LtCmdr Connor Dewitt - Infected

[Tim]

((Bridge, Deck One, USS Khitomer))

Connor felt like a sitting duck. Filament structures were taking over the ship and, for all they knew, had tapped into their systems collecting information or worse, seizing command functions. After Commander Valeris secured the bridge, every order to the computer now required an officer-level authorization. Hopefully just a precaution. And then there was the immediate danger of the filaments they could not see.

C. Dewitt: I’m open to suggestions.

Morda: It’s a risk, but I can’t think of anything better right now. We need to know where it is and isn’t safe to move on the bridge. And that’s just it: you’ve figured a way to possibly make the filaments visible to sensors, but we need to make them visible without having our eyes adhered to a console. So I suggest once we excite them with the subharmonic, we create the galaxy’s lamest laser light show to make them on the bridge itself.

C. Dewitt: I’m not sure it’s the right time for leisure, Ensign.

Morda: ::Pointing to the convex apparatus hanging at the center of the bridge dome:: That housing, and other fixtures around the bridge, contain various internal sensors. They include low-power lasers using in a non-visual wavelength that test for atmospheric quality, act as rangefinders for visual recording files, etc. I suggest we shift their diodes to emit in visible light, tie them to the sensors, and use those lasers to draw a “do not cross this line” pattern on the deck, say a half-meter to either side of any nanofilmanets we detect.

Connor thought it over. Surely, visible laser light was not the safest thing to mess with, but bone-cutting vibrating filaments were probably worse. His expert medical opinion, for what it was worth. He just hoped Talia would never hear of that.

C. Dewitt: Let’s do it. Low power, reduce coherence length where you can. Blinding people would get us in trouble.

Morda: Aye, sir: I’ll get working on it. If it works, I’d think this one-two punch should work in many but not all crew spaces elsewhere on the ship.

Connor nodded. The Ensign got to work and he turned his attention to the other team who were still trying to figure out what the filaments were even here for.

Valeris: I’ve locked down propulsion and life support. Fairly easily too. Whatever this thing is doing, it doesn’t seem that interested in primary systems. I am reading some comm interference coming from the center of the bridge. Maybe jamming? Electromagnetic feedback?

Korras: Scanning.. Give me a moment, please.

C. Dewitt: If that’s all, there might be less reason to worry.

Connor avoided unnecessary steps and stayed with Morda at the security console watched Korras and Valeris work from there.

Valeris: It also appears to be curious about what ingredients are in a Talaxian Souffle. Something is accessing the replicator repository.

Ensign Morda looked up from his console. Apparently he had something to add.

Morda: There’s more in the replicator databanks than just food: patterns for equipment, weapons, biochemical agents. Any signs it’s probing anything hazardous?

Connor had to admit that he might not have thought of that.

Valeris: Response

Korras: Got it. I have the frequency on which it is broadcasting, which is also causing interference on the comms. The bad news, I can not find where they are broadcasting to.

C. Dewitt: The Alien ship would be my best guess…

Valeris: Response

Korras: The good news, it might be possible to counteract. It is broadcasting by vibrating the crystals, like the commander did earlier, but on a far more precise scale. Like sound, it might be cancelled out by broadcasting on a mirrored frequency.

A million questions appeared in Connor’s head. Destructive interference sounded like the obvious approach. Simple and elegant, but effective. But what would it do to the structure. Would it know what was done to it? Would it change its frequency? Or worse, would it try to patch into their systems to shut it down? Or would it just shut down without an uplink to the Alien ship?

C. Dewitt: ::nodding:: Alright…, Mr Korras, I like the idea. We need a full spectral analysis of the signal to be able to generate something that can cancel it out. ::pause, to Valeris:: Do you think we can use the bridge speakers to generate something like that?

Valeris: Response

Korras: It might anger the entity, and we have no way of knowing if it will retaliate if we do so.

And then Morda was ready to test his new invention.

Morda: Commander? The computer came up with a range of harmonics it can create that might energize those filaments, and the adjustments to the atmospheric sensor diodes to paint boundary lines is ready to go. Shall we proceed?

Connor took one more step closer towards the security station.

C. Dewitt: Alright… Everyone stay at your stations. Computer, erect level 8 force-fields around all bridge working stations including personnel.

The familiar blue shimmer flickered around all bridge stations. It was there and gone in a fraction of a second. Force fields, up and ready, in case a filament snapped.

Valeris/Korras/Morda: Response

C. Dewitt: Mr Morda, go…

But before Connor could give the order, another call came in.

Zerva: =/\= Lieutenant Zerva to bridge. Commander, you wanted me to report immediately on any data I found. This is definitely it, sir. =/\=

Valeris/Morda/Korras: =/\= Response =/\=

C. Dewitt: =/\= Please be a little more specific, Lieutenant. =/\=

Zerva: =/\= I’m in Transporter Room Two, Deck Nine. Crewman Chenn was injured when he came into contact with some filaments on the transporter PADD. I’ve got a medic on their way here now. Recommend not using the transporters just encase the other ones are infected too. =/\=

/Valeris/Morda/Korras: =/\= Response =/\=

C. Dewitt: =/\= ::nodding:: What systems are infected? =/\=

He caught the word half a second too late. Infected. Not his usual vocabulary for a technical problem, but probably accurate.

Zerva: =/\= According to the sensor readings I’ve got, it looks like the invisible filaments are embedded into the PADD itself sir. On top of that some of the threads have weaved their way though the Bolians blood on the floor of PADD causing it to snake about. I have a theory I’d like to test with permission sir.  =/\=

C. Dewitt: =/\= We are working on making the filaments visible here on the bridge, Lieutenant. Any ideas how to get them off the ship? =/\=

Valeris/Morda/Korras: =/\= Response =/\=

Zerva: =/\= What if we could find a way to make the filaments visible and then use the transporter PADD to lock onto it and beam them out? Mind you, I’m not sure what would happen with the filaments the buffer. But if that’s possible, I can send someone from engineering to assist me here, since Lieutenant Michaels is on the away team now. =/\=

Connor looked at Commander Valeris. He had his own thoughts about the issue, but he was not the one giving his thoughts first anymore.

C. Dewitt: ::quietly:: Thoughts on beaming it off the ship, Commander?

Valeris/Morda/Korras/Zerva: =/\= Response =/\=

C. Dewitt: =/\= Alright, Lieutenant. Go ahead, but I want you to stop what you’re doing on the first sign of trouble. =/\=

Valeris/Morda/Korras/Zerva: =/\= Response =/\=

C. Dewitt =/\= Understood. Dewitt out. =/\=

Connor took another deep breath and looked to his bridge crew.

C. Dewitt: Ensign Morda, go ahead with exciting the invisible strings and try to make them visible. Everyone, keep an eye out and report any strings you can see.

Valeris/Morda/Korras: Response

TAG/TBC

LtCmdr Connor Dewitt
First Officer
USS Khitomer
A239901CD3