Science Meeting

Posted on Sun Jan 1st, 2023 @ 12:12am by Lieutenant K’lar & Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Coleman & Lieutenant JG Vashir
Edited on on Sun Jan 1st, 2023 @ 11:52am

2,281 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 114 - A Time and Place for Everything
Location: Science Lab 3
Timeline: MD1 - 1415 hours

On:

Commander Coleman had headed back to Science Lab 3 after finding out where the reports he had been working on had ended up. Taking the PADDs that he had in his arms and looking over the reports, it was interesting to see everything that was going on temporally and elsewhere.

Tapping his combadge, Coleman said, "K'Lar and Vashir, come to Science Lab 3 and bring a few PADDs with you. I want to start working on everything that's going on around us."
----

Klar was several layers below Science Lab 3 within the myriad of Starbase 400's science decks. Science Labs were split between Levels 1605-1699. Some labs were multiple decks high. Certain labs were long enough to take up most of an entire deck. Many laboratories were closer to standard room sizes.

Every lab fit into its place like a three dimensional puzzle. K'lar was deep within the bowels of Section R2 on Level 1652 when the message arrived. He'd been studying the two Andorian women who'd accompanied his earlier flight.

"Right away, Commander", K'lar said after tapping his commbadge. Several PADDs of data had already been compiled from the Andorians. K'lar turned to the two women, each sitting comfortably in a lab designed for patient interaction.

"Remember. Do not discuss major events, past or present", K'lar instructed. Other science officers spoke of recent events just outside the hall. "We are almost complete with the monitoring process. Ensign T'Luk will take over for me."

As the women replied, K'lar grabbed several PADDs in a hurry. He also made sure to holster his science tricorder. The Klingon was soon on his way to rendezvous with Lt. Cmdr. Coleman and Lt. JG Vashir. The nearest turbolift was a brisk walk away. It would only take a few minutes to arrive.
----

Vashir tapped her combadge. "Right away, Commander," she responded excitedly. She had heard rumors and bustlings about what might be going on outside the station and was eager to finally find out what was going on. She grabbed a handful of PADDs and threw them into a shoulder bag, and jogged to Science Lab 3.

"Lt. Vashir reporting as requested sir," Vashir announced as she entered the lab.

Lt. JG K'lar took a few minutes longer to arrive. As the doors closed behind the Orion science officer, the Klingon just stepped out of the turbolift. Long, heavy strides carried him quickly through the hall full of anxious science officers.

Signs led K'lar in the direction of Science Lab 3. Before long he entered the doorway with a whisk.

"Lt. K'lar as ordered, sir", he said with a bow to the Lieutenant Commander as the door shut behind him. A curt nod was next passed to Vashir. "I come bearing data". His deep, scratchy voice happily rose an octave on the last sentence.

"I'm glad that you two could get down here so quickly, especially with that data. I've been looking over some of the information that we've collected so far about it and I haven't been able to come to any conclusions about it. You two have qualifications that could help. What kinds of information have you found out, K'lar?" Coleman said, bringing up the information that he had already gotten from various sensor scans and other data brought to him by people throughout the Starbase.

"Well sir", K'lar said as he handed Lt. Cmdr. Coleman the first PADD. "The Life Sciences section has been studying 2nd Lieutenant Orjeza zh'Kaakret and one of her grandmothers. Several other pairs of relatives are also being studied." K'lar turned to make eye contact with Vashir momentarily. "Our first goal was to record chroniton particle exposure."

K'lar handed over a second PADD, this one with more detailed biological scans. "We compared the baseline of the Starbase crew compared to the grandmother and several other displaced figures." K'lar could feel the weight of his words as he spoke. "Exposure to chronitons seems to consistent, regardless of assigned ship. This seems to rule out a particle wave or multiple events."

"Chroniton signatures looked consistent, reinforcing this." K'lar handed Lt. Cmdr. Coleman a third PADD as he spoke. This one was loaded with genetic data. "This incident has also given me the chance to study the effects of temporal displacement on DNA. But..."

The Klingon scooped up the first two PADDs and offered them to Vashir for review. "Two questions remain. What source could have sent these ships here? Why does it seem as if there are so many connections between these ships and the crew of Starbase 400? Even I was seemingly forced to confront a vessel from the past of my own House."

K'lar had spent the morning collecting data. He was anxious to hear what Vashir and the Commander thought of this situation.

"I take it that the Starbase has been exposed to these same chroniton particles and we have the same signatures, by the looks of what you've found with our officer onboard Starbase 400?" Coleman asked K'lar.

"Actually no", he replied. "The crew of Starbase 400 has not been exposed, shown in the lack of chroniton particles in the Andorian assigned here. It is almost as if the arrivals encountered some force which sent them here... But their chroniton exposure is a side effect. Not the cause."

Coleman nodded gently, as he looked over more of the information. He looked towards Vashir and said, "I know that you've got a bit of experience in temporal mechanics, Vashir. Have you seen anything quite like this?"

Vashir took the data PADD. "People have definitely been known to carry chroniton particles after known time travel events, though not necessarily when the ship that they are on is what's being carried through time. In those scenarios the chroniton particles seem to be more associated with the vessels themselves, though there is always the potential for cross-contamination."

Vashir handed the PADD back to K'lar. "Also, chroniton particles tend to dissipate the further away the object or individual gets from the event that brought them to their current out-of-place position in time. It's why it's important to harness the particles when detected. It can help trigger the next event to send someone back to their proper place in history." Vashir looked at Coleman and K'lar. Have we been studying the subjects and/or their vessels for long enough to determine if the particles are dissipating?"

K’lar took his second PADD as Vashir spoke. He reviewed levels of the particle between several test subjects. “It has only been a few hours”, K’lar said. “We shall watch for dissipation.” After scrolling through the data to double check the numbers, he continued. “You see? Consistent levels across the board. But how could they all now be the same distance from the same source?”

The levels shown were not high enough to suggest that chroniton exposure alone was cause for the event. This was not a natural disaster or exposure to leaky Romulan cloaking technology. The chroniton signatures were different than those logged for similar events. K’lar could feel his anxiety rising. His brain felt stressed to capacity as he tried to make sense of the day.

“The levels do not seem to show cross contamination, as higher readings would show in technology based exposure cases. It’s more of a signature”, said the Klingon science officer as he set down his PADD. “Less of a particle emission.”

Vashir spoke up, "Regardless of what caused it, the vessels need to be harnessing whatever chroniton particles they can, because they each may be responsible for sending themselves back. For most of them, I'm guessing the best course of action would be to adjust the polarization in their main deflectors."

Vashir turned to Commander Coleman, "I suppose the ships from the future are being fairly tight-lipped about technology they may possess that could lead to a more simple solution? Temporal Prime Directive and all." She didn't bother to hide her irritation at the thought.

K'lar scratched his head in thought for a few moments. His focus was on the data. Large hands drew the PADD closer to his face to have a closer look at the numbers, partially to ensure he wasn't being superstitious. He'd never experienced anything like today's events. Views on potential solutions were more skeptical from the Klingon's perspective. He resigned to slip the PADD back onto Lt. Cmdr. Coleman's desk.

Looking everything that K'Lar and Vashir had, as well as everything he was hearing about the Chroniton Particles, Coleman wanted to make sure that everyone was safe and got back to their own timelines safely. Looking at the pair, Coleman said, "Well, I don't want anyone onboard to have any sort of issues health wise from anything that might be going on. I believe there was something that the USS Voyager had happen, when it was hit with temporal energy that shattered it into several timelines onboard. The Doctor made a serum that allowed Commander Chakotay to travel between the different timelines safely. Have either one of you seen the research that was done into that serum? Could it help with anything that might be going on here?"

"Others mentioned similar research", K'lar said while remembering an earlier conversation. A team of researchers helped collect the data K'lar presented. The group had shared ideas and were still searching for new information. "Exposure levels and signatures are being analyzed on a cellular level as we speak. I have confidence that the Life Sciences team can use notes from Voyager to devise a potential serum." The Klingon knew that such extrapolations would be extremely complex. He had faith with those he'd met in his short time on Starbase 400. "We could even contact Voyager's own science staff for firsthand guidance." His voice rose slightly with excitement.

Vashir looked up, startled at what K'lar had mentioned. She would love an opportunity to speak with Admiral Janeway. She cleared her throat. "We could, but we've come a long way since Voyager as well. We should be able to pull the information on the chroniton innoculations that the EMH on Voyager used, and the research that Starfleet has done since. There is an allegedly more stable version of the formula, but I don't think it's been tested." Vashir added.

"Honestly, guys. I'm more worried about the ships. Commander, are we able to contact them and tell them what to do? Even if they haven't encountered the technology yet? And could the ships from the future be cooking up something that we couldn't even dream of here?" Vashir asked, a concerned expression on her face.

K'lar took a quick step to the side to stand before Lt. JG Vashir. An anxious snort of a laugh escaped as he said, "concerns about a ship must surely be met. If crew members should be sent to their proper time, perhaps so too should their ships."

His eyes studied hers for a moment before moving outwards to look over her facial features. K'lar turned to pace back to his previous spot and said, "I still must continue working with Life Sciences. We will test and devise an anti-chroniton treatment. I do hope you can teach me the theory behind your idea, Lieutenant", he said to Vashir.

It was the closest he could come to admitting she had a deeper level of knowledge than he did. K'lar could only focus on what he knew. He admired Lt. JG Vashir for standing up for her idea.

"It's good that you've been doing DNA studies. It will be helpful when you go to do preliminary tests on serum formula," Vashir commented, hoping the Klingon would perceive it as a compliment.

"Well, for the moment, the ships appear to be stable. Albeit it, in the wrong timeline. Vashir, since your specialty is Temporal Mechanics and astrophysics, I want you to begin working with Engineering to make sure that all the ships are able to withstand the stresses of timetime, as well as working on getting them back to where they need to get back to. It's not just a where, as much as a when too. As for you, K'Lar, work on that serum. Since Lieutenant Vashir has the right thought about a more stable version, work with her, medical, and Life Sciences to make sure that it gets done and fast. The longer the older ships are here, the more that they can learn about us as we can learn about the future ships. Time is of the essence!" Coleman said, a smile forming on his face, much like the one that could be found on Captain Proton's face after a successful mission.

"Any questions?" Coleman asked, looking up from the various PADDs before him.

"No sir", replied the motivated Klingon. He was excited to tackle the puzzle ahead. His features softened warmly as he slowly formalized his posture to attention.

"No, questions, sir. I'll get on this straight away," Vashir said confidently.

"Okay, get back to me within the next 24-48 hours. I want to come to Admiral Bremer with something solid and with a few answers for him. But, at least we got a nice start on everything. Thank you both. Dismissed," Coleman said, allowing for both of the younger officers to exit the lab and begin their work.

After they left and the lab was empty again, Coleman stood up and leaned against one of the consoles, looking straight into space and just watched as the various ships began floating by. He was hoping that he could find an answer before too long.

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Coleman
Chief Science Officer
Starbase 400

&

Lieutenant (JG) Vashir
Assistant Chief Science Officer
Starbase 400

&

Lieutenant (JG) K'Lar
Science Officer
Starbase 400

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