'Lar watched the Commander's hand snap to her wrist with sudden urgency. Within a millisecond her intent became clear. The emergency bracelet. V'Lar had mentally catalogued the device primarily as a bio-monitor. In her efficiency, she had dismissed its secondary utility as an emergency transmitter.

Sevo: Our emergency bracelets that we were given before we started our dive. They have built-in transceivers and numbers.

The logic was sound. V'Lar adjusted her assessment of the device immediately. While the transceiver itself was too weak to be of use, the data stored within its memory could be precisely what they required.

Fenn: Great idea, Commander!

Sevo: I thought it just had medical services, but it probably has rescue and other authorities as well.

Fenn: We’d need to link that to the communications system, I doubt this facility would let unknown signals through.

V'Lar: Agreed. If the bracelet contains the pre-programmed local protocols we lack then we simply need to bridge the interface. ::Looking at Sevo:: Are law enforcement communications included?

Sevo: Yes! It has a channel for police services, but it doesn’t say the number. ::Ayiana handed her bracelet over to V’Lar.:: Can you see if you can find the number, or link it up to the facility’s communications?

V'Lar accepted the device, manipulating it within her hands, studying it. Whilst she did possess the relevant academic experience, a dedicated specialist would likely be able to complete the task with greater efficiency.

oO I'm a Doctor, not a communications engineer. Oo

It was a hermetically sealed unit, meaning no physical access ports. It was designed for civilian usage, meaning the user interface was equally restrictive, masking the raw data of the communications protocols behind simplified controls. To access the data she needed, she would need to bypass the user interface entirely.

Fenn: I’d call this progress.

V'Lar: I will have to dismantle the bracelet's casing to directly access the transceiver assembly. From there, I should be able to force a local handshake with the console to access the on-board storage.

Sevo: While you do that, Fenn and I need to figure out what to do with the Nausicaan down below.

V'Lar: A wise course of action.

Fenn: Can we check the status of the door to the room he’s in? If he got trapped there, we may not need to do anything unless you still want to speak to him of course.

V'Lar returned her full attention to the bracelet, finding it agreeable that her colleagues were defaulting to the logical course of action she had proposed earlier.

Sevo: Response

Fenn: Well if we do choose communication while we wait, I’d say the plan from before is the best one. Using the internal communications would mitigate any risk of him attacking us.

Sevo: Response

While the device was rated for deep-water pressure, engineering standards tended to mandate a degree of accessibility for diagnostics and maintenance. V'Lar located the concealed pressure latches along the inner surface of the chassis. Applying precise, simultaneous pressure, she released the seal, allowing her to remove a section of the casing, revealing the sarium krellide power cell and the transceiver assembly.

Fenn: Response

Sevo: Response

V'Lar's fingers flew across the console interface, initiating a scan for the bracelet's near-field signature. A moment later, the console chimed—indicating it had detected the bracelet device. She then got to work on forcing a successful handshake between the two. 

Fenn / Sevo: Responses

It was fortunate that the bracelet featured virtually no security; as a result, V'Lar was able to access its root directory. An organised hierarchy of directories appeared; V'Lar began navigating them systematically, attempting to locate the communication protocols and frequencies for the authorities.

V'Lar: I have isolated the frequency modulation used by the Deluvia IV planetary security forces.

Fenn / Sevo: Responses

She typed a further command.

V'Lar: It should be possible to broadcast a standard, repeating distress signal or establish a live comm channel.

oO If detected, the former could be mistaken for an automatic response but the latter is more likely to give away our disposition. Oo

Fenn / Sevo: Responses

V'Lar: An automated signal allows us to remain mobile and ostensibly conceals our specific presence, as it could be mistaken for an automated alarm. A live broadcast permits two-way communication but requires us to remain here. I must also remind you of Starfleet Regulation 46A. If we assume the intruder—or any other hostile element—is monitoring these frequencies, transmitting an uncoded message on an open channel could reveal our identity, location, and lack of armaments.

Fenn / Sevo: Responses

V'Lar: Then I shall configure the transmission accordingly.  Do you wish for me to transmit now or wait until the intruder's status is confirmed?

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Lieutenant Commander V'Lar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Gorkon, NCC-82293
A240101CC1