Prologue - The Federation (Chapter 1)

Posted on 29 Mar 2023 @ 5:45pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lia Quil & Troy Barker & Marcus Mulder
Edited on on 29 Mar 2023 @ 5:49pm

2,903 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: Pleiades Cluster, Cold Station 31
Timeline: 2386

[ON]

Marcus Mulder, specialising in Astrophysics, formerly of the Daystrom Institute, replicated himself a coffee, hot, black with a slight frown on his features. Cold Station 31. What a place to end up, but at least he could do his work without someone peering too much over his shoulder. He had been offered this job, in a dodgy bar on Mars, and it had peaked his interest. So he had left his old job, walked out of his apartment, leaving behind most of his belongings and...come here.

The far side of the universe, as far as he was concerned.

It had been just as well. He had left nothing behind that mattered, his research had been stopped and scrutinised at any opportunity by the Federation scientists. Dangerous ideas. He had taken their words with a weak smile. Knowledge was not dangerous. Gaining more understanding was not dangerous. What was dangerous was not doing anything. If anything, it was a bore, which he hated.

Dr. Barker (or, he supposed Director Barker, now) acknowledged the other man with a nod, feeling no pressure to speak until the other research head arrived. He'd never been much of a conversationalist anyway, which is why he'd been drawn to experimental medicine in the first place. No small talk, no mindless chatter... that had served him well as an administrator, in fact. His personal style of administration, at least. Trim the fat, get to business. Save pleasantries for your off time and all that. He supposed, given the small size of the team and their complete isolation, he may have to relax that stance a bit, but best to stay firm and professional out of the gate.

A young woman entered, looking to both of them briefly before she lowered her gaze, seeing all she needed in the quick look. Her blonde hair was long with a natural wave, worn loose. She wore simple leggings, with a long, dark red sweater, the sleeves drawn down over her hands. Lia Quil could sense a chill in the air and remained silent as she moved to sit down.

Marcus watched the two others before he moved to sit down as well, his back straight as he watched them. He waited a moment before he chuckled, sipping his coffee. "Here we are," he said, looking at the both of them. "Shall we begin?" his eyes met Barker's, holding them for a long moment, expectedly.

Barker held the gaze for almost a full minute, considering the enthusiasm a touch, well, juvenile for a man three years his senior. After all, what was there to rush about? They would likely all be here for the foreseeable future.

"Indeed," he finally acknowledged, looking from Mulder to Quil and then parking his gaze on the table in front of them. "While there will be another research head joining us in a few days, they can be brought up to speed upon arrival." He cleared his throat before continuing with the necessary drudgery of introductions. By speaking first, he'd hope to model that an introduction need not be a lecture.

"My name is Troy Barker and I will be serving as the Facility Director. My background is in clinical pathology and experimental medicine, but I have been selected for this project due to my administrative capabilities." Quite finished, he gestured to the open space between his colleagues to indicate either one could have the floor.

Marcus looked at him, studying his face before he let out a breath. Administrator. Someone to report to. Annoying, but necessary evil he supposed. "Doctor Marcus Mulder," he said, his voice firm. "Astrophysics."

There was a long moment of silence before Lia realised she was meant to take a turn. She pulled her hands off the table and into her lap, clearing her throat with the awkwardness. "Lia Quil. I'm told my knowledge of xenobiology is needed here."

Marcus gave a nod, looking at her before he looked away. "I look forward to working with you both," he said, and he found himself sort of meaning it. Truth was, he would much rather be working right now, rather than sitting here for introductions that he felt could have been done with a message. Even so. They were far from home, and some people needed more than just their work. They needed connections. He had always been alright with it, but just as happy working alone. "Although Astrophysics and Xenobiology are two different worlds, I hope there is the common language of science on this project that we can share."

Lia gave a slight nod in reply, because in reality, science was the only language she was fully comfortable with. In honesty, she didn't much mind what they were there to do. So long as she had something to work on, something to keep her mind occupied, something to get lost in.

"Indeed, there will be," Barker confirmed. "To begin with, what exactly have you been told regarding our project here?" He looked from one to the other, certain that only he had given the whole picture before arrival but curious as to what information the others at been privy to during recruitment.

"Nothing," Marcus said, holding his eyes for a moment before he shrugged. "Except the promise that I would not have people breathing down my neck, or questioning how I do the research." No morality clauses, no oh no, this would be terrible from scared scientists at Daystrom. Just...his work. To be able to bury himself completely in it, with no regard for anything else. It was a Siren's song for him.

Lia shook her head gently to indicate that, likewise, she knew nothing of the task ahead. She only knew that she'd be working on something that could be ground breaking, and been promised the kind of resources a young scientist such as herself could usually only dream of.

Barker's eyebrows lifted. On the one hand, he wasn't entirely surprised given the level of secrecy. On the other, he felt it strange that no generalized information had been provided, either. Time to get to it, then.

"Very well," he began, standing and moving towards the viewscreen on the wall behind him. "We have been tasked with the continuation, and ultimately, the completion, of a classified research project that has been underway for almost five decades. Have either of you ever heard about transwarp beaming?"

Lia glanced to Mulder, frowning slightly as she shook her head. "Well, only that it doesn't work," she stated the obvious, lifting a sleeve covered hand slightly as she gave a half shrug.

"And no computer could do those calculations, even if we had the technology," Mulder said, his blue eyes cold as he watched the Director. "And I am going to guess, based on your question, that transwarp beaming would be the true goal of our research?"

"Precisely." Barker tapped the viewscreen and it was quickly filled with more file headings then could be clearly seen. A second tap combined and sorted these files into three columns, each column featuring the name and title of one of the head researchers. "You now have access to all of the information and research that has been completed so far - the general knowledge that will pertain to all of us in addition to anything that falls entirely under your given area of expertise. Before the members of your teams arrive, I expect the three of us, and are absent colleague, to be familiar as possible with the working theories that are now available to us as a result of our predecessor's efforts."

Mulder took it in, considering it for a moment. "What happened with our predecessors?" he suddenly asked, looking at the columns. A spread of specialities. So all angles were being considered, even down to what species could withstand it. His own specialty, astrophysics...well...transwarp beaming in theory was breaking the laws of physics as they were known at this point. But then again, at one point, transwarp had been seen as breaking the laws of physics. Great thing about that...it was all theory until someone did something that changed everything, and the goalposts would yet again shift.

Barker actually cracked a grin, taking the other man's meaning. "Nothing sinister, I can assure you. Rather mundane, actually. They simply stalled out. No progress for long enough to warrant a fresh set of eyes." He returned to his seat, gently rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We are now the torchbearers. The higher ups believe in the feasibility of transwarp beaming technology, and they are certain we are on the cusp of a breakthrough."

"We'll have to pick apart their research first," Mulder said, but it was thoughtful. "If they stalled, if could be because they did something incorrect earlier on..." he looked over at Lia, considering the young woman before he looked at Barker. "I suggest that is the first thing we do. Go over everything they did before us, so we know where we start from. And do any corrections if necessary."

"Why does it matter?" Lia suddenly asked, not really realising that she'd cut across the conversation. "Transwarp beaming. Why does it matter?" even if she didn't look at them, her eyes instead on her fingertips pulling gently at a thread on her cuff, it was clear by her expression that the question was genuine.

Mulder looked at Lia before he gave a small nod, a smile coming to him that would have looked friendly if it wasn't for the coldness of his eyes. "Doctor Quil has a very good point. Considering everything there is in the universe, transwarp beaming is..." he held his forefinger and thumb half an inch apart. "...about this important to the general public."

"We aren't here for the general public," Barker replied. "Like all of you, I could only speculate at possible application. But it is important to our employers, so that should be sufficient for us."

"I would have thought that they had some scope. For instance, is the application to transport living matter, or not?" Mulder watched him, holding his eyes. "Because if not, I will use my imagination. And that may result in...things they did not anticipate."

A distinctive alert chirped inside the station's administrative office and interrupted the scientists' conversation. The sound emanated from the large wall-mounted LCARS terminal and its repeating tone signaled an incoming communication.

Startled, but hiding that fact, Barker reached over to tap the screen and accept the communication. He stepped back slightly and straightened his posture as the image began to change.

A Caucasian man's face appeared on the terminal. The creases along the sides of his light brown eyes betrayed his age which his clean-shaven face efficiently disguised. His straight blonde hair was slicked back over the crest of his head and along his temples. A crimson red uniform collar with admiral's pips indicated his senior position within Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. The background behind him was dim and hard to make out - an office of some sort, or perhaps a starship bridge? A shadowy figure appeared to walk past him in the far background.

"Doctor Barker," the man acknowledged in a monotone voice. His eyes scanned the other Cold Station 31 senior researchers visible in the room. "I see you've met your new team."

Mulder looked at the screen, his face serious and his eyes cold. The Admiral, youthful looking enough, yet Mulder could see he would not be far off his own age, he ignored, his eyes focusing on the backdrop with some interest.

"I have," Barker answered evenly. "Your transmission is rather fortuitous, in fact. I have revealed to objective of our work, but the question of its purpose, its applications, has been raised. On behalf of my colleagues, would you care to enlighten us?"

"Enlighten you?" The man smirked and let out a single grunt. "I thought we brought you in to this project to enlighten us." He momentarily glanced at something out of view then looked back into the viewscreen. His voice lowered while he leaned forward several inches. "Barker...transwarp transporter technology is the future. Our future, do you understand?" He licked his lips, his eyes twinkling with anticipation. "Imagine being able to beam from one location to any other location light years away. From Earth to Vulcan, or Qo'noS. From Risa to Deep Space 9...possibly even to the Gamma and Delta Quadrants. All within in a matter of seconds." The admiral leaned back and held up both of his hands next to his head as if to indicate his surroundings. "All this...our starships and starbases - even warp travel - could become obsolete overnight. The applications will be endless."

"Wouldn't that put a lot of you out of jobs?" Lia asked bluntly, but her expression was earnest and inquisitive. There was no sarcasm in it...it was an honest question.

The admiral grinned at the supposition. "That depends on how fast your team can complete its task, Doctor Quil."

"I suppose the applications for transwarp beaming go beyond just beaming a subject from a to be," Mulder mused aloud, his eyes a little distant as his mind went through some...alternative applications.

Ignoring Mulder, Barker instead focused on the admiral's comment to Quil. "Fast is relative when it comes to research; after all, as we were discussing before your call, we need to become quite familiar with the ends and outs of all of the work our predecessors have done. Once we and are staff are up to speed, we will begin our own efforts on the project. Our first goal needs to be cracking the transwarp formula itself... once we've accomplished that, we can proceed apace with various trials." He paused for a moment, not wanting to promise something they couldn't deliver. Best to stick with the numbers he'd been given before arrival. "Conservative projections place that first milestone within the next two to three years, though we will know before then if we are on track."

The Starfleet man on the opposite side of the screen observed the director and his team in silence. "You have 32 months to complete your initial research and mathematics. By then, we'll know if you and your staff are up to this task." He lifted his head then brought his hands into view, tenting his fingers. "I expect results, Doctor Barker. Not empty promises like your predecessor. Do you understand?"

Barker looked first at Quil, then Mulder, then back to the admiral. "We understand."

"Good. You'll be working in isolation until you complete your research. Starfleet will provide you with resupplies every three months at scheduled intervals. If you and your team need any additional equipment or personnel, submit your request on our coded channel. Your local liaison will be located on Regula I. It's the closest starbase to your position," said the admiral.

In the middle of nowhere, with these people, Mulder considered it, his features just neutral. He gave a small nod, not even sure if the admiral saw it. It did not bother him, the isolation meant no one could poke their noses into what he was doing.

Lia gave a slight nod too, even if she wasn't looking at the screen. Isolation meant less distraction, less disturbances. Less people to learn. She was content with that idea.

Barker observed his colleagues and found himself nodding as well. He knew this would be a significant investment, but he found the solitude appealing. "Anything else, Admiral?"

"No." The blonde-haired man laid out the contingency procedures for the team. "Ensure your daily personal logs and research logs are uploaded by zero-hundred hours each evening along with any pertinent information for Starfleet Command. If at any point in your endeavors we lose communication with your station, or you fail to transmit for more than 48 hours, Starfleet will assume the worst and dispatch a starship to investigate." The admiral leaned forward again into the large LCARS monitor and lowered his voice. "Doctor Barker, your research is of the utmost importance to the Federation. You must be meticulous, diligent and confidential in your operations." The fleet officer's brown eyes shifted across all those visible through the viewscreen. "We're all counting on you to make this breakthrough."

Lia glanced to the men at the table with her, sensing the reaction from them without particularly realising it. No pressure then, she thought with interest as she dropped her hands into her lap. She knew she didn't think like other people, she'd been told that often enough, but she embraced the idea of being in the middle of nowhere and keeping it confidential. It was like being wrapped up away from the rest of the universe, it appealed.

"We understand," Barker acknowledged, and the screen unceremoniously went blank. The facility director returned his full attention to his colleagues. "I suppose now would be a good time to explore our new home, get the lay of the land, so to speak. If you'd follow me..."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

RADM Prentac
Classified Assignment
Starfleet Command
[PNPC Saalm]

Dr. Marcus Mulder
Classified Assignment
Cold Station 31
[PNPC Rice]

Dr. Troy Barker
Classified Assignment
Cold Station 31
[PNPC Karras]

Dr. Lia Quil
Classified Assignment
Cold Station 31
[PNPC Blake]

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