Reap What You Sow

Posted on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 @ 4:00pm by Warrant Officer Eitan Tuscadero & Lieutenant Vanessa Jackson

Mission: The Mentarin Effect
Location: Science Lab - Geosciences

Having read over the diagnostic results that he had asked the transporter operators and technicians to provide after conducting their inspections, and taking a look at the initial reports from the science department, and lastly finishing up his unscheduled meeting with the Resolution's Executive Officer, Eitan "Tully" Tuscadero' found himself with a lot of questions, a few theories, and an Executive Officer that needed results...answers and actions. There was one person that Tully thought he could turn to. The one who had the best understanding of the planet's plight and its people.

Consulting the ship's computer, the elegant matured tone of the starship's 'voice' informed him that Lieutenant Jackson was in one of the science labs, a geoscience lab amid a vast interwoven network of laboratories aboard the massive galaxy class starship. A ship of this size put the California class he had once served on to shame. The Resolution had recently been refitted, but even with everything that was new or rearranged, underneath it, all this starship was built for comfort and elegance in of itself.

He took the turbo lift down to the appropriate deck, a smooth ride and a calm one as nobody got on until he reached his destination. The panels along the corridors helped guide him, the starship was excellent in its polite accommodations. He found the science lab with relative ease and proceeded towards the doors which parted at his close proximity.

There she was, not too far into the lab from the threshold herself. He didn't want to interrupt her, but he did need her attention. He was uncertain of her academic accomplishments, what distinctions or degrees she had accumulated over the years. He went with the most respectful he could think of after clearing his throat.

"Doctor Jackson?" he inquired

Vanessa took a moment to finish looking at the streaming data before turning to man in the doorway. "Yes. May I help you?"

He smiled at the woman. "So, a Transporter Specialist walks into a geoscience lab and says to the Chief Science Officer, are you hungry? Because, you look like you have a big apatite."

Tully took a few more steps forward reached out to extend his hand. "Not sure you remember me or not, I'm the guy that stands behind one of the transporters and smiles awkwardly. Eitan Tuscadero, but call me Tully if you'd be so kind."

"Hello, Tully. I do recall seeing you a time or two." She shook his hand. She appreciated someone with a sense of humr and smiled. "Call me Vanessa or Tessa. How can I heolp you today?"

He smiled warmly and dark eyes glistened brightly as he was drawn in by her gentleness. "Tessa, the Commander has been," he shook his head. "You know how the command officers are. They want magic, and I need to pull a rabbit out of the hat."

Tully shrugged. "I have a hypothesis and I am hoping you have a way of telling me I'm not a bad guesser. My transporters can't lock onto anything down there, beam keeps getting scattered about. I've read some of the preliminary science reports, and I know this is an industrial mining planet, the atmosphere is full of toxins and heavy metals. I'm wagering there's some kelbonite down there?"

"Kelbonite... Hmm... Let's see if I have the right hat for that rabbit." She pulled up data on the computer. "What you need is to find the right frequency for the scans and the transporter signal. I'm not sure if we have anything like that." She entered the parameters and began to search.

"Unfortunately, that is a little easier said than done," replied Tully. "Can't break through enough to even try those frequencies out. The thing with transporters and Kelbonite, is it drives them crazy, if it is Kelbonite, I do have an idea but it is a bit unorthodox and crazy. I told the Commander that I would check with you and run my idea by you before I formally presented it."

"Sure. What's your idea?" she asked.

The Transporter Specialist looked gleefully knowing he had a willing audience to hear him out. "It is going to take a bit of interdepartmental cooperations, Tessa," he began "But my biggest issue I can't get a strong enough signal to get a transporter lock. If they had put up some pattern enhancers, I'd be able to cut through like a warm knife through cold butter."

"So, what do I do if there are no pattern enhancers in place down there? Then it came to me, I send a pattern enhancer down. I know torpedo casing can be modified for scientific purposes, rendering it inert as a weapon, but useful as a science probe. Well, what if we exchange an armed warhead for a pattern enhancer. It goes down in a torpedo casing, enters the atmosphere, and gets to a low enough altitude that between your sensors on it and a pattern enhancer, you'll gate planetary data and I'll get a short window of opportunity to lock on transporters" he explained and quickly sought to catch his breath from his verbal brain dumping.

She nodded. "That would work, especially if you put boosters in to slow the descent. Torpedo casings are often used for probes. We probably have some in storage. The tricky part would be balancing the load and making sure it doesn't land in the wrong place," she said.

The computer chimed. Tessa pulled up the data analysis. "Hmm." The computer found something that might give them a slightly stronger signal. She ran an algorithm to see how it would affect the specific pollutants in the atmosphere and nodded. "This won't allow you to transport without boosting the signal from the planet, but it looks like it could increase the signal by .3%." She moved aside so he could see the formula and the analysis.


"Point three, eh?" Tully echoed back and softly sighed. It was not quite the improvement he was hoping for, but it was still an improvement nonetheless. He studied the algorithm and the formula. He did not sound defeated though. Instead, he took it in with a smile.

"Tessa, I appreciate your assistance and entertaining my mind," he said to her, stepping away from the computer console. "This gives me something to work with. I'll deliver the news to the First Officer with a smile and see how it goes."

"Let me know how it turns out. I'm curious to see your results," she said.

Tully nodded and smiled. "I will. I promise," he replied before parting ways with the Chief Science Officer.