Quoting Caligula

Posted on Jun 05, 2015 @ 4:37pm by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane

Mission: The Lights of Hyperion

"QUOTING CALIGULA"

(Continued from "The One Per Cent")

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Captain's Log, supplemental - as more and more radiation leaks are detected around the ship, it is becoming clear that there is more going on than simple particle phenomena. I have been approached by one of the ex-Starfleet civilians on board, who believes he has information that could help...

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Location: USS Phoenix, en route to Elandipole through the Hyperion Expanse
Stardate: [2.15]0605.2030
Scene: Captain's Ready Room, Deck 1 (saucer section)


At the sound of the door chime, Michael Turlogh Kane turned away from his desktop monitor. "Come."

The door opened and Aerdan Jos entered, leading a figure that Kane had not had much contact with yet. Like his service record on the monitor, Thomas Varn was something of a sight to see. He was wearing a dark coat that couldn't hide what looked like over-large shoulders, giving him something of a hunchback look. Kane knew that trussed up under the coat were a pair of wings. Thomas Varn was a mutant, the result of a madman's twisted genetic experimentation right through living tissue.

Kane nodded in greeting. "Sit down, Mister Varn."

As Aerdan and Thomas both took seats, Kane looked again at his desktop monitor. Thomas Varn's service record, which he had accessed in preparation for this meeting, was impressive. Chief Science Officer on two starships and one space station, two stints as interim Executive Officer, and eleven years of service in Starfleet. There was a note from Starfleet Operations marking him as a possible future command officer. As well as being a scientist descended from Starfleet scientists, he was also a skilled pilot and liked to draw.

He seemed the perfect candidate for ExO somewhere, but there was a problem. Standing out in large red writing over his digital likeness were four damning words - MEDICALLY UNFIT FOR SERVICE. Further investigation led to a copy of the note written by some fleet psychologist, saying that Thomas Varn was suffering a psychological breakdown, and that his officer's commission was suspended until further notice.

Kane turned his attention back to Thomas. Best to make a good impression, he thought, cracking his features into a smile. "Before we begin, Mister Varn, I believe congratulations are in order. I'm informed that your partner, Sylvia Warren, is with child."

Thomas seemed surprised to be reminded of it. "Oh. Yes, that's right. Thank you, Captain."

"She's a good engineer. I also know you were aboard Limbo recently when Lieutenant Arn was killed. You helped the engineering team design and manufacture a tricorder modified to a specific bio-signature."

"Yes, sir, that's also correct."

Kane nodded. "You've been very helpful to the crew of the Phoenix, Mister Varn." He indicated a PADD in the mutant's hand. "You have new information for us regarding the radiation leaks, yes?"

Thomas activated the PADD and passed it across the desk. Kane ran his eye over it. "There are some diagrams and chemical equations that I don't understand. Can you give me a succinct report on what they all mean?"

Thomas sat forward in his seat. "I've correlated the data from the radiation leaks thus far, up to Major Thytos's experience a while ago. In a way, her encounter with the most recent leak was something of a godsend for us, because her sensor nets were able to record valuable information that simple eyesight couldn't. Also, her sensors recorded the whole thing in real time, as opposed to residual scans after the leak had disappeared."

"I understand. Go on, Mister Varn."

"When compared to our earlier reports, Major Thytos's real-time recordings indicate a significant variance in the wave-form structures of the radiation leaks. I believe that these readings conclusively show that there are two distinct types of leak."

Kane frowned. "I thought radiation was aimless energy transference."

"No, Captain. Remember your thermodynamics laws from school? Energy is never created or destroyed, only converted into various forms."

Aerdan leaned forward. "I concur with Mister Varn's analysis, Captain. It would appear that there are two distinct types of radiation leaks."

Kane nodded. "Alright. Tell me."

Thomas reached for the PADD, keyed in a control, and showed the screen to Kane. It displayed a bright light, with crackling tendrils snaking out in all directions, like a tiny sun. "This is the first type - the Orb, or Type A. This type manifests itself with no warning, suddenly transferring its energy into heat and light, which can cause interference with mechanical or electronic systems. This is the type that caused the explosion that injured Evangeline Montoya in the brig. It's also the type that appeared in my quarters two nights ago."

"And the other?"

Thomas manipulated the PADD's control again and showed a new picture. This one looked like a hazy, insubstantial cloud, with occasional whorls of energy lashing out from it. "This is the second type - the Aurora, or Type B. Unlike the Type A, the Aurora's appearances are usually presaged by a sudden spike in ambient beta particles. It was an Aurora that appeared in Engineering near the warp core, and in the refugee quarters that you were looking in to."

"I see. Does this mean we can predict the appearances of any future leaks?"

Thomas nodded. "It does for the Type B. We'll have to remodulate internal sensors to monitor for beta-particle spikes. We should have several seconds' warning before one appears."

"And the Orb types?"

Thomas frowned. "More difficult, sir. Since their appearance is so sudden and seemingly random, getting a fix on where they're going to be will be problematic, to say the least." He paused. "There's one final detail, Captain. It's going to sound strange, but I believe I should mention it."

Kane nodded. "Go on."

"According to our data, the Orb and Aurora types have specific differences in their waveform structures. That's all well and good, but they're the only kinds of leaks we are having aboard the ship." Thomas made a gesture with his hands, like he was trying to encompass the universe inside his palms."Captain, there are literally billions upon billions of possible waveform structures that a radiation leak could take, but we are not seeing that. We are seeing two distinct waveform structures, with only miniscule differences in each Type, recurring again and again." He paused. "The waveform structures of the leaks should be random each time, but they're not. They're made up of distinct patterns. Sir, what is happening aboard this ship is, from the point of view of thermodynamic particle physics, utterly and completely impossible."

Kane shared a worried glance with Aerdan. "Do you have a hypothesis, Mister Varn?"

Thomas shook his head. "No, sir. Not yet. Not without further analysis of future radiation leaks. But I suggest the focus of our investigation should shift away from what the leaks are, to where they're coming from. We can do that by focusing on the Aurora-types, since we'll have advance warning of their appearance."

Kane took a breath as the magnitude of what Thomas was saying sank in. "Thank you, Mister Varn. You've blown this thing wide open. Do you have any objections to working with our Science department?"

"No, Captain."

"I'll inform Ensign Trimble that you'll be working with them from this point on. Share your information with Commander Crichton - his engineers will assist you in remodulating the internal sensors. We're one step closer to solving this mystery, thanks to you."

"Thank you, Captain."

Kane nodded again. "Dismissed, Mister Varn." He waited until Thomas had got up and left the room, then turned to Aerdan. "Your thoughts?"

Aerdan's antennae were turning in little circles as the Andorian thought hard. "A breakthrough, Captain. If we can pin down the origin of the Aurora-type leaks, we'll be able to form a working theory as to how to contain the leaks."

Kane paused. "And the rigid waveform structures?"

Aerdan shrugged, a curiously Human gesture that he'd picked up somewhere."Troubling. Are they artificial? Are they related to the Hyperion Expanse in some way? Where do they come from? We need more answers."

"Let's hope those answers are out there," said Kane, rubbing tired eyes. "Carry on, Mister Jos."

"Aye, sir." Aerdan got up and left the room, leaving Kane alone with this thoughts. In the viewport, the light show of the Hyperion Expanse continued.

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Scene: Captain's Quarters, Deck 2 (saucer section)


Later, Kane was relaxing on his couch with a cup of tea and a replicated bacon sandwich. There had been no radiation leaks all day, the ship had made good progress through the Expanse, and the refugee situation in the cargo bays seemed to be under some sort of control. His officers were all gainfully employed, and there seemed to have been a positive reaction from the Limbo refugees to the call for people to help crew the ship.

So when his door chime sounded, he wasn't perturbed at all. "Come in."

The door opened and Jane Hakeswill was standing there. She leaned in cautiously, inclining her head in a circle until she caught sight of him.

Kane scrambled to his feet. "Miss Hakeswill," he said, fiercely swallowing the last mouthful of sandwich. "Come in. What can I do for you?"

Jane stepped inside. She still seemed uncertain. A shy smiled played around her lips. "It's just a social call," she said. "I wanted to see how you were. You know, stop by."

"Oh," said Kane in surprise. He put down his tea. "Here, sit down. Something to drink?"

"Alright." Jane made her way across the room, looking around. She frowned at the bare walls, the empty shelves, the clean greyness of it all. "How come you don't have any stuff?"

Kane replicated some lemonade. When he turned around, she was turning back from looking into the bedroom. He shrugged. "I used to. All my stuff got lost."

"What happened to it?"

Kane put the lemonade down on the table. "My home burned down in a fire."

"Oh."

"Why do you ask?"

Jane took a seat. "You can tell a lot from a person by what they surround themselves with. You don't have anything."

Kane sat down beside her. "Maybe I'm inscrutable," he smiled.

"You'd like to think you are," she chuckled, then the smile disappeared. "You must be quite lonely."

Kane leaned back. "I've heard that before, from other women," he said, bristling.

"No need to be sensitive, Captain. I didn't mean it in a bad way." Jane sipped the lemonade. "It can't be easy, doing what you do, sitting up on that bridge, risking everyone's lives by turning left when you should have turned right. Working relationships. No friends, only subordinates. Am I right?"

"I don't know what my crew thinks of me. Maybe they loathe me. God knows I probably deserve it."

"Let them hate me, as long as they obey me?" Jane smiled. "You can't fool me, Captain. You've built your walls high, but that just makes some people curious to see what's behind them."

Kane raised an eyebrow. "Does that include you?"

Jane met his gaze evenly. "Yes, I think so."

They shared a moment, and Jane finished her lemonade. "I'd better go."

Kane touched her hand. "You can stay if you want."

For a second he thought she was going to say yes. "Not this time, Captain. There are a bunch of street children running around deck nineteen who have never been on board a starship before. I don't want them pushing any buttons or finding their way into the access tunnels." She got up and moved towards the door. "You'll be careful?"

Kane nodded.

She smiled at him, and went away.

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NRPG: Short, but hopefully the scene with Thomas, Aerdan and Kane clearly consolidates our information on the strange radiation leaks. You can start referring to the Orb and Aurora types (or A and B, if you prefer) in your posts. As implied, the next part of the investigation will focus on where the leaks are emanating from and what they're doing - the answers may surprise you ;)


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

"Trust is allowing a Vulcan to take your [carotid] pulse."
- Internet meme

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