Lieutenant JG Amelia Semara - The Trace

[Max]

(( OOC: Amelia's timeline got a bit wonky.  I'm going to just tie this up and end it so to try and minimize confusion / diverging timelines. ))

((Deck 12, USS Khitomer, en route to Lagoon Nebula))

If efficiency was the name of the game, Amelia would have been winning.  Delivering an inventory report, acquiring computer backups, and getting ideas for her own little mission all at once from the same person?  She'd have to keep thinking fast to keep up, though.  It could quickly turn into a tangle.

With Banks already pointing at the equipment she wanted, Amelia hefted some bulky Starfleet-tannish-beige module with a decade-old looking LCARs interface on it out of its spot and set it on the floor.  She pushed a bit of blonde hair back into its place and posed her question.

Semara: I'm workin' on somethin' that goes like this - I wanna verify the source and integrity of a long-range communication. I know the computer does all the cryptographic checkin' automatically, but I'm feelin' that ain't enough. Where would you start if you really wanted an impressive answer?

Banks: Hm. Impressive answer? Okay. Assuming I knew the source that the comms purported to be from, the best bet would be to check the encoding on the message encapsulation – the message headers, routing information, encoding method and so on.

She felt Juliet's mind adjusting its focus to the question, as if she were magnetized to it.  Amelia couldn't help a grin at Juliet's open fascination.

There was good news already - the orders should have been from Deep Space 33.  Perhaps confirming they did (or didn't) would get her somewhere.

Banks: Subspace message decryption gives you a positive if the message matches all the checksums it’s supposed to – but there’s some wiggle room in that positive.

Amelia stifled the urge to instruct Juliet to not chew on her nails.  A decade of age difference wasn't enough to permit her any kind of mothering.  So instead, she gave a smile that was only slightly strained, hoping the thinking episode would be over quickly.

Banks: There are a range of allowable matches because the message encapsulation might vary based on the sender – different planets use different encoding methods, not to mention the variety from one civilisation to the next. Then there’s differences in encoding protocols – newer versus older comms equipment, for instance. And there are also some additional redundancies introduced for messages being transmitted over longer distances or through challenging regions of subspace, as proof against signal degradation. That make sense so far?

Amelia laughed softly.  She was beginning to understand what she'd put Connor through at the beginning of the prior mission with her own lengthy monologue.  Only Juliet seemed to be boundlessly delighted to offer up the help and possessed no ability or desire to cover it.  It was incredibly refreshing.

Semara: Pretty sure.  So message verification ain't just a function of the sender's setup, but can vary dependin' on what chain a' subspace relays it came through.  It's like a whole tapestry of different cryptographic systems that gotta talk together.

One that might leave a very specific imprint on the message's checksum or header data.  One that the computer still believed was valid, but might not be the specific imprint it should have been.

Banks: Right, yes. The checksums have to allow for all that variation in message encoding and encryption. But if you get in there and actually examine the message, you can compare all of those traits against what you would expect to receive from that specific sender. So it doesn’t help if you’re receiving a message from someone relatively unknown, like a Second Contact civilization or a random Ferengi trading consortium operating out of who-knows-where.

Semara: So I can't deduce an exact sender from the metadata, but I can check if it's the sender I think it oughta be by puttin' in their data?

If right, that meant Amelia could quickly confirm if the message had come from the station.  But if it hadn't, who knew how long it would take to guess the sender?

Juliet smiled at her, blissfully unaware of the vast problem space she'd just opened up.  Amelia smiled back - let her have her win.  It was still a good lead.

Banks: Exactly. I can look at the message encapsulation for a message from my little brother at the Academy and say yes, this was encoded on Federation Standard equipment from such-and-such decade and has the appropriate redundancies for a message sent from Sector 001 to the Alpha Isles. I can’t prove it was him that sent it, but I can probably prove it came from the Academy. I mean ::a shrug:: with sufficient clearance you could get into a level of detail that might let you narrow down user and hardware, but that doesn’t help outside of Starfleet and official Federation systems anyway.

Now that sounded promising.  There was no way for Juliet to know she was talking to someone who almost certainly did have the clearance for that kind of detailed message trace.  Amelia mentally filed away everything she just learned.

Banks: Anyway! Sorry, I need to get this isolated system sorted for you so I can catch up with the commander. The easiest way is going to be to partition off the power circuit and data connections for one of your labs; effectively the whole lab will be a standalone system.

Amelia's eyebrows lifted in smiling astonishment - the woman was a machine.  Somehow, she'd managed to gulp in enough air to plow right into the next task without so much as a second's hesitation that would have allowed Amelia to express her gratitude for an explanation that plunged into the hadopelagic zone of detail.

Banks: So, I’m setting it up in Lab Three, as I can see that’s where Lieutenant El’Heem and Ensign Matthews are.::more adjustments to the console:: Okay. This will kick in in about thirty-five minutes, once the data storage protocol finishes reconfiguring. Data recorded from instruments connected to Lab Three’s systems will be stored locally, backed up to the main archive core with an option to duplicate the repository to an attached external datastore. So, plug a PADD into your main wall console and activate it as a repository – it’ll give you an offline backup in the event of a total crash. We’ll need to reconfigure the lab system once we’re out of the nebula, but this will do what you need for now.

Somehow, Juliet still had enough air in her lungs after all that talking to blow out a flourishing exhale to accompany her gesture.

Amelia gave an appreciative nod, and put her hands together for a little round of enthusiastic applause, feeling like she'd just witnessed the opening night of a one-woman show.  She chuckled, having thoroughly enjoyed it.

Semara: Very impressive, Ensign.  :: Another laugh. ::  First, do me a favor, and breathe, please?

Banks: Response

Semara: :: A little chuckle. :: Thanks.  Were startin' to stress me out there.  :: Beat. :: Second, you're an Ensign.  I get if you're feelin' odd 'bout it, but you get to delegate.  :: A little smile ::  Sounds like Commander Dewitt needs your help.  So find Crewman Kent, show him what needs doin', set up what he can't, and then get to your own work, okay?

Banks: Response

Amelia reached out and squeezed the woman's shoulder with a broad, beaming smile.

Semara: Relax, Juliet.  It's real easy gettin' swept up in the energy at the start of a mission.  'Specially your first.  Pace yourself.  Keep your head up and eyes open.  Ain't no tellin' what'll happen when we arrive.  You'll want your wits about you.

Banks: Response

Semara: Great.  Now hop to it, Ensign!

She laughed at her own pretend-stern tone, then leaned in for a quieter note.

Semara: And seriously.  Thanks for the tips.  'Preciate all of it.

Banks: Response

Amelia stood back up and watched Juliet leave, waiting for the woman to drop out of view and earshot before putting all the advice she'd just received into action.

Ohnari:  =/\= Chief Medical Officer to all crew, please report to Sickbay prior to our arrival to the Lagoon nebula. Due to time constraints, we will also have a mobile vaccination station in Main Engineering, and on the bridge. ::pausing:: And yes, I do mean everyone. Ohnari out. =/\= 

She shot a glance to the sky where the announcement came from.  Doubtless more medical protections against Sencha.

El’Heem: =/\= El’Heem to Semara. =/\=

Amelia tucked into a corner with a corner with a panel that had command-level access and tapped her badge.

Semara: =/\= Semara here. =/\=

El’Heem: =/\= How are things coming at ops? Is Banks able to partition lab 3’s power draw? =/\=

Semara: =/\= It's good.  Banks will work with Crewman Kent and get the partition set up within the hour. =/\=

Adding a bit of buffer to the time was the safer course of action.  Best to allow time for re-checking everything and the possibility of setbacks.  There was no need for yet more pressure on anyone.

El’Heem: =/\= Good work. I want you to meet Matthews at the engineering mobile vax station. While you’re there, see if you can work out cascade prevention protocols and assign a team dedicated to gel pack replacements. I’ll let Chief Dewitt know you’re coming. El’Heem out.=/\=

Right.  There was still work to be done with the gel packs.  After the vax station.  After her own project...  She needed to start getting some of the work done before the bucket of tasks started to overflow.

Semara: =/\= Yessir, I'll be there soon.  Semara out. =/\=

A moment of silence with no announcements or communications invading it let Amelia finally settle and sort herself back out.  She grinned to herself, working backwards through the somewhat one-sided conversation she'd just had.  Juliet was a gem.

Okay, right.  She needed to start a communications trace.  She checked her surroundings - telepathically as much as in every other way - to make sure no one was eavesdropping.  Then she entered a series of keycodes into the computer.

Semara: :: Quietly :: Computer, recognize authorization Semara-Petrichor.  Voice confirmation - "Rose rose to put rose roes on her rows of roses."

She never quite understood having to remember an arbitrary sequence of letters and numbers when a memorable sentence would work just as well.  The computer was more interested in her particular drawling dialect and use of native Nantahala Betazed than it was the words, anyway.

Computer: Authorization recognized.

Perfect.

Semara: Access communique Tyrel-two-four-zero-two-zero-three-point-two-five-beta-pi.  Extract message headers and checksums.  Access Deep Space 33 communication array specifications, and simulate sendin' the message on that equipement.  Does the simulated metadata match?

The computer blooped and bleeped for a moment a little thinking song.

Computer: Negative.  Metadata does not match.

Her pulse quickened a little.  Still, that didn't necessarily mean much.  She already knew the orders had been altered.  But she'd half-hoped to narrow it down to someone aboard the station who had done it.  Now there was a wide-open field.  It could have come from anywhere.  Anyone.

Semara: Start a full message trace on that communique.  Search the databank for matches on the hardware, location, and user that sent it.

Computer: Caution - operation time is unbounded.

She sighed.  There was no telling how long the search would take.

Semara: Fine.  Run the search as a low-priority cooperative background task.  Notify me as soon as any search parameters are matched.

Computer: Acknowledged.  Search started.

She smiled a little.  There was no better feeling than getting the computer to cooperate.  Soon enough, she might start to get answers.  Her little hunt could continue on in the background while she got back to the job the color of her collar suggested she should be doing.

A hasty tap relocked access to the panel, and she slipped out of her corner to join the gathering assembly in main engineering.

Tag / END (( OOC: I'll grab the engineering scene soon! ))

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Lieutenant Junior Grade Amelia Magnolia Semara

Science Officer - Special Projects

USS Khitomer - NCC-62400

A239710MA0