[sb118-ops] Ensign A'Mayri - Heavy is the hand that bares the guilt.
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A'Mayri Y. Stark
Jun 22, 2026, 8:55:31 PM (2 days ago) Jun 22
to sb11...@googlegroups.com
((Temurian Settlement - Kiro's Lab))
She had not lost faith or trust in her team, there was no reason to. They all had done their part–followed their passions to pursue the mission and it only had motivated her to do the same. Her only regret had been not saying her part loud enough, that all her actions stemmed from her own desire to stand beside two officers who she was unaware were doing just the same.
Voss appeared apprehensive, her jaw set.
Voss: Small scale, optimal power draw. Exactly what the cores are rated for and not a single watt more. We just need to get readings at baseline conditions and then my scanning algorithm is good to go. Can we run that safely?
A’Mayri: Although it is impossible to guarantee absolute success, I would say safety and optimal parameters are to be expected.
Voss pulled a fresh core from one of the storage cases and hooked it up to the power supply within one of the containment chambers. Then she sealed the dome and stepped back as A’Mayri wheeled the still damaged but patch repaired control station beside them
Voss: ::looking at A’Mayri:: No one crosses the containment field this time, all right? If anything goes sideways, we call the MFT and have them beam all the equipment into the void of space.
Calculated risk for collecting optimal peak load data that she knew her science officer needed–but that the mission also needed to better protect all those involved perhaps shielded any fear or worry of reparation and discipline she could have faced if not met with an electrifying end.
It was safe to say that A’Mayri followed a skill and flaw many of her kind often utilized when faced with danger. Could she logically justify her approach? Yes. Without time constraints and with the acute awareness that the Betazoid beside her was perhaps hanging on by a very strong but single line of emotional resilience, she was wise enough to keep her thoughts as best as she could to herself and support the order.
A’Mayri: ::Gentle nod, hands folded behind her back:: A most reasonable instruction given the newly established circumstances. oO Perhaps I should refresh my understanding of Operational Risk assessment. Oo
Voss and A’Mayri were both standing around the same terminal, putting the finishing touches on their scanning algorithm. A’Mayri had been so focused on manually monitoring the fluctuations of the power readings with a trust but verify mindset that she and apparently Voss had not noticed Ross re-enter the room with Kiro in tow. She was the first to face them, A’Mayri facing the chamber for a moment longer before she slowly turned to join the group.
Ross: Guys... ::he was almost relieved to slip back into the fake roles:: Kiro shared some data with us.
Kiro: If you start moving on those records… you need to move quickly.
Ross: Are we... able to move? Any findings?
A’Mayri noticed Voss’ gaze on her instead of on Ross.
Voss: There’s a layer of rapidly reproducing microorganisms inside the cores that are feeding the black holes and keeping it alive so the core can draw power from its rotational energy. The cores fail when the rate of reproduction can’t keep up with the black hole’s pull. We’ve come up with an algorithm that can scan for cores and determine the approximate time left before they fail. It necessitated activating another core for additional readings but…
oO But why would she look this way when briefing our findings? I already know this information. Perhaps this reflects the emotional imbalance of romantic turmoil I had felt resonate from her in regards to Ross. Oo She slowly blinked for the first time in what had felt like hours, but was really only since the start of their careful testing.
A'Mayri: …the activation of another core was necessary and within safe standing. We are aware that the rate of power drawn is within sustainable conditions. An emergency plan of action was established in case of another incident. An approximate time can only be accessed if the other cores meet the same conditions.
Kiro hesitated, just for a fraction longer than was comfortable, then continued.
Kiro: Some of the destinations on that list… are already in use. If the pattern holds, then you may already be behind.
Ross: If what you say holds - we should be able to trace these coordinates and scan for any of the anomalies you're describing, no? What kind of scanner would you need? Will the long range ones back on the base be enough?
Voss: Yes, we should. We’ll need calibrated bioscanners. As to the range…
Voss had looked at A’Mayri to continue the response. The half Vulcan had kept her gaze on Voss for only a moment longer before her eyes flickered to Ross and Kiro with careful consideration.
A'Mayri: Range is not our limiting factor for our sector, it is the delicate recalibrations that would need to be programmed to accommodate the wide band frequencies needed to search out the life signs of the well encased microorganisms. The long range scanners located on our base would be best used to seek out familiar power sequences from the estimated locations Kiro had mentioned briefly. Then we deploy or contact local areas to follow the algorithms we created to finish the second part of the search.
Kiro’s grip tightened once on the satchel again, but he didn’t step back.
Kiro: And one more thing. ::A pause.:: If you find something tied to Gaspara logistics… you come to me first.
A sense of tired exasperation could be felt and seen from Ross and Voss as A’Maryi kept her own face as neutral as possible. It was not under the belief that she was better, but that she did not enjoy the tension that would linger on her face if she did–and she truly did understand their annoyance with some sympathy to the Temurian.
Ross: Our priority right now is to see where the cores are posing acute danger. Not pointing fingers.
Voss: We’re happy to share our methodology for tracing the cores and measuring their remaining lifespan. You can track some of these down yourself as well. Save a few lives you might otherwise have cost.
A'Mayri: I can assist you in repairing and reassembling your damaged equipment to better accommodate these new parameters.
As soon as they got hold of the data module from Kiro's satchel, Ross had inserted it into the main panel and watched as selling information, time stamps, and coordinates rolled over their monitors.
Ross: We won't have much other choice than to follow up on all of these eventually. But we'll have to try and figure out first where we're dealing with the biggest danger right now. If we trace all of these locations - will you be able to make out where they are failing right now?
Even A’Mayri felt the tension of a displeased expression threaten to display itself on her face.
Kiro: Not directly. But the failures leave signatures. Increased harmonic drift. Irregular power synchronization. Memory effects growing stronger over time. ::His eyes narrowed slightly.:: If multiple cores are operating together, those signatures become easier to detect.
Voss: You may not have been able to scan directly for failures before, but our algorithm can. We can definitely find the most imminent failure in our area, but our scanners here won’t be enough to reach all of these. There’s just too many, and they’re too scattered…
There simply wouldn't be enough time.
A'Mayri: That is why we must send out our results once solidified in those affected areas. It would be unrealistic to only allow for select locations to be made aware of these dangers, or only utilize our equipment.
Ross: ::turning towards Kiro:: You had a way of destroying them, right? A certain wavelength, or what are we talking about? Is there any way to disable them remotely?
A’Mayri lowered her gaze back to the data module. Voss looked at Kiro expectantly.
Kiro: No remote method that I know of. ::Not a lie. Not entirely.:: We discovered certain resonance frequencies can destabilize a core's containment systems. That knowledge is useful for testing. ::A brief pause.:: Less useful if your goal is preserving the surrounding structure.
Voss: Fine. Then we come up with something on our own. We could advise these buyers to beam the cores into space and safely destroy them there? Or… maybe put the cores in a containment field and then kill off the microorganism so the black hole evaporates? We’d have to make sure they could create a strong enough containment field though.
A'Mayri: Due to the delicate instability of black holes–especially those surrounded by similarly structured devices, it would be recommended to dispose of the cores in small batches to minimize the power cores ability to create a feedback loop due to their ability to share energy output like we recreated here.
Ross: ::scrolling through the selling data:: Let's start with the biggest transactions. Where there are the most cores they will have the biggest potential for an interfering effect, right?
Kiro: Not necessarily the largest shipments. ::His claw tapped a specific line item.:: The oldest ones. ::His stomach tightened.:: The pattern suggests degradation accelerates with time. A shipment of twenty newly activated cores may be safer than five units that have been operating continuously for months. ::The words settled heavily between them.:: If we're looking for immediate danger... start there.
Voss: Looks like this ::pointing to the screen:: is the oldest purchase that’s within range of our current scanners. It’s a Klingon military base in the H'Atoria system.
A'Mayri: We should be able to access their location, power usage and equipment function through our–::small pause:: through our connected channels. Sudden spikes of usage efficiency will show on the scans as continuous output rather than normal pulses of electricity.
Voss nodded and initiated a scan based on the algorithm she and A’Mayri had created. It only took a few minutes for data to begin streaming back.
Voss: By all the Four… eight cores and *five* have dangerously low microorganism populations. At normal power draw rates, they have a day or two left at most. If they’re being taxed at all, that could go down to hours.
Kiro: Then you don’t have time to keep building theory. ::A pause, shorter than before:: You need to act on what you already have.
Voss: *We* don’t have time? Like we’re the ones who –
Voss had cut herself off.
A’Mayri had taken a careful step forward to stand beside Voss in silent support. She carefully glanced over at Ross, her eyes reflecting the smallest shine of concern.
A’Mayri: That has been noted, Kiro. Our Dilema now is what to do with that time. Ross–sir, are we able to update the MTF and have this information sent out to the outposts and their science and engineering departments? They will need to start implementation of containment protocols immediately based on the algorithm's time estimate. Starting with the Klingon Military base?
Ross: ?
Kiro’s claws tapped once against the edge of the console, sharper this time. The sound wasn’t pleasant, it held an emotional weight.
Kiro: The oldest clusters will be your priority. Those are the systems closest to sustained exposure thresholds.
Voss: I should hope that’s a priority we share.
A’Maryi stepped away to connect her data padd back into the nearby chambers and control station, her fingers quick as they cataloged the changes and modifications she completed to send out with the reports and new safety protocols before she unplugged and handed the padd to Ross.
Ross: ?
Kiro hesitated, and when he continued, the restraint in his voice tightened.
Kiro: There are also… distribution nodes. Places where shipments are broken down, recompiled, or redistributed.
Voss: *This* is what you haven’t been saying. Who actually makes these cores. Where they actually come from.
A’Mayri: ::quickly but carefully securing the remaining power cores, unplugging their equipment to be ready for transport:: It was suspected, such an invasive and elaborate set up had no means to create the cores in this vicinity.
Ross: ?
Kiro’s gaze flicked away from the console for the first time, toward the corridor behind them. His thoughts were far away and long ago.
Kiro: If you can disrupt those nodes, you reduce the rate of spread. ::A pause.:: That would slow the failures.
Voss: ::with a sigh:: So we have Klingons that could die within hours and a distribution network working against us every moment we spend trying to help them. Lovely.
Ross: ?
A’Maryi thought it was best to quietly listen and continue to pack out their portion of the lab to allow for the intelligence officer to handle the logistics of the distribution map and the science officer to continue her charged inquiry. The revelation of a system so efficient at distributing its own failures was daunting.
Their algorithms were sound, the schematics for modified power chambers and spectrum scanners would minimize and redirect dangerous clusters of power cores. They just had to get all of this information out in time.
Time. Never enough time. Always too much time. Be useful, keep moving. Slowing distribution would not slow failures, it would simply limit where the failures would occur.
She slipped out a small plastic container–no larger than her palm as she picked out a data chip that she used to quickly upload all their current findings and parts of their own data base.
Kiro exhaled once, controlled but thin.
Kiro: And it would force whoever is coordinating distribution to react.
Now that logic was sound, clean and direct.
Voss: Why are you protecting them? You think you’re protecting your clan, but now you’re just covering for whoever is forcing you to middle-man these cores! Just *tell* us! You get that we’re here to help, right? I mean, how else could we even prove it at this point? Just… or whatever. Don’t. It’s not like we won’t figure it out when we visit these distribution centers. And you can sit here on this asteroid and wonder if you could have saved more lives and chose not to.
It seemed that the long silence in the room was too charged–too thick with the weight of reality. The temurian trader had stood there a long while, precious seconds passing by as a heavy burden settled in his large watchful eyes.
Kiro had finally stepped forward, slipped the satchel from his shoulder and stepped toward Lyra. Without a word, he held it out to her.
Inside were the records he had kept hidden. Internal correspondence. Routing data. Access keys. Names. But the three of them would not know this weight yet, not until it was fully exposed.
The things that would end any illusion that Clan Gaspara was merely caught in the middle of this.
Ross/Voss/Kiro: ?
A’Mayri had stilled mid reconnecting Kiro’s equipment back into their own independent systems, ready to move if the action had been intended or interpreted as threatening as her hand shifted to hover over her work belt.
A’Maryi: Ma’am, sir. ::careful tone:: Kiro.
Ross/Voss/Kiro: ?
When it was deemed safe enough to lower her caution, she straightened back up with what could be read as a solemn look. No amount of logic or practiced empathy could make A’Maryi feel as though she could understand what Kiro was going through, or perhaps the vulnerability it took to give what looked like the last semblance of armor and damnation he had clutched to his side since they all had met.
A’Maryi: ::clipping the small case back her belt, holding out the data chip she just updated to Kiro:: Whether you choose to ponder or act on your choices, this holds another copy of all the information we had gathered before we had collaborated, our combined testing results, and the new algorithms. I would implore you to handle this information with care.
Once Kiro had taken the chip, A’Maryi had quickly stepped back and stood beside Ross and Voss to follow their lead and instruction. She felt it was the only thing she could reasonably add. A silent conversation.
Ross/Voss/Kiro: ?
A'Mayri: …the activation of another core was necessary and within safe standing. We are aware that the rate of power drawn is within sustainable conditions. An emergency plan of action was established in case of another incident. An approximate time can only be accessed if the other cores meet the same conditions.
Kiro hesitated, just for a fraction longer than was comfortable, then continued.
Kiro: Some of the destinations on that list… are already in use. If the pattern holds, then you may already be behind.
Ross: If what you say holds - we should be able to trace these coordinates and scan for any of the anomalies you're describing, no? What kind of scanner would you need? Will the long range ones back on the base be enough?
Voss: Yes, we should. We’ll need calibrated bioscanners. As to the range…
Voss had looked at A’Mayri to continue the response. The half Vulcan had kept her gaze on Voss for only a moment longer before her eyes flickered to Ross and Kiro with careful consideration.
A'Mayri: Range is not our limiting factor for our sector, it is the delicate recalibrations that would need to be programmed to accommodate the wide band frequencies needed to search out the life signs of the well encased microorganisms. The long range scanners located on our base would be best used to seek out familiar power sequences from the estimated locations Kiro had mentioned briefly. Then we deploy or contact local areas to follow the algorithms we created to finish the second part of the search.
Kiro’s grip tightened once on the satchel again, but he didn’t step back.
Kiro: And one more thing. ::A pause.:: If you find something tied to Gaspara logistics… you come to me first.
A sense of tired exasperation could be felt and seen from Ross and Voss as A’Maryi kept her own face as neutral as possible. It was not under the belief that she was better, but that she did not enjoy the tension that would linger on her face if she did–and she truly did understand their annoyance with some sympathy to the Temurian.
Ross: Our priority right now is to see where the cores are posing acute danger. Not pointing fingers.
Voss: We’re happy to share our methodology for tracing the cores and measuring their remaining lifespan. You can track some of these down yourself as well. Save a few lives you might otherwise have cost.
A'Mayri: I can assist you in repairing and reassembling your damaged equipment to better accommodate these new parameters.
As soon as they got hold of the data module from Kiro's satchel, Ross had inserted it into the main panel and watched as selling information, time stamps, and coordinates rolled over their monitors.
Ross: We won't have much other choice than to follow up on all of these eventually. But we'll have to try and figure out first where we're dealing with the biggest danger right now. If we trace all of these locations - will you be able to make out where they are failing right now?
Even A’Mayri felt the tension of a displeased expression threaten to display itself on her face.
Kiro: Not directly. But the failures leave signatures. Increased harmonic drift. Irregular power synchronization. Memory effects growing stronger over time. ::His eyes narrowed slightly.:: If multiple cores are operating together, those signatures become easier to detect.
Voss: You may not have been able to scan directly for failures before, but our algorithm can. We can definitely find the most imminent failure in our area, but our scanners here won’t be enough to reach all of these. There’s just too many, and they’re too scattered…
There simply wouldn't be enough time.
A'Mayri: That is why we must send out our results once solidified in those affected areas. It would be unrealistic to only allow for select locations to be made aware of these dangers, or only utilize our equipment.
Ross: ::turning towards Kiro:: You had a way of destroying them, right? A certain wavelength, or what are we talking about? Is there any way to disable them remotely?
A’Mayri lowered her gaze back to the data module. Voss looked at Kiro expectantly.
Kiro: No remote method that I know of. ::Not a lie. Not entirely.:: We discovered certain resonance frequencies can destabilize a core's containment systems. That knowledge is useful for testing. ::A brief pause.:: Less useful if your goal is preserving the surrounding structure.
Voss: Fine. Then we come up with something on our own. We could advise these buyers to beam the cores into space and safely destroy them there? Or… maybe put the cores in a containment field and then kill off the microorganism so the black hole evaporates? We’d have to make sure they could create a strong enough containment field though.
A'Mayri: Due to the delicate instability of black holes–especially those surrounded by similarly structured devices, it would be recommended to dispose of the cores in small batches to minimize the power cores ability to create a feedback loop due to their ability to share energy output like we recreated here.
Ross: ::scrolling through the selling data:: Let's start with the biggest transactions. Where there are the most cores they will have the biggest potential for an interfering effect, right?
Kiro: Not necessarily the largest shipments. ::His claw tapped a specific line item.:: The oldest ones. ::His stomach tightened.:: The pattern suggests degradation accelerates with time. A shipment of twenty newly activated cores may be safer than five units that have been operating continuously for months. ::The words settled heavily between them.:: If we're looking for immediate danger... start there.
Voss: Looks like this ::pointing to the screen:: is the oldest purchase that’s within range of our current scanners. It’s a Klingon military base in the H'Atoria system.
A'Mayri: We should be able to access their location, power usage and equipment function through our–::small pause:: through our connected channels. Sudden spikes of usage efficiency will show on the scans as continuous output rather than normal pulses of electricity.
Voss nodded and initiated a scan based on the algorithm she and A’Mayri had created. It only took a few minutes for data to begin streaming back.
Voss: By all the Four… eight cores and *five* have dangerously low microorganism populations. At normal power draw rates, they have a day or two left at most. If they’re being taxed at all, that could go down to hours.
Kiro: Then you don’t have time to keep building theory. ::A pause, shorter than before:: You need to act on what you already have.
Voss: *We* don’t have time? Like we’re the ones who –
Voss had cut herself off.
A’Mayri had taken a careful step forward to stand beside Voss in silent support. She carefully glanced over at Ross, her eyes reflecting the smallest shine of concern.
A’Mayri: That has been noted, Kiro. Our Dilema now is what to do with that time. Ross–sir, are we able to update the MTF and have this information sent out to the outposts and their science and engineering departments? They will need to start implementation of containment protocols immediately based on the algorithm's time estimate. Starting with the Klingon Military base?
Ross: ?
Kiro’s claws tapped once against the edge of the console, sharper this time. The sound wasn’t pleasant, it held an emotional weight.
Kiro: The oldest clusters will be your priority. Those are the systems closest to sustained exposure thresholds.
Voss: I should hope that’s a priority we share.
A’Maryi stepped away to connect her data padd back into the nearby chambers and control station, her fingers quick as they cataloged the changes and modifications she completed to send out with the reports and new safety protocols before she unplugged and handed the padd to Ross.
Ross: ?
Kiro hesitated, and when he continued, the restraint in his voice tightened.
Kiro: There are also… distribution nodes. Places where shipments are broken down, recompiled, or redistributed.
Voss: *This* is what you haven’t been saying. Who actually makes these cores. Where they actually come from.
A’Mayri: ::quickly but carefully securing the remaining power cores, unplugging their equipment to be ready for transport:: It was suspected, such an invasive and elaborate set up had no means to create the cores in this vicinity.
Ross: ?
Kiro’s gaze flicked away from the console for the first time, toward the corridor behind them. His thoughts were far away and long ago.
Kiro: If you can disrupt those nodes, you reduce the rate of spread. ::A pause.:: That would slow the failures.
Voss: ::with a sigh:: So we have Klingons that could die within hours and a distribution network working against us every moment we spend trying to help them. Lovely.
Ross: ?
A’Maryi thought it was best to quietly listen and continue to pack out their portion of the lab to allow for the intelligence officer to handle the logistics of the distribution map and the science officer to continue her charged inquiry. The revelation of a system so efficient at distributing its own failures was daunting.
Their algorithms were sound, the schematics for modified power chambers and spectrum scanners would minimize and redirect dangerous clusters of power cores. They just had to get all of this information out in time.
Time. Never enough time. Always too much time. Be useful, keep moving. Slowing distribution would not slow failures, it would simply limit where the failures would occur.
She slipped out a small plastic container–no larger than her palm as she picked out a data chip that she used to quickly upload all their current findings and parts of their own data base.
Kiro exhaled once, controlled but thin.
Kiro: And it would force whoever is coordinating distribution to react.
Now that logic was sound, clean and direct.
Voss: Why are you protecting them? You think you’re protecting your clan, but now you’re just covering for whoever is forcing you to middle-man these cores! Just *tell* us! You get that we’re here to help, right? I mean, how else could we even prove it at this point? Just… or whatever. Don’t. It’s not like we won’t figure it out when we visit these distribution centers. And you can sit here on this asteroid and wonder if you could have saved more lives and chose not to.
It seemed that the long silence in the room was too charged–too thick with the weight of reality. The temurian trader had stood there a long while, precious seconds passing by as a heavy burden settled in his large watchful eyes.
Kiro had finally stepped forward, slipped the satchel from his shoulder and stepped toward Lyra. Without a word, he held it out to her.
Inside were the records he had kept hidden. Internal correspondence. Routing data. Access keys. Names. But the three of them would not know this weight yet, not until it was fully exposed.
The things that would end any illusion that Clan Gaspara was merely caught in the middle of this.
Ross/Voss/Kiro: ?
A’Mayri had stilled mid reconnecting Kiro’s equipment back into their own independent systems, ready to move if the action had been intended or interpreted as threatening as her hand shifted to hover over her work belt.
A’Maryi: Ma’am, sir. ::careful tone:: Kiro.
Ross/Voss/Kiro: ?
When it was deemed safe enough to lower her caution, she straightened back up with what could be read as a solemn look. No amount of logic or practiced empathy could make A’Maryi feel as though she could understand what Kiro was going through, or perhaps the vulnerability it took to give what looked like the last semblance of armor and damnation he had clutched to his side since they all had met.
A’Maryi: ::clipping the small case back her belt, holding out the data chip she just updated to Kiro:: Whether you choose to ponder or act on your choices, this holds another copy of all the information we had gathered before we had collaborated, our combined testing results, and the new algorithms. I would implore you to handle this information with care.
Once Kiro had taken the chip, A’Maryi had quickly stepped back and stood beside Ross and Voss to follow their lead and instruction. She felt it was the only thing she could reasonably add. A silent conversation.
Ross/Voss/Kiro: ?
((OOC: Wanted to include the last bit from the wonderful Kiro solo sim so it wouldn't get skipped in my response!))
—
V/R,
Ensign A’Mayri Ych’a Stark
Engineering Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
O240303A11
V/R,
Ensign A’Mayri Ych’a Stark
Engineering Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
O240303A11
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