RP Log: It's All About Distance From Ground Zero
| Roleplay Log | |
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| Participants: | |
Location(s):
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Stardate:
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| 2025-04-07 13:00 | |
- Weapons Engineering Lab <USS Phoenix NCC-170100-A>
- The engineering labs aboard the vessel have similar design queues to one another, but each is configured for a slightly different purpose. This particular lab is for weapons design, both handheld and the ship-borne variety.
- There is both a 3D holographic display and older-style 2D drawing apparatus to aid in the design phase. A black, glossy panelling runs along the bulkheads at shoulder height near the entry door, allowing access to the LCARS interface, and tracers set into the bulkheads close to the ceiling indicate the current alert status.
Ramirez sits at a combination test rig and work bench with an ancient-looking Hur'q mining tool laid out before him. There are all sorts of tools arrayed around the thing, yet, no work at all has been done. LOTS of measurements have been taken, though, and they appear on the LCARS panel just past the ensign.
With a soft grunt, he says, "...yes, I know. Computer. Try a multi-spectral scan and see if using multiple bands has a reaction." Frustration exudes from the man.
Kellen steps into the lab and heads over to look at the mining tool with a frown.
Ramirez glances over and pulls a multi-spectral test tool from the bench and shines it onto the emitter assembly. The test pickup shows only trace reactivity in the emitter, and Ramirez just tosses the spectral probe onto the surface of the bench in annoyance. "Nothing. Again. Shocking." He looks to Coil, the terse nod brief and curt. "Doctor. Don't suppose you are an expert in Hur'q technology?"
Kellen shakes his head, "I'm no expert, but something from the reports on the Hur'q does call to mind something. What kind of protection do you have in place in this lab?"
Ramirez looks over. "For us, the equipment, the sample, or the ship?"
"Yes," Coil replies simply.
Ramirez picks up the multi-spectral probe emitter and pulls it back from the bench and triggers it. A blue-white shield flashes as the energy touches it. "Standard mag shield for charged particles. Plus a lab-quality ray shield." He taps the clear enclosure around the test rig. "Lab-grown aluminum oxide crystal shielding for anything kinetic."
Then he motions around the lab. "The entire lab has an air gap from the ship. Physically, there is a vacuum channel, plus borosilicate nanoweave in case something explodes in here." He points back to the bench. "That's just the standard stuff, of course. We can bring in mobile carts if we need some kind of special handling. Why...something you think we should add?"
Kellen nods, "Distance. A lot of distance." He frowns at the tool, "Every instance in the reports of the Hur'q burrowing had our systems affected."
Ramirez frowns. "Affected how? EM? Particle? Tachyonic?"
"Disruption," Coil replies. "You probably know better than I do, but we lost at least one ship to the Hur'q because of it."
Ramirez grunts. "I haven't read those reports. Didn't know they existed." His head shakes and he tosses the probe onto the bench. "Before I kill us all, we need to understand what this thing does." He motions. "We can make some guesses. They were mining all kinds of volatiles in there, with tools like this. They can't be relying on just...dumping energy in there and doing the work thermally. They'd all just get blown up."
Kellen walks around the test rig, "I'd feel better if we were on a planet with nice safe air to breathe before even trying to play with this. If we accidently activate it, especially this close to the warp core, it could be detrimental."
Ramirez nods. "Yet here we are, in the Gamma Quadrant, with a task." He looks over. "It's an imperfect universe, doctor." He shrugs. "That being said....there's no reason we can't beam down to one of those rocks to perform testing. Just in case."
Kellen raises an eyebrow, "Would you trust the life support in your flightsuit to survive a disruption? There's a reason why I said a planet with a safe atmosphere." He frowns at the tool, "I've been on a planet with a marginal environment. It wasn't pretty, but that was more survival than no life support at all."
Ramirez mmms. "Well, the rock below has an atmosphere, in point of fact. Which is another mystery I'd like solved, but that's a different discussion." He sighs. "We could build a shelter down there. Temporary air barrier. We don't have a planet handy.
Kellen nods slowly, "Get it away from the warp core at least. The high energy physics lab on deck 4 should be far enough from both warp cores and the bridge to avoid any incidental disruptions."
Ramirez hehs. "We hope."
"More than it is now," Coil points out. "Plus the high energy lab is heavily armored and shielded, though probably not from whatever the Hur'q use given it's widespread effects on any ship caught near a burrowing Hur'q ship."
Ramirez looks over. "Safety protocols aside, Doctor Coil, do you have any idea what principle this thing uses to function?" He motions. "It doesn't really react to any test input I've sent its way. So far."
Kellen shakes his head, "I would've said sound, but the harmonics affect ships in a vacuum. Possibly some sort of disruptor, messing with atomic bonds, but not like the disruptors we're familiar with."
Ramirez mmms, brows lifting. "...maybe some quantum-level effect? It sounds almost like that."
Kellen shrugs, "Possibly, but I'd need to catch it in operation and I doubt that we could be close enough to get readings without our equipment being effected."
Ramirez sighs. "So in order to operate it, we need to see it operating? That's disturbingly circular."
"Without a Hur'q power source, we'll have to experiment," Coil says. "But we have no data that I'm aware of on how Hur'q powered their equipment, unless there's some data that hasn't been reported. Maybe the readings taken after a burrowed ship departed might point the way, but I'd be happier with active burrowing readings."
Ramirez looks over, nodding. "Are those reports in the ship's archive? Or the science department archive? Before I do anything else, I feel like I should be up to date."
Kellen nods slowly, "There's 41 different reports in the computer, some mission some followups. Including a report from Ms. Alue about an early warning routine."
Ramirez nods. "Well, doctor. You've been most helpful." He looks back to his test rig. "Anything else you think we should be aware of?"
Kellen shrugs, "Same thing I tell all of the people who work in my labs. Safety first, last, and always. If there's even the slightest risk, pause and re-evaluate the situation before proceeding." He frowns off into the distance, "The Cardassians disregarded that and nearly killed several of their planets and caused warp core breaches in a number of starships."
Ramirez chuckles, though without mirth. "Wouldn't want that." he waves a hand. "In any case, you've been helpful, Doctor Coil. Thank you. Looks like I'll be reading a lot."
Kellen nods, "I'll review what was gathered before on the Hur'q's burrowing. Maybe even talk with Ms. Alue about what she has learned." He glances at the test rig, "Until then, I am going to hope no one figures out how to power this up, even in part, until we have a safer way to securing it."
Ramirez nods. "For what it's worth doctor, I'm going to note your admonishments in the notes and pass them along to everyone who helps out. When we conduct an actual test, well, better to not do it here."
Kellen gives a wave, "I'll be in touch once I have something reasonable for us to pursue, if someone else doesn't beat me to it. Good day." He pauses at the door and turns back, "And I owe you an apology for my behaviour in the armory the other day. You were entirely in your rights to follow doctrine, though the status of Doctor Hawthorn and myself is something other than just civilian. I handled it poorly and for that I am sorry I put you through that."
Ramirez looks over, brows lifting. "I appreciate the apology, Doctor Coil. For my part? I found Doctor Hawthorn...mm. Off putting. I let that effect my usual efficiency. And it colored my responses. I'll try harder to not let my irritation color my responses, sir."
"I have my reasons for not being happy with Starfleet, and as much as you might think mine are based on my discharge and court martial, well..." Coil says. He pauses and sighs, "Doctor Hawthorn's got an even stronger opinion. And it's not favorable. She's already not happy that I couldn't keep my word that she wouldn't have to talk to anyone but me."
Ramirez hmms. "Not real likely to pull THAT one off in a closed ecosystem like a starship, doctor. On the other hand, she came in and talked to me. So. Not like that's your fault."
Kellen nods and chuckles wryly, "Blames me for that one, I'm sure. It was my idea to get us certified again, given Commander Worthington's opinion on her ability to participate on an away mission." He shrugs, "It wasn't necessary, both of us have already done phaser training and proved it to Starfleet's satisfaction in the past, but it seemed like a good opportunity to shut up naysayers."
Ramirez mmms. "Not really anyone's fault, sir. Lieutenant Crass pushed a directive about it a while back. Anyone carrying a phaser needs yearly qualification. Security has to do it once a month. So that's fun." His head shakes. "Not really."
Kellen nods slowly and sighs, "I haven't had to shoot a phaser since I boarded the Hera and got attacked by a boobytrap set up by the former captain in case her mutinous crew came back for the ship."
Ramirez grins. "...which is exactly Lieutenant Crass' objection to one-time phaser qualification, sir. You think Atlanta Hawthorn is bad sir? Not sure if you've ever met my boss." He pauses, shrugs. "Tellarite." Like that should explain everything.
Kellen grins, "Faashla would have been my choice to take my place as Chief Science Officer, Mr. Ramirez. Unfortunately, she was an Ensign at the time and we lost her to Security." He thinks back, "Don't think she ever saw a mission where I saved us because of my phaser skills, but there were a number of times during my career where I was armed and Security was not in our missions."
Ramirez shrugs. "Eh. Security, sir, is becoming less and less relevant the farther we get from the Dominion War." He motions . "Big universe out there. We aren't shooting our way out of our problems. At least, not in a general sense." He points to the beam tool on the workbench.
"It's like the mining tool. Randomly dumping energy into a rock just raises its base temperature by a few microKelvin. Focus it on one spot, though, and you break off whatever bit is most useful. Intelligent application of force in exactly the right spot." He looks over. "Eh. Sorry, Doctor. I'm getting off topic."
Kellen chuckles, "Phasers are a mining tool as well, though you use them for weapons. A knife is useful in the kitchen or as any of a number of other tools, but we still use them as weapons as well." He pats the bulkhead next to him, "Even this ship is a weapon." He looks back at Ramirez, "I'm also a geologist and since becoming a civilian, trained on asteroid mining with a mining bee. I'm well aware of how the tools can be used." He frowns at the Hur'q tool, "Though they might have come up with a way to be even more selective in their mining process, not getting as much dross that has to be filtered out later."
Ramirez nods at the thing, as well. "Their bores, sir? They look nearly perfect. If you have mining chops, you should beam down there. The bores are /perfect./ They like to dig. They're very good at it." He shrugs. "And they were doing it without blowing themselves up from all the blitmanite."
"Hardly surprising," Coil says. "Insects usually are better at boring out tunnels than other creatures."
Ramirez nods. What else is there to say to that one? He nods to the table. "Well. I'm going to get back to this. Maybe it'll react to something. Probably not."
Kellen nods, "I'll get to my research." He glances once more at the tool, "Hopefully a safe distance away."