Ensign Jino Esot - Party Pooper
Quentin Beck
((Stellar Cartography, Deck 10, USS Ronin))
The Cardassian indicated the damaged data core lying on the primary console.
Esot: We might be able to get something from that, as well, assuming we can break into it. The damage is extensive and prevents anyone from opening it manually.
T’Fearne: Would about two thousand kelvin do it? I believe the chief has a tool for that. :: Looking to Jenta:: Are those the originals or the modified ones, Chief? I’ve seen you handle maintenance and checks on torpedo ordnance with ease, as if it were in your sleep. Perhaps you could assist with the core?
The Orion crossed her arms under her bodice before nodding to T’Fearne.
Solana: Might need twenty one hundred kelvin, but aye. That’s one of the modified ones, but you are correct I can assist with this. We’re going to need an engineering toolkit. There should be one in the locker over there.
Jino looked amused, looking from T'Fearne to Solana, before offering a shrug.
Esot: Simple enough. If you can crack the shell, I should be able to attach the core to the Ronin's computer system to download the data.
She glanced over her shoulder at the engineering toolkit Solana indicated, turning on her heel and moving to pry it off the wall.
Dekas: Response
T’Fearne: So far I have a work-in-progress theory with several glaring holes. The Kurosawa seemed to have already reached Starfleet Headquarters, discovered something catastrophic, and somehow came back to warn us. Linguistic analysis and extrapolation of their final transmission suggest a warning not to enter Ross 580. Possibly…even that the federation has fallen. The timeline just doesn’t add up—and that worries me most. We haven’t received any reports or sub-space warnings of a catastrophic event. Also, it’s only been two weeks since the Kurosawa left. It took me three weeks to travel from the Academy to DS33, where the Ronin picked me up. Even with the direct route and better speed than the several shuttle hops to different spaceports to get to the Alpha Isles, there hasn’t been enough time for anything to happen. So, how have they had time to arrive even? What has happened to send them to us? What does anything have to do with Ross 580?
Esot turned very slowly to study the Vulcazoid as she laid out the theory, brows raising slightly before the corners of her eyes wrinkled with approval. She crossed to the console, setting it down in front of Solana, who in turn opened it as she spoke.
Solana: What’s the phrase the Captain liked to use? Wibbly Wobbly? If we’re dealing with chronitions then that means time space crap, which stands to reason that while it’s only been a couple of weeks for us for all we know the Captain and Commander could have been doing whatever they were doing before they showed up to give us the warning for months, or years.
Esot: I believe you are correct in that regard. ::thoughtfully:: Before moving to Operations, I was briefly posted in a Science position with D14. My speciality was, and always has been, quantum mechanics. This… 'time space crap'... that you refer to may prove to have more bearing on the situation than we realize. ::glancing at T'Fearne:: And while you are correct, they have not been gone long enough to have looped back around with their warning, the nature of time travel and quantum mechanics suggests their point of origin could be anywhere in the future.
Dekas: Response
T’Fearne: I think Esot was right. We need to go have a closer look. :: Looking to Dekas:: Commander, permission to take a team to approach the anomaly. I know there are crews out there collecting debris, and we can set a secondary objective to follow the extrapolated black-box trajectories, but to get more answers, we need a closer look…With full precautions, transporter locks on us at all times. Esot has bravely already volunteered.
She let out a snort of amusement at that before mirroring T'Fearne's grin, her gray lips growing even lighter as they spread. Truth be told, she hadn't really wanted to dispatch via shuttle - she much preferred being stuck behind her desk, thankyouverymuch - but this was the first bit of camaraderie she'd felt since transferring to the Ronin. She opted to enjoy it.
Solana: I think someone beat you to it, T’Fearne.
Dekas: Response
Jino shot a look at Solana, confused. But then the computer chimed, and several of the screens set into their consoles started rolling through fresh data. It was a relief to hear the black box had been found, but losing one of the shuttles would be an enormous loss for the ship as a whole; part of her wondered if there was something she could do to help, but nothing seemed obvious.
Solana: Good news, we have the black box but now we’ve got a missing shuttle. The Carl Sagan is bringing us the box but the Shinano is no longer on sensors.
Jino clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth.
Esot: At least there was no accompanying explosion this time?
Dekas: Response
T’Fearne: ::turning back to the console swiftly:: I’m checking their last position and status before they dropped off our sensors. This interference is making the reading appear faulty.
She moved to T'Fearne's side so she could look at the readings, her brow creasing slightly.
Solana: As much as I’d be the first to volunteer to go after them, we need to focus on getting the black box in here and studying it. The bridge will no doubt be focused on recovering the Shinano from that hole in space.
Esot: The chroniton levels grow exponentially the closer you get to the hole - I wonder if it isn't just interference, but the particles literally affecting the flow of time? Functionally the same as a black hole. ::frowning:: But black holes are, quite literally, very large, and we would be able to see the Shinano at the event horizon.
Dekas: Response
The Security officer leaned forward, focused on her task, which prompted the Operations officer to do the same. She made her way back to the chair in front of her console, sliding into it and pursing her lips as she synced the Shinano's last known flight path with the rest of the simulation.
T’Fearne: You're right. We have to figure out as much as we can. Treat this like any critical investigation. I’ll keep working on reconstructing Kurosawa’s flight data.
Solana: =/\= Stellar Cartography to the Carl Sagan. As soon as you’re in range, beam the black box directly here. We’re awaiting your transport. =/\=
Sagan: =/\= Understood, Senior Chief. We’ll be in range in two minutes. =/\=
The Ronin suddenly appeared on the hologram, serving as the origin point for the shuttle as it dispatched, a much smaller dot in comparison to the Akira-class starship and the chronomagnetic storm. After a moment's consideration, she also uploaded the location of all other shuttles during the same window, each a different colored dot, but kept the Shinano highlighted.
Esot: I'm not sure how much this can tell us, but it looks like the Shinano was the closest runabout to the anomaly when it disappeared. There are one or two shuttles that were approximately the same distance, but they had no interaction with the black box or any other Kurosawa debris.
Dekas: Response
Solana: We should make use of the overlays we have to assist the bridge and the other shuttles in locating the Shinano, I imagine piping the feed of what we have here to the bridge science station would suffice?
Jino was about to confirm when T'Fearne interrupted.
T’Fearne: ::slightly distracted data:: Comander, did you have a subspace call with the Kurosawa a few days ago?
She blinked a few times, curious where the question had come from, but she looked over at Dekas, allowing him to answer.
Dekas: Response
A moment later, the familiar thrum of a transporter beam filled the room and the blue shimmer that accompanied it faded away to reveal the vibrantly red black box, with an oddly rough casing. Even odder, there were sections of that casing that seemed to have aged at a far more rapid pace than others.
Solana: In Yar’s name. That thing’s taken a beating. Is it just me or does it look old?
The computer trilled as Esot initiated a deep scan.
Esot: It isn't just you. What I find intriguing is the asymmetric nature of it all - as if different sections were being buffeted with different levels of chronitons at any given moment.
Dekas: Response
T’Fearne: Jenta. You said before that the presence of chronitons here meant that time could have passed differently for the Captain and Raga? Correct. Esot, look at the temporal reading of the black box and the core. What do you make of that?
The Cardassian pursed her lips, studying the readings as they rolled in, nodding her head very slowly.
Esot: They have certain similarities. There, and there. Those chronitons I would say were formed within hours of each other, if not minutes. That looks like the largest collection of chronitons as well.
Solana/Dekas: Response
T’Fearne: I don’t want to alarm anyone or falsely raise hopes, but I think we need to make a subspace call…now…to the Kurosawa.
Jino turned her head to look at T'Fearne curiously, her face mostly impassive. While she was still a comparatively new member of the crew, both in time served and rank, she was also more than familiar with regulations related to the Temporal Prime Directive. It was required reading when working in Division 14. Amusingly enough, the transfer orders also mentioned it was a good idea to refamiliarize herself with them, as the Ronin was tagged as particularly troublesome when it came to violations. It didn't matter that the files were classified - in fact, that seemed to make it worse, at least according to her former supervisor.
Even so - she kept her mouth shut.
Solana/Dekas: Response
T’Fearne: I don't want to give false hope. They may yet be alive, in the now. If so, we might be able to change their fate. ::pointing at the core:: The readings say this device is out of temporal sync with us. It's not our Kurosawa's computer core.
Jino looked… skeptical. Studying the readings, she could see how someone could interpret them that way - especially if someone wanted to interpret them that way. Of course they were out of temporal sync - the destroyed Kurosawa was from one of, probably many, potential futures, but that could as likely mean their present had simply not caught up to that potential future as it meant it was a different timeline.
Esot: That's a rather bold assumption, Lieutenant. I am not entirely convinced by your argument.
Solana/Dekas: Response
T’Fearne: If the interference is blocking a subspace call, I recommend retreating to a safe distance from the anomaly and at least trying to contact the Kurosawa.
Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth before she settled back into her chair, folding her hands into her lap.
Esot: I feel the need to mention the possibility of violating the Temporal Prime Directive with this particular communication. We have no proof that isn't our Kurosawa - mainly supposition, though it is, admittedly, based on the evidence we have.
Solana/Dekas/T'Fearne: Response
She smiled grimly.
Esot: I would suggest we should at least discuss it with Captain Kel before any hasty action. I don't believe any of us would be able to direct the Ronin's location, in any case.
Solana/Dekas/T'Fearne: Response
Esot: In the meantime, I am transmitting our findings to the Bridge, as well as access to the simulation we have been building. That may allow them to find the Shinano more quickly - I believe we have pinpointed the exact spot where it disappeared.
Solana/Dekas/T'Fearne: Response
[Tags/TBC!]
Ensign Jino Esot (PNPC)
Assistant Operations Manager
USS Ronin NCC-34523
A238810SA0
As written by Quentin Beck