Ensign Kettick: Once and Future transport technology

[Darwin Awkward]

((Main Engineering, Deck 16, USS Juneau))

Falt: Okay, let’s found out if we’re right about any of this. Mister Kettick, please begin the database comparison. Lieutenant, you start looking for any data to give us a baseline on the power signature. I’ll update the bridge and see if the Hopper can spare the manpower to run the level 5 diagnostic.

Kettick : :: Nodding :: Sir.

Deveaux: Oui, sir.

While the two Engineers went back t their consoles and their appointed tasks, the Lieutenant tapped the badge on his chest.

Falt: =/\= Falt to the bridge. =/\=

Oddas: =/\= Oddas here, what have you found out, Lieutenant? =/\=

Falt: =/\= We’re still reviewing the limited data we have, sir. Ensign Kettick has a theory that the artefact might have been acting like some sort of beacon, and was what attracted the pirates here in the first place. =/\=

Oddas: =/\= Response =/\=

Falt: =/\= We’re also investigating the possibility the emissions from the artefact affected the Hoppers shields in some way. =/\=

Oddas: =/\= Response =/\=

Falt: =/\= Even if both theories are wrong we know the artifact has a distinct power signature, Lieutenant Deveaux is reviewing the logs to see if there is anyway track it. =/\=

Deveaux: =/\= Response =/\=

Oddas: =/\= Response =/\=

Falt:=/\= Aye, sir. Falt out. =/\=

The channel closed, and Kettick refocused on his task, calling up data from the Grace Hopper and putting it through an analysis routine.

And drew a blank. Which was, in a way, interesting, because he had compared the energy signature retrieved from early scans of the artifact to known profiles from the technology of non-Federation alien species.

In other terms, whatever energy Fred was giving off was either a complete unknown, or completely compatible with Federation tech. Of course, the latter case did not exactly narrow anything down, since the UFP policy of sharing knowledge had made its base technology available to just about any warp-capable species out there...

A second pass would be necessary, with Federation technology as the new filter, but he could bet his left antenna that the artifact was emitting subspace harmonics.

He was at that point in his musings when Lieutenant Deveaux called out to him.

Deveaux: Mister Kettick, could you join us please? I need confirmation on my theory here.

Kettick: Certainly, ma'am.

He calmly made his way to the other two officers, who were looking at Deveaux ' console.

Deveaux: I found traces of subspace particles in their readings of the object. But along with that, there was a sub-quantum signature as well. :: She paused and looked back and forth between the two officers :: The only thing I can think of is teleportation.

If he had eyebrows, at least one of them would have shot to the ceiling.

Falt : Response

Kettick: Not impossible, merely improbable, but would you kindly elaborate?

Deveaux: Well, as you know, our current transporter technology involves sending the transporter signal through subspace to its destination. And there have been experiments in sub-quantum teleportation since the mid-twenty fourth century. But to our knowledge, no one has been successful. But what if whoever created this device had been?

Kettick: In fact, I do believe that a prototype was field-tested by Emory Erickson himself somewhere during the twenty-first century, with marginal success. Specifically, it could transport inanimate matter over astonishing distances, but with a high probability of pattern loss, and every attempt with living beings ended in tragedy.

Falt / Deveau: Responses

Kettick: That being said, it would be effective for retrieving items, if one were unconcerned with pattern integrity and/or working at relatively close distances. In other terms, a thief's tool. And if my memory serves, they were rather energy-effective compared to subspace transporters. What did you have in mind, Lieutenant? A focused subspace harmonic to disrupt the shield and act as a carrier wave for the quantum pattern transfer?

Falt / Deveau: Responses

Kettick twirled his feeler between two fingers for a few seconds.

Kettick: If the power source was not already present... in that position, I would acquire a few phaser power cells and bridge them using a crystalline matrix, and use the result to power my emitter array - possibly the artifact itself if your deduction is correct, but a series of interlinked combadges would work just as well in a pinch.

Falt / Deveau: Responses

The Remmilian's expression was even sterner than usual.

Kettick: That would imply an insider. Either with preexisting knowledge of the artifact's technology of origin, or with a Starfleet Engineering background. This could be... ugly.

Tags/TBC

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Ensign Kettick
Engineering Officer
USS Juneau
G239107LR0