Great Leap Forward

Posted on Wed Mar 20th, 2024 @ 3:59am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Lieutenant Marikit "Kit" Urso & Captain Ivan Petrov & Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov & Lieutenant Sovas Nyseth & Lieutenant JG Orion Wolff & Lieutenant JG Corvin Hartjin & Lieutenant JG Nairobi Ellis & Lieutenant JG Revana Nazar & Ensign Maya Price

Mission: S1 Episode 7: Prime Factors
Location: Various Locations
Timeline: Date 2371-09-20 at 0430
4074 words - 8.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

The away team had returned from the planet's surface just a half hour ago with the trajector and hadn't even had to pay for it by exchanging money and cultural information with Garit Ito's contact. Unfortunately, the man had been arrested, but Ivan was hardly worried about that. Of course, now he was spending his time ignoring Syrene's calls and giving the team down in engineering time to integrate the foreign piece of technology into their systems.

Ivan stood at the master systems display at the back of the bridge, his fingers moving slowly over the controls as he attempted to complete his theoretical calculations about how fast this new technology might be able to get them home. It was exhilarating for him to think he was so close to succeeding in his mission of returning his crew to the Alpha Quadrant, but his heart beat fast with anxiety. There was always the possibility this wouldn't work.

Everything had seemed to happen in one single moment down on the planet: The exchange of the trajector, followed by the return to the ship, arrest of their contact, and the frenzy of activity of the technology that would bring them so much closer to home by a few presses of buttons on a console. Sovas was still processing the situation and found himself filled with uncertain anticipation. Did he want to go home? Did he want to stay here? He wasn't certain, but the time to speak up or object was long past, and like the rest of the crew, they were locked into the fate that had been delivered with the device.

Lyra sat behind the tactical console pointedly ignoring the urge to spin around in her chair. Weapons and shields were on hot standby, but the sound decision had been made to not go to red alert and draw more attention and suspicion. This left her without much to do other than wait on the engineers, and she really hated to be kept waiting.

"Captain, we are receiving another hail from the surface," The half-Vulcan said as he looked to his console, which blinked with the incoming hail. "It's the eighth within the last fifteen minutes, onscreen?"

"Not yet, Lieutenant. Ignore it." Ivan said, shaking his head.

"Affirmative, sir," He answered, and the eighth hail was denied, though he was already anticipating the next hail and could almost feel the urgency behind it. Though was it to posture and demand or beg and plead? He was curious what the Sikiarians would do now that they had the technology.

Ivan tapped his commbadge then and turned slowly to face the viewscreen.

"Captain to Engineering. What's your status?"

Engineering
"We're almost there, sir." Andrei answered as he glanced over at Kit, Nairobi, and Revana standing around the trajector, which had been placed on a pedestal in the middle of the room, with their tricorders beeping. "The chords are attached, and we're testing the connections to make sure we aren't about to blow ourselves out of the sky. I'm suspicious of possible sabotage with something like this."

Orion was working with the engineering teams who were attempting to integrate the trajector into the systems of the Vengeance; along with the device, they'd been provided information on how to interface the device with their systems, or at least he hoped it would integrate given this was an unknown alien technology that was untested with Imperial systems, which mean they would be immediately breaking new ground and for a moment he had a sense of deja vu like he was back on the Gladius, the crew attempting to squeeze out one more day from that ships overtaxed systems.

"Alright." Kit finally declared after adjusting the last few connections. "We are as ready to try this as we will ever be. Nairobi, keep an eye on the trajector field. Revana, watch for any power fluctuations. Orion, keep an eye out for any complications.”

She turned and looked toward Andrei, waiting for him to give the go ahead.

"Aye." Nairobi said, stepping over to one of the three terminals along the walk that had been configured to monitor the trajector. She was focused on the job and didn't seem particularly interested in whether or not this new piece of technology got them home. If anything, she was more worried it would blow them to Kingdome Come. She tried to keep that thought out of her head and clued up the readings on the trajector field, even though it wouldn't light up until it was time to jump.

Revana, for her part, didn't respond verbally, but moved instead to the console next to Nairobi, preparing it to analyze the power outputs once the trajector was powered on. She was eager to get back to the Empire. She, more than most, seemed to find the fleet confining, and it had only gotten worse now that she ran the engineering department on a smaller ship.

"Do it." Andrei said, looking to Kit with his strong arms folded under his chest. He was holding his judgement and would wait to see what happened. Only the gods could know if it was going to work or not. "Don't cock this up. This ship is better intact."

“See I was hoping for a more open floor plan by knocking down some walls, but I’ll see what I can do.” Kit quipped easily. “Alright everyone. Here we go.”

Kit took one last glance at the innocuous device and from her own console set up nearest to it, she activated it. They didn’t immediately blow up and the ship wasn’t shaking, so those were good signs already.

“It’s working. Huh, it operates within a neutrino envelope. I thought so. Talk to me, people. How are we looking?”

“This trajectory field is huge.” Nairobi said more than a hint of wonder in her voice, her mouth remaining open as she watched the readings on her screen. “I mean, seriously huge.”

"Huh, curious," The Terran mused as he looked over the readings before he turned his attention to the material they'd been given with the trajector. "It appears that the device is only part of the device, the manual references a crystalline matrix? I'm not certain as the translator is having trouble with some of the syntax, maybe a power source?"

"Lieutenant Nazar, could you conduct a scan of the planet to see if there is something we're missing?" His attention turned to the Orion woman as he continued to try and make sense of the uncertain wording.

Revana rolled her eyes at even being talked to by Orion, but decided to switch her console to search for a power source, her green eyes narrowing as she read the data before she cued up a graphic and a scanned image of the planet showed up on her screen.

“I think it’s their planet which serves as the source of amplification. It’s twenty kilometers of tetrahedral quarts. It looks like the crystalline structure apliques the trajectory field, making it possible for it to transport objects over vast distances.”

"Well, that's kinda shit, because that means once we leave orbit we won't be able to do it again unless we stumble on another planet with a similar make up." Kit frowned from her console. "So it is now or never."

Andrei had been listening closely to the exchange between his team as they discovered how this amazing piece of technology worked. He wallowed them to do so uninterrupted, since this wasn't exactly his area of expertise, and had instead accessed the readings on his patch and spent his time matching the readings to what they were saying. When Kit made her statement about the urgency of their situation, however, he spoke up.

"Not until the Captain gives the order." he said in a tone that would allow no argument. "For now, I'll plot a suitable destination and, when he gives the go-ahead, we'll jump there."

He imagined, from now on, the purpose of their mention would be centered around surveying planets with a similar core as Sikaris. It would be tedious work, but such a process would be critical to their getting home, step by step.

Bridge
"Captain, the Sikarians are continuing to be persistent. There's another hail coming in from the surface, and they are also sending text-only messages." Sovas looked up at the Captain and wondered just how long he intended to ignore the people on the planet below. "Shall I put her through?"

Ivan sighed as he approached his chair on the lower level and sat down in it.

"I suppose it's time, Sovas. Put her through, then plug your ears."

The half-blood quirked an eyebrow as he watched Ivan dramatically take his seat, even giving off some unhinged energy that seemed to be missing after the ambush. He didn't observe that out loud; instead, he reached out and tapped the button to answer the hail. "Onscreen, sir."

The image of Syrene sitting behind her desk filled the viewscreen. Her beautiful face was contorted into an angry scowl. “Captain Petrov, I must insist that you return my peoples’ technology this instant and depart from our world with your fleet.”

"Magistrate, so lovely to see you again." Ivan said, folding his huge leather-gloved hands in his lap and smiling a satisfied smile despite himself. "I tried to reason with you and to make a deal, but you refused me. That is quite dangerous, I trust you know. I was surprised at your courage. But, where I'm from, the strongest man gets what he wants in the end."

“I do not wish to threaten you, but this act cannot stand. We are prepared to take the trajector back by force if necessary and have called in our allies for assistance. Our planetary defense systems have also been activated. Now please, Captain, see reason. We do not have to quarrel. Return our technology and continue on your way and we will not hold a grudge.” Syrene implored him, though she was collected and calm.

“When diplomacy fails, we are left with only one option: violence.” Ivan said, his brown eyes glittering with the same familiar fire that had laid waste to worlds. “You have such a beautiful planet. I would hate to reduce it to a smoldering ruin.”

He glanced back at Lyra and lifted an eyebrow.

“Load a city red matter torpedo, Commander. Let’s hope the Magistrate doesn’t make us use it.”

"Aye, sir." Lyra replied from her station and complied immediately with a certain twinkle in her eye at the prospect of getting to use it.

Syrene frowned a bit more deeply. "Diplomacy did not fail on our end, Captain. You simply lack patience and did not give time. Even if you were to attack our planet, you would not survive the encounter. Now, return our technology."

"Captain, I'm detecting numerous incoming warp signatures, several of them quite large," Sovas spoke up as his console for the sensors lit up. "At their current speed, we've approximately fifteen minutes before they can drop out of warp and engage us."

"They never learn, Ivan said under his breath, and then turned on the audio again. "Magistrate, this is Terran Diplomacy, but we don't have the strength to fight you on this. Give us a few minutes to get the trajector disengaged from our systems and we'll have it back to you."

"I am glad for your wisdom, Captain. We await the transport." Syrene nodded and cut the transmission.

With the call completed, Ivan tapped his commbadge.

"Bridge to Engineering. Are we ready yet?"

"The trajector is integrated into our systems, Captain, but my team has discovered that the most important component in the device generating a field large enough for travel accross vast distances is the mantle of Sikaris itself." Andrei answered over the comms. "Once we jump the fleet, we won't be able to do it again until we find a similar planet."

Ivan pursed his lips together on that one. He had hoped to be home that very day and found this new information dissapointing. Still, he supposed something was better than nothing, and they could always go searching for another way to jump. This new plan put home in sight in a few years rather than seventy or more.

"Very well. Prepare to jump on my mark." Ivan said, before turning to the helm where a pretty, caramel-skinned young woman with dyed blonde dreadlocks sat. His Chief Helmsman was under the weather, so his Assistant was standing in for him today. "Miss Price, do you have the coordinates laid in?"

Maya nodded nervously, her large brown eyes turning toward her new commanding officer. She had been the third string pilot on the Gladius before being transferred to Vengeance as the second string pilot. She was excellent at what she did, though she had often been underestimated by those who liked to talk big but couldn't deliver.

"Yes, sir. Commander Petrov forwarded coordinates to the helm and I'm prepared to initiate the jump as soon as you give the order."

"Good. Excellent work, Ensign." Ivan said, and then turned to tactical again. "Commander, the Sikarians have been quite nice to us, really. I'll spare their beautiful capital city. Select another one and fire the torpedo when ready."

“Sir, I’ve scanned their planetary defense system and determined that they would be able to destroy any incoming projectiles before they reach the planet including the red matter weapon. I would recommend not wasting one on an attempt.” Lyra announced down to Ivan in his chair. While she was all for putting aliens in their place usually, it seemed like the better course was to jump away from the planet. With Andrei absent from the bridge, she decided to speak up.

“Captain, we should initiate the jump instead of attacking this planet.” It was clear there was some level of bitterness to the words she was speaking, she didn’t like them even if they were the wiser course of action. “If we attack and they retaliate with their defense systems, we risk damage to the ship and the device itself.”

Ivan frowned, but it didn’t mature into anything more than mild irritation. If the device worked, he would hardly care about striking at the Sikarians, a people he truly had enjoyed after all. He cured on the comms instead.

“Bridge, to Engineering. Prepare to jump.” He said, before looking toward the young woman at the helm. “Ensign Price, go as soon as you get the green light from Engineering.”

Engineering
“Alright, you heard the big man. It’s time.” Kit spoke up from where she stood, a determined look on her attractive face. “I’m activating the matrix now.”

Orion's attentive fascination with seeing how the technology behind this worked was evident by the intensity of his gaze as he focused on his console. He could feel butterflies of excitement at the idea of being closer to home, pulling up a full spectrographic display since he wanted to have everything captured for further study.

“The trajectory field is forming.” Nairobi said, furrowing her brows at her console. “And it’s expanding extremely quickly.”

“My gods, it’s huge.” Revana said, pressing a few keys to modify her readings for her own ease. The projected field simulation grew rapidly even as the screen scrolled back to get a wider view.

"That's the effect from the quartz mantle." Kit offered in an offhand but accurate explanation. She was much more focused on overseeing the process to really engage in anything else.

“We’re approaching full field strength.” Revana said, her green eyes filling with the image before her. Her gorgeous face turned to a smile. “I think this is going to work after all. Alpha Quadrant, here we come.”

Almost as soon as Revana had allowed her hope to bloom into anticipation, a loud alarm blared, tethering each of them suddenly to reality.

“What was that?” Andrei said, watching his own readings on his patch. He, unlike his green friend, hadn’t allowed himself to become excited, and was more concerned they were about to be torn apart. “Kit, report. Now.”

"Fuck, the plasma manifold is starting to become unstable. Nairobi, get on it." Kit all but growled from her station.

“Maybe I can compensate by running the adaptive shielding protocol,” Nairobi said, pressing the lighted-screen under her hands in quick movements. She said nothing else as she did it, but her head started to quickly shake, and a look of worry appeared on her face.

"I am detecting a massive increase in the number of anti-neutrinos bombarding the ship, and the longer the trajector field remains active, the worse the situation is going to get!" The Terran scientist shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the blaring alarms. His fingers moved quickly over the console, trying to find a solution to divert the dangerous particles and prevent them from damaging the ship.

“Anti-neutrinos?” Revana asked with surprise in her voice. “Our systems aren’t designed to process anti-neutrinos!”

"They must serve as the catalyst for the space-folding process!" Kit cursed under her breath.

Nairobi’s head-shaking only intensified with time as the trajector powered up.

“The shielding protocol isn’t working. The anti-neutrino bombardment is way too intense.”

"Its useless until we disengage the trajector, the anti-neutrinos are what allows the transport field to form and Imperial Technology isn't compatible," Orion declared as he ignored the futile efforts of trying to create a shield to make the tech work. "Maybe if we they had enough time to study the device, then we could create a work around interface but on the fly, even the impossible would be more achievable."

“Bridge to Engineering. What’s going on down there?” Ivan’s voice came in clear over the comms. “We’re reading an eminent warp core breach.”

“Compatibility issues, Captain.” Andrei said as he stepped up to the trajector and took his own readings. “This damn thing isn’t going to work for us. Kit, shut it down.”

"I can't, it isn't responding!" Kit's voice was strained. She wouldn't risk the ship and fleet for this, she would destroy the trajector if she had to, but she was convinced she could get it to work with enough time.

"Anti-neutrinos have fused the shut-off controls, its locked in." Orion declared as he continued to work feverishly over his station desperately seeking a solution.

“These plasma temperatures are rising uncontrolled. They’re passing forty three million Kelvin!” Revana said, clearly becoming seriously concerned.

"Nairobi! Get everyone out of here!" Kit barked as the hiss of steam began to fill the room. She moved from the console and grabbed the injector with both hands.

A sudden rush of adrenaline served to separate Nairobi from the console where she had been working. She stepped back, and looked around engineering at the officers and crew she worked with daily. “Let’s get the hell out of here, people!” She said, her voice sharp and commanding. “Emergency evacuation of Engineering, now!”

Within the next few seconds, dozens of personnel began to stream past them in jogs and runs toward the blast doors.

As Nairobi moved to get the rest of the engineering department out of the room, Kit tried to budge the injector from where it had been locked in to little avail. "Godsdammit! I can't get it loose! Orion, tell me you have some weird science shit right about now?!"

“Plasma temperatures now at fifty million Kelvin!” Revana said, starting to consider if these were her last moments alive and if there was anything she could do to avoid their quickly approaching deaths.

Andrei reached to his waist and pulled his phaser pistol before leveling it at the trajector. His face was cold and neutral and there were several officers in the shot.

“I’ve got the backup plan, people. I suggest you work quickly.”

Orion couldn't help but roll his eyes at Andrei's gorilla-fisted solution, which was quick but not ideal, considering it would destroy the trajector. He remembered a lecture from one of his professors at the Academy about the effects of subspace layering on technology and power flow. Although subspace was naturally occurring, concentrating it could alter the rules of reality, albeit in a limited and intensive way. Orion remotely accessed the site-to-site transporter system and began creating layers of subspace around the alien device to create a pocket dimension. It was not a perfect solution, and he had to readjust the subspace fields constantly to keep them stable. Eventually, he was able to target the trajectory and activate the transporter. He had to feed more power to maintain the subspace fields as the transporter struggled, but eventually, the trajector disappeared from the junction and appeared on the floor nearby.

“Anti-neutrino bombardment has stopped.” Revana said, her voice filled with sudden relief. “Temperatures are returning to normal.”

"Jupiter's ballsack." Kit breathed out in relief for just a beat and then scooped up the trajector from the floor. She placed it on the console in front of her, hit a few buttons, and it shimmered out of existence. She turned her head to look at Andrei. "I've transported it to a shielded container that should disrupt any sensor reading the Sikarians might get. We can tell them we had to destroy it."

Andrei lowered his phaser, a look of momentary relief crossing his features as he looked at the other four people remaining in the room.

“That was close, people. Very close. But you got it loose and that’s what matters. We can figure out what the hell happened later.” He said, his tone cordial and consoling. He tapped his commbadge. “Engineering to Bridge. We’ve successfully dislodged the trajector and transported it into a sensor-black container. As far as the Sikarians will know, I destroyed it with my phaser to prevent it from blowing up the ship.”

Bridge
“Roger that, Commander.” Ivan said from his chair. He was frowning deeply now and blinking with irritation and disappointment.

"Captain, we have another hail coming from the planet," Sovas spoke up, betraying nothing of his feelings about the failure of the experiment, instead focusing on his work.

Ivan growled, his fists clenching tightly.

“Put her through.”

Syrene appeared on the viewscreen again and this time actively appeared irritated instead of projecting the calm, confident front.

“Captain Petr-“ She began but was cut off.

“Magistrate. It seems your technology is completely incompatible with our systems. My engineers failed integrate it, and we had to destroy it to keep it from breaching our warp core. It seems all of this conflict was for nothing.” He shook his head, clearly more upset than his words let on. “We will withdraw from your space immediately.”

The Sikarian woman’s displeased expression immediately became a much more neutral one on hearing the news. She didn’t respond right away and her eyes shifted to something off screen. After a few strained beats, she faced forward again toward Ivan. “That is a wise decision, Captain. Go, and do not return to Sikaris during your lifetime.”

Ivan licked his lips and tapped the pads of his black gloves together. This situation hadn’t ended as any of them had hoped, and he had truly tried to make it mutually beneficial at first. Now, it seemed, they were all hurting.

“You have a beautiful world and a wonderful, lighthearted people. If the Empire ever reaches the Delta Quadrant, your people would make a fine addition.”

Syrene frowned at that though she didn't seem angry. Sikarians didn't go looking for conflict after all. "Goodbye, Captain."

“Vengeance Out.” Ivan said, shaking his head at the agony of having failed his mission. “Helm, signal the Fleet that we’re leaving. Resume course to the Alpha Quadrant.”

From the helm, Maya had watched the entire exchange with a furrowed brow on her lively face. She knew the Captain and the crew in Engineering had done their best, but it didn’t relieve the pain their failure had brought. Distractedly, she sent the warp order to the helms of every ship in the Shadow Fleet before inputting the coordinates herself.

“Ready, sir.” She said in a smooth voice, deflated of energy.

“Engage.”

OFF