Ensign Meris: Ultraviolet Mystery
Meris/Brian
((Bridge, USS Thor))
It had felt good to be back on the bridge of a starship, surrounded by the familiar rhythm of duty and quiet curiosity. The Vexilon system was strange - a swirl of ultraviolet spikes, dust, and dangerous beauty - and part of Meris couldn’t help but marvel at how something so hostile could still draw such fascination. Herrick’s questions hinted at the impossible, a thought that made Meris’s pulse quicken: the idea of actually taking the Thor into the Tangle. It was the kind of moment that reminded them why they’d chosen the stars - the mix of science, danger, and wonder that never stopped making them feel alive.
As Meris asked Commander Herrick where they wished to begin the Thor's survey of the system, a Lieutenant in yellow that Meris wasn't familiar with spoke up from the Engineering console.
Ral: Maybe start near the densest cluster of UV spikes. If there’s a common source, natural or engineered, we’ll find it faster by mapping the overlapping emissions. I’ll sync engineering sensors to assist.
The J'naran's eyes slid silently from Wyatt Ral back to the Commander.
Herrick: Right. Meris, let’s start with doing a close pass of the radiation spikes. Let’s start with getting high-resolution sensor data on the UV spikes.
Herrick: Wyatt, I’d like to get several probes ready for our other phenomena. There’s no reason we can’t cast the net a bit wide on this one and see what bites… ::correcting himself:: see what data we can gather and collate.
oO Why would one wish to bite a net? Oo
Ral: Understood, Commander. We’ll cast the net wide and hope we don’t reel in something that bites back.
At the helm, the J'naran pilot wasn't sure they were completely understanding either officer. The conversation vaguely reminded them of ancient history taught at the Academy. In the early days of Starfleet, before the advent of tractor beams, physical grapplers had been used to pull in nearby objects. But surely that wasn't what was being suggested? After all, the Thor had no such equipment aboard. Perhaps it was a metaphor. A fishing metaphor perhaps? They were unfamiliar with the sport. Should they participate as well?
Meris: I am setting course for the nearest concentration of ultraviolet radiation spikes. ::pause:: Once, during Academy survival training, someone mentioned that ancient human sailors “cast nets” to catch fish. I assumed that meant they threw the nets at the fish to stun them and then scooped up whatever was unconscious. It seemed rather inefficient, but I suppose it must have worked if humans survived long enough to invent warp drive.
As the ship adjusted course and closed on the nearest concentrated patch of radiation, the comet came onto the viewscreen on a perpendicular path. A brilliant blue tail trailing behind it.
Ral: The comet’s composition is unusual — high traces of thallium and iridium in the tail plasma. Could be interacting with the Tangle’s fringe, causing some of those UV spikes.
Meris: As a class 2 comet, it has moderate outgassing. It likely picked up thallium and iridium from within the fringe and is expelling it as it passes through the system. ::pause:: It is... pretty.
Shortly the Thor arrived near one of patches of concentrated radiation however Meris did not stop the vessel. Instead, they followed protocol and setup an orbital trajectory that would allow the lateral sensor array an unobstructed view of the patch while keeping the Thor on the move which would allow them to act and react more quickly should the situation require it.
Herrick: Is there still radiation emanating from this location?
Ral: Confirmed, Commander. The emission remains steady, wavelength two hundred eighty nanometres, amplitude constant. No visual object, no subspace wake. It’s as if the radiation is anchored to a fixed point in space… but without a source to generate it.
The pilot listened and considered what Ral was saying without offering input. Sometimes it was best to listen and think, rather than to speak.
Meris: It's possible solar flare activity from the local star, or a previous coronal mass ejection, resulted in the creation of this patch. On the other hand, warp and impulse engines as well as weapon discharges can leave behind similar forms of residue.
Herrick: Response
The engineer seemed to considering Herrick's question as he tapped several commands into his console. A few minutes later the computer had completed it's diagnostic.
Ral: Negative, Commander. Sensor arrays are functioning within standard tolerance. The readings are real, consistent across multiple bands. Whatever’s out there is emitting a constant ultraviolet field... but it’s masking its presence perfectly in every other spectrum.
Meris continued listening to the back and forth between Commander Herrick and Lieutenant Ral. The ultraviolet radiation spikes seemed unlikely to be significant to the J'naran pilot. Similar patches existed in large quantities throughout known space - most had been created by entirely natural means and migrated and dissipated naturally.
Herrick: Response.
Ral: Cloaked? Possible, though the power signature doesn’t match a cloak. It’s too diffuse. More like… residual output from a containment field that’s degraded over time.
The helmsperson considered that, thinking it quite probable. After all, the average age of a starship in this area of space was likely twenty or more years on compared to that on the other side of the Bajoran wormhole.
Meris: That would be consistent with the state of repair of many of the vessels I observed at Deep Space 14.
Herrick: Response.
Ral: Understood. Initiating harmonic mapping. We may be able to reconstruct a lattice structure, if there’s a device generating the field, it’ll show up as interference nodes.
As Herrick initiated the harmonic imaging the Thor suddenly lurched beneath them and Meris was nearly tipped out of their chair at the helm in surprise. They had to grapple for the edge of the console to keep from ending up on the floor. Alert klaxons sounded but, as quickly as the vessel had lurched beneath them, it settled back into place.
Herrick: Response.
The J'naran pilot was staring at the navigational sensors in disbelief as they watched the concentrated radiation patch begin to move across the sensor display. But it wasn't dissipating, it was moving as a concentrated lump in space.
Meris: This should not be possible. The radiation patch... is on the move. Speed is approaching one-quarter impulse.
Ral/Herrick: Response.
Meris: I am tracking it... it is moving towards the next closest concentration. Shall I follow Commander?
Ral/Herrick: Response.
(( Tags/TBC ))
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Ensign Meris
Helmsperson
USS Thor
A240207M14