A Rock And A Hard Place

Posted on May 27, 2015 @ 2:35pm by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane

Mission: The Lights of Hyperion

"A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE"

(Continued from "Roasted")

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Captain's Log, Supplemental - following my earlier investigation below decks, it seems that a series of odd events are occurring around the ship. I need answers, but there may not be any to be found...

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Location: USS Phoenix, en route to Elandipole
Stardate: [2.15]0527.1830
Scene: Primary Science Centre (Deck 8, saucer section)


There was almost nobody in the science centre when Michael Turlogh Kane arrived down there with his PADD and his questions. Most of the staff had been loaned out to other departments, whether as haphazard security guards or working on the makeshift damage control teams,to the effect that all the workstations were unmanned, and his footfalls echoed on the deck plating as he crossed the floor to the offices.

Stephanie Trimble was sitting in the CSciO's office, reading something on the desktop monitor. The dark-haired, blue-eyed Texan had been a rising star in Starfleet a year ago. Now, career in tatters, she and all her shipmates were fugitives aboard the most wanted starship in the Alpha Quadrant.

Stephanie looked startled when Kane appeared in the doorway."Captain!" she exclaimed, hastily getting to her feet. "I was just - well, I was just brushing up on my - "

"It's alright, Ensign," said Kane, stepping forward and holding out the PADD he was holding. "I wonder if you could take a look at these readiings for me? They're from a radiation leak that occurred overnight in one of the refugee quarters."

Stephanie took the PADD and activated it. "I hear there have been quite a few of those in the past twenty-four hours." She ran her eye over the data layout. "Beta particles. Ionised radiation emitted from unstable atomic nuclei. Harmless to organic tissue in small doses. They used to use them in radiation therapy to fight cancer."

Kane folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Go on."

Stephanie smiled awkwardly. "I'm not sure I can, sir. My knowledge of particle physics is from a schoolbook. I have no practical experience."

"Tell me what you know."

"Alright." Stephanie paused a moment, trying to frame her thoughts. "Particle physics deals with the study of sub-atomic particles that have, and do not have, mass. A particle that has mass is anything that you can bump into, touch, or squeeze - matter, in other words."

"What about radiation?"

"That's got to do with particles that have no mass. Radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of particles, or waves, through space or through a material medium. If the radiation has enough energy to ionise the matter it comes into contact with - such as the humanoid body - then it can cause damage to organic tissue."

"Could an energy particle, transmitted through the air, ionise a plasma grenade and cause it to detonate?"

"Yes, it's certainly possible. It would be done at the molecular level, I'd imagine, making the plasma unstable."

Kane frowned, thinking about the detonation in the brig earlier. "What about a random explosion in mid-air?"

"You mean the accident that wounded the prisoner in the brig? I'm not so sure, sir. I suppose so, but I'd need to make an in-depth scan of that whole area to make sure."

Kane stroked his chin. There was three days worth of greasy salt-and-pepper stubble growing on it. "We're travelling through the Hyperion Expanse. All our information led us to believe that this magnascopic storm was a simple light show, but all these radiation leaks can't be a coincidence. Do you have an explanation?"

Stephanie shook her head slowly. "No, sir. Ultraviolet light and cosmic rays are both examples of ionising radiation present in interstellar space, but our navigational shields protect the ship from them as a matter of course. It shouldn't be possible for any outside radiation to penetrate our shields."

"And yet something is," Kane murmured.

"Can I make a suggestion, Captain?" asked Stephanie.

Kane nodded.

"It's a shame that Thomas Varn isn't fit for duty, sir. He has a lot more experience with theoretical science than I have. His input would be invaluable."

"Varn? The winged mutant?"

"Yes, Captain. With the loss of Lieutenant Arn, Thomas Varn would be a logical choice for Chief Science Officer." Stephanie shrugged. "If he was fit for duty, that is."

Kane nodded. "Thank you, Ensign. Carry on." He picked up the PADD from the table and left, thinking on what had been said.

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Scene: Captain's Ready Room


A little later, Kane sat down at his desk in the ready room as Aerdan Jos and Jake Crichton sat down opposite him. The Phoenix was still warping through the Hyperion Expanse, but outside the viewport were burst of white light against the backdrop of space. It wasn't quite the black curtain they were used to seeing - rather, it was a murky grey colour, as the great cloud of the Expanse enshrouded the Phoenix on her voyage onward.

The two men politely waited until Kane was ready.

"Mister Crichton, you've been investigating these radiation leaks," said Kane. "What have you found?"

"The type of radiation that appeared in the marine armoury and in the brig were the same," said Jake. "The explosion in the brig was caused by the radiation coming into contact with the cell's forcefield. The makeup of the burns in both cases were virtually the same too, just a one per cent difference in the waveform pattern that caused them."

"So you're certain that these leaks are emitting from something?"

Jake nodded. "Yes, Captain. Radiation doesn't appear from nothing, it radiates from something. In these cases, the waveform pattern of the radiation leaks are almost the same."

"These are not isolated incidents," said Aerdan, steepling his blue fingers under his chin. His antennae were slowly rotating back and forth as his brow furrowed in thought. "So far we've had a leak in the warp core, in the marine armoury, the refugee and crew quarters, and the brig."

"Could there be a pattern?" asked Kane.

"It seems to be random," said the Andorian. "One thing is for certain, Captain - if we have a serious leak in one of the cargo bays, someone could be seriously hurt, even killed."

Kane nodded. "Yes, that's the fear. We have to minimise the danger to those people." He paused for a moment. "We could change course, make a direct route out of the Expanse, then turn back for Elandipole, skirting the edge of the cloud."

"I went through that scenario with Mister Byte earlier," said Aerdan. "We are already so deep into the Expanse that exiting it will take just as long a time as continuing on our present course. If we were to do that, we would add weeks to our voyage."

"And every day we spend on the voyage raises the potential of a violent outbreak in the cargo bays," said Kane. "Damn it. We're caught between a rock and a hard place."

"The leaks don't seem to be dangerous," said Jake. "Well, they've had dangerous consequences, but if they hadn't come into contact with anything volatile there'd be no problem. The leak you investigated this morning is an example of that, Captain. No danger to the ship, only minor medical attention needed."

"There was some sort of explosive leak in Thomas Varn's quarters last night," said Aerdan.

"We're looking into it," said Jake. "I don't have an answer for that one yet."

"Do you have a suggestion, Mister Crichton?" asked Kane.

"Nothing more than minimising the chances of those dangerous consequences recurring. No forcefields, deactivate all shipboard small arms and scanning equipment - basically, switch off anything energy-based that could cause an explosion." Jake held up his hands as Kane opened his mouth. "I don't mean primary systems like the engines or life support, I mean secondary systems. Half the decks are already offline - I suggest deactivating half of the remaining ones."

"How would that affect the refugees?" asked Kane.

"We'd have to shut down shipboard replicators," confirmed Jake, "but we can turn them off and on as we need to, for a short time. Since the radiation leaks appear to be random, we'd be riding our luck, but we'd also minimise the chances of a leak causing damage to one of the ship's systems."

There was silence for a moment. The situation weighed heavily in the room. Finally Kane looked at Aerdan. "We'd be drastically escalating the security risk from the refugees," he said. "Your suggestion?"

"We cannot go backward," said the Andorian. "We have to keep going. Implement Commander Crichton's recommendation."

"And when the refugees find out that the forcefields are down and that they could rush the barricades if they chose?"

"Captain," said the Andorian, "not all the refugees are violent. Most are just what they are. If your security worries come true, then we must do our utmost to convince them to choose another option."

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Scene: Deck 19, saucer section


Kane returned to the scene of the radiation leak last night. When the turbolift doors opened, he saw the same group of children playing their throw-and-catch game in the corridor. This time, when he stepped forward, there were no insults, no cheek. They only stood and watched, recognising him from yesterday.

Kane paused as he passed them, and looked down at the boy who had told him to 'sit and spin' yesterday. "Did everyone here get an injection in sickbay yesterday?" he said.

The boy nodded. "Yes, Captain."

Kane raised an eyebrow at the mention of his rank. "Good." He walked on, passing the children, until he came to Jane Hakeswill's door. At his knock, she opened it. "Miss Hakeswill."

"Captain Kane," Jane smiled. "Welcome back to our neck of the woods. Is there something I can do for you?"

"I wanted to give you a copy of the results of our scans on the radiation leak," said Kane, passing a PADD to her. "There was no danger to any of the children, but if anything like this happens again, don't hesitate to contact the bridge."

"I heard there have been more mysterious radiation leaks all over the ship."

"Yes, but none of them have been life-threatening," Kane said smoothly. "We think it has something to do with the Hyperion Expanse itself. Still, a few more days and we'll be through it. Will you, uh, will you be alright until then?"

The question surprised her. She smiled - shyly, Kane thought. "I will. Thank you, Captain."

"You're welcome." Kane tried hard, but couldn't think of anything to say. He backed away. "I have to get back to work now."

"Sure," she said, holding the PADD.

Kane turned away, wand walked back through the staring children, his stomach churning, feeling like a wonderful opportunity had been missed.

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NRPG: Kane's teenage mating foibles aside, this post (along with Shawn's yesterday) finishes the opening act of 'The Lights of Hyperion'. A series of unexplained radiation leaks have occurred around the ship, some dangerous, some less so, and although we have begun initial examination of the results, the cause of the leaks is still a mystery. Meanwhile, unknown to the command crew, betrayal and plots continue to fester inside cargo bay three.

I tried to give a general outline of how radiation works through the conversation with Ensign Exposition - err, I mean Trimble - but the main thing to grasp is that something radiates it, it causes burns/residue in specific molecular wave-forms, and it's not generally a problem unless it is.

In the next round of posting, we'll come a step closer to understanding what is causing these radiation leaks, and Embry's machinations will become altogether more dangerous. Like before, each of you will be writing another event/clue that will set up the final part of the story, during which you can all go crazy and explode/kill things ;)


Jerome McKee
the Soul of Captain Michael Turlogh Kane
Commanding Officer
USS Phoenix


"He speaks an infinite deal of nothing!"
- Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Act 1, Scene 1.117

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