Lieutenant JG Sybil Nemes - Ray of hope

[Sybil Nemes]

((Deck 09, Flight Deck Aft, USS Ronin))

Although she was now in Ops and no longer in science, her head was buzzing with the theory she was developing based on the data. She couldn't and didn't want to completely shake off her scientist side.

Nemes: Just imagine, debris or a shuttle would go through such a rift, then the different parts would be in temporal flux and some would be older than others. Just like we can see here.

Singh:  The odds of a craft surviving such a...radical transformation are very low.  We need to inform the bridge... if the Shinano is found, the people inside will almost certainly be in distress.

Sybil nodded. That was both a logical and devastating assumption. 

Tucker: If the Shinano got caught in the temporal eddy, then we’ve got big problems because that means that eddy is quickly working towards a temporal black hole. And that's the last thing we want to be caught in. Maybe Stellar Cartography can use its specialized sensor array to locate the Shinano…

The Chief engineer kept making notes on his tripadd. Sybil also looked at the data.

Nemes: Hmm. But this still does not explain the molecular variations in the wreckage that we scanned.

Singh: This isn't...these aren't our Kurosawa.  That's why there's so much temporal flux...we're not looking at the wreckage of a single vessel...it's several.  All at once.  Look at the quantum signatures of these debris fragments...they're all different.  There are two...maybe three different ships here.

Sybil looked at the Major, then back at the data on her tricorder, and slowly began to nod. Of course. If the whole thing wasn't just some kind of time jump, but... A chill ran down her spine at the thought of what that would mean for the anomaly in front of her. If this involved not just another timeline, but several timelines or even realities, then something had gone seriously wrong here.

Evinrude: I agree with that assessment, sir. We didn't stand a chance, trying to assemble this like a traditional salvage and accident investigation. ::He gestured to a few items highlighted on his screen.:: Explains why we're seeing evidence of multiple failure points. ::Quietly, to himself.:: My god...did Niac and Raga's bodies go through the same transformation?

Tucker: ::he grimaced:: It’s a good bet that might be what happens, get twisted into a pretzel or worse. ::shivering:: That was an unpleasant thought. And I know::pointing at the wreckage:: that damaged warp core isn’t from our Kurosawa, that’s for sure. So no way to assess what happened ::he dragged a hand through his unruly red hair:: we’re going to end up going in circles. Not to mention, temporal mechanics make my teeth itch.

Nemes: Well, I don't want to put any more stress on your teeth, but if this theory is correct, then the whole thing could be not only a temporal but also a multidimensional problem.  

Singh:  It doesn't match...none of these have the same quantum signature as the decking below it.  Or of any of us.  

Evinrude: Major! ::Then, to Tucker.:: Commander! They...they're not dead. Ours aren't dead. The flight recorder should hopefully tell us more about the timeline, but we didn't lose the Niac and Raga that we knew. ::He corrected himself.:: That we know.

A faint smile touched her mouth — gone almost immediately as she closed her eyes for a heartbeat, then looked up again. She hadn’t thought of that, but that was a small ray of light in a very tense and grim situation.

Evinrude: =/\= Evinrude to...science. ::His voice grew a little impatient, but not angrily so.::  To...anyone in Stellar Cartography!

Stellar Cartography (i.e., Solana/Dekas/Esot and/or T'Fearne): Response

Solana: =/\= Go ahead, LT. We’re listening, so take a breath. =/\=

Evinrude: =/\= ::At SCPO Solana's response, he slowed his breathing, and smoothed his tone.:: Not to rush you, but have you cracked into the flight recorder yet? We may have good news.

Tucker: ::pointing to the object in question:: Is it me, or is that a coaxial warp drive? I’ve read about them but never seen one before. This could explain a few things.

Sybil looked at Tucker, who had moved away from them, and headed over to him, looking at the part of the Kursowa – or rather one of the Kursowa’s that she was not really familiar with.

((OOC: I’m leaving out the rest of the conversation Tess has with Solana / Stellar Cartography as Sybil does not pay attention to that))

Singh:  I am not familiar with that style of engine Commander but I agree.  Whatever that is...::she gestured towards the core fragments::...was not aboard our Kurosawa when it left the ship a few weeks ago.  

Nemes: Me neither. What is that?

Tucker: Story time, kids: a Coaxial Warp drive is a theoretical propulsion system proposed by Starfleet engineers. They bounced the theory around for years. The problem was that, when used, it would fold space, allowing the user to travel any distance in an instant. Of course, folding space is a pretty violent procedure. What made this even more dangerous was that, if there was a warp core breach, it could collapse space over a distance of one billion kilometers. That’s B for billions. One of the problems is that the polaric modulator is prone to attack from chronoelectic pulses….

Evinrude: ::With an incredulous look.:: Why would anyone ever use this?

Singh:  Necessity or desperation.  Perhaps for the people that used this there was no other way to make the journey and the results were worth the risk.  To appear in this place, at this time, and to send us a message.  We must learn what they were trying to tell us.  What they died to tell us.  

The answer that popped into Sybil's head was much scarier than Singh's.

Nemes: There's always someone out there who'll try out a potentially devastating technology – just because they can.

Tucker: I’m just saying, this thing could be a source or at least one of the reasons the eddy is there in the first place. Or at least a contributing factor, as it could have been one of Kurosawa’s, as we know now, there were several, all from different times.

Singh:  So we are proposing that....sometime in the future...a situation arises that is so cataclysmic the Captain and XO take a vessel with an unstable, experimental drive system and for reasons unknown sacrifice themselves to reach us here...at this moment.  They must have suspected the journey would be one way.

Singh:  Commander...with this information in hand I believe it would be prudent to have the ship on a tactical footing.  We must assume whatever is in this system represents a grave threat if anyone was desperate enough to use an engine system like that to get here.  

Nemes: Not just different time, maybe different dimension.

Tucker: Yeah, I was right, definitely from a different reality or time, I can’t really tell which. Tricorders and internal sensors are only about half their capacity now that we’ve moved farther from the anomaly.

Evinrude: ::Sounding concerned.:: I'm no fan of DTI meddling, but this sounds like something we need to handle by the book. It's dangerous, not from this timeline, and also badly damaged. This thing falls into the wrong hands, and we've got some reckless tinkerer collapsing a billion square kilometers of space. ::He straightened a little, making his tone of voice more formal.:: Permission to quarantine the unit, sir.

Singh:  I agree completely with the Lieutenant's assessment.  I can have my people cordon off this section of the bay and place anything that can be safely moved in stasis until we can hand it over to the Corp of Engineers.  The larger hull fragments will need to be secured in place until then.  

Ishani placed her fingers in the corners of her lips and whistled loudly enough to snap heads around from thirty meters away.  Several of the deck crew dropped what they were doing and jogged over at double time.

Singh:  I want you three to assist in securing this debris, no one comes near it...no one so much as looks at it without my authorization.  Anything that can fit goes into a stasis container and then to high security storage.  Anything that can't - throw a level five containment field around it.  This whole section is off limits till further notice, understood?  

She received a trio of nods before the deckhands sprung into action and turned her attention back to Commander Tucker.  

Singh:  Will that be sufficient, Commander?  

Sybil's gaze also wandered to Tucker. There wasn't really much else they could do here. The data was already complete thanks to the link with the transporters, and further scans would only show what they had already detected.

Tucker: Response

Singh:  In that case Commander, I believe I should head to the Flight Operations Center to coordinate the search for the Shinano.  I will update you on the effort as soon as I can.  I will also have all our Valkyries moved to full tactical readiness...as a precaution.  If that is acceptable, Commander.  

Tucker: Response

Singh:  Very well.  Excellent work, Lieutenants...you may not have been able to explain this mystery but you did uncover something more valuable at the moment...a reason for hope.  Keep up the good work.  ::She came to attention and nodded curtly:: Commander.  

Even though Major Singh's words to her and Evinrude were very kind, Sybil had no reason to be happy at that moment. Out there was a multi-temporal, multi-dimensional anomaly that had literally torn apart the solid fabric of normal space-time. And she had no idea what had actually caused it, nor how to fix it.

Tucker: Response

Nemes: Yes, Sir.

She looked at Tess. Briefly. Firmly. The situation was difficult, but she also thought she saw a determination in his eyes that gave her strength.

((End of scene and Act 1 for Nemes))

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Lieutenant JG Sybil Nemes

Operations Officer

USS Ronin

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