Prologue - Breakthrough (Chapter 2)

Posted on 29 Mar 2023 @ 5:48pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lia Quil & Troy Barker & Marcus Mulder

2,600 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: Pleiades Cluster, Cold Station 31
Timeline: 2387

Previously, on The Federation (Chapter 1)...

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..."

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

In the vast expanse of space...in the most uncharted region of the Federation, research was proceeding on schedule at Cold Station 31. The small secretive outpost located within the Pleiades Cluster was of the highest importance to Starfleet. Yet it was rarely afforded such an honor and technically did not exist to 99.998% of its citizens and members. A curse and a blessing, as some would see it depending on their perspective.

On the lowest deck, Lia Quil was hunched over a work station, the lights low around her, the glare of the screen casting a glow up at her face. It was late, technically, but time had long since become abstract during the project. They were all chronic workers, making a mockery of any kind of regular shift system.

She absently sipped coffee from the glass cup in one hand, whilst the other hand tapped with expert speed against the panel, betraying someone who was used to typing one handed. Not unusually, Lia was immersed in her work. So immersed that it took some time to realise she was irritated. Why was she irritated? Something was putting her off. She dragged her mind out of her intense focus, physically blinking as someone might do if they were waking up.

There was a beeping noise. That was the thing that wasn't right. She put her cup down with a confused frown, listening to the faint noise. She drifted away from her workstation, walking out into the dimly lit corridor before coming to a stand still, looking up and down the empty expanse as she tried to work out where the beeping was coming from. It was from another lab. Curious, she tucked some long, blonde hair behind her ear as she strolled towards the noise to find out what was going on.

Mulder was already in the lab, staring at the screen. He turned his head when he saw her, a smile coming to her. "The computer has been running an algorithm on all our gathered research," he said, motioning to what was there. "It believes it may have cracked it." It was a way of describing it. In his let hand, he held an old-fashioned notebook, and a pencil. He took a seat, starting to write down, slowly, what was on the screen. This would need to be verified, checked. And for that, he found it easier to do it with pen and paper. As an afterthought he added; "Perhaps we should get Barker."

Lia took that to mean that she should call for him, but her eyes were drawn to the screen. She didn't take them off it even as she put a call through asking Barker to join them. She shifted up closer to see the affirmation flashing for herself. The transwarp formula, confirmed. Right there. What they'd been working for months to crack. She gave a sidewise glance to Mulder. Despite his outwardly calm appearance, she could sense his excitement.

Within moments Troy Barker was with them, his crimson dressing gown wrapped tightly as he strode into the room. He took in the data on display and his brow furrowed in concentration. Internally he felt a spark of elation that, against all odds, they might have just crossed a major threshold... but he kept that emotion in check as if he were Vulcan. "We need to verify this," was all he managed to say, but he didn't make a move to follow his own instruction. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the screen. Could this really be it?

"We'll all need to check the numbers, several times," Mulder said, moving his pencil, clearly having written it down and now doing some calculations on it. He was excited, but also doubtful. It seemed too good to be true. "I'm also going to double check my calculations from my latest input into it, in case there is a variable there that doesn't make sense."

Lia glanced between them with a note of interest. She could sense the thrill in them. But they both worked so hard to keep it contained. She'd been told so often that outwardly showing and sharing emotion was a good thing. Maybe she'd never understand. She moved for a seat on the other side of the work station, calling up the data. This wasn't her speciality, but she could work maths and formulas alongside the best of them. "I'll rebuild the formula, get it running again while you look into the variables," she said softly but firmly, sensing the need for someone to nudge them back into action.

"Sounds like a plan," Mulder said, looking at her before he gave a small nod. "We could of course just be encountering a computer bug," he added, although as he looked down at the paper and the numbers, he was starting to see they weren't. His variables were adding up correctly.

"Computer bug, perhaps..." Barker mumbled, but he didn't believe that to be the case. He had started to run the variables independently of Mulder, and while he wasn't as fast at computation as the other two, but accuracy was more important to him at the moment. He forced himself to take his time as each variable began to check out. Slow and steady...


2 Days Later

Barker's mouth was so dry he had to swallow twice before he was able to speak.

"We've done it. We've discovered the transwarp formula."

Mulder sat back, running a hand over his face before he let out a breath. "So now we need to test it," he said, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Works in theory. Does it work in practice?"

"That is what we're going to determine," Barker said in a more serious tone. They'd only hit the first benchmark, after all. There was much more work to do. "I want to divide the staff into small groups, each running the same initial simulation. In other words, follow the established protocol we set up months ago..." He paused there, glancing back over at his colleague. "Although, I suppose we should come to consensus that this is still the best approach. Your thoughts?"

"It depends on what timelines you are willing to have," Mulder said, frowning. "Small groups running the same simulations is fine long term. A part of me wants to just configure and then try it...for real..." he gave a small smile, that showed it was the impulsive part of him, not the part he used in every day life. "We would need to cross examine everything these small groups do. My team's...decent. But I don't trust them with all this."

As the two days progressed, each team got the chance to put the formula to the test and the established protocols. At times, the discussions got heated, to the point that one junior researcher locked himself in his room. The mess was oddly silent whenever there was meal times, simply because everyone were looking over the results of the tests.

And with each pass came a peer review, followed by a re-test. Each failure threw more ideas into the mix, as well as arguments. But at the centre of it all, there was the calculation for the trans-warp formula.

It was late on the second day of testing when the last peer-review concluded and the heads came together with the giddy realisation that the formula was correct...and the first test being successful. It was an inanimate object, uncomplicated...a simple item made of natural fibers, in the shape of a teddy bear. But it had worked.

Which had led Barker, Quil and Mulder back to the meeting room, to look at the next steps.

"It appears we have our confirmation," Barker announced to his department heads, with the faintest hint of a smile that quickly faded. "Your work has been, well, exceptional. But you all know we have more to accomplish." He turned, straightened his lab coat and lifted his head, game face at the ready. "Computer, open a secure channel to Admiral Prentac".

The large viewscreen within the cold station's conference room came to life. Its faint Federation emblem blinked then replaced itself with an up close view of a familiar blond-haired rear admiral. The man's light brown eyes and clean-shaven face seemed unchanged since the last time the scientists had established visual communication. "Doctor Barker." His monotonous voice sounded as pleasant as ever. "You better have good news for me."

"Indeed we do, sir," Barker answered in an even tone. "Preliminary testing has confirmed that we have discovered the transwarp mathematical formula."

The admiral's eyes creased and his pupils dilated with intrigue. Or was it personal delight? The lighting within his chamber once again illuminated his own features but left the remaining background dark and difficult to discern. Yet to the most observant eye, a shadowy female figure could be seen walking in the background across the screen - wearing a black-collared Starfleet uniform with an unidentifiable rank pip. "Excellent news. Transmit your findings on the secure channel. When will you and your teams be ready to start Phase One trials?"

"Tomorrow," Mulder said, interrupting as he looked at the screen. He cocked his head a little to the side as he watched the screen, the corners of his mouth curling into a small smile. "Everything is lined up. Although we may need more...organic material as we start progressing through testing."

A curt nod confirmed Admiral Prentac's approval. "I'll have the first shipment of civilian subjects delivered to your location in approximately six months. I believe that will give you enough time to establish your baseline analyses for inanimate object transfer and basic organic life? Remember - these volunteers are valuable...and not expendable."

"Naturally," Mulder said, glancing towards Quil before he looked back at the screen. "We do estimate some...failures along the way. But based on the calculations, we estimate 14%. That may change based on how our analysis of inanimate and basic organic life turn out."

Leaning forward into the screen, Pentac quickly cast a glance behind his shoulder then spoke in a hushed volume. "Casualties are to be expected in every form of new technological testing. That's why we offered these convicts the opportunity to volunteer in exchange for a commuted sentence. They were explained the risks and accepted the assignment. But they're still Federation citizens and I expect you to treat them as such."

Mulder took a deeper breath, giving a small nod of acknowledgement. He almost made a joke. Almost. Instead, he focused on what was important. "We will be ready for their arrival."

As the commlink closed, Lia looked to the two men at the table with her, a shadow of concern on her usually focussed features. "Convicts?" she shook her head lightly. It may well have already been available information, but she hadn't absorbed it if it had been.

"Not ideal," Mulder said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Sentient subjects will make it harder if they resist, plus it adds the extra bodies for security. Always a pain with those brutes looking over our shoulder when we are doing the tests." He looked at the director before back at Lia. "This is far more your area, but would you like any assistance with screening the subjects? We would hopefully receive their medical files beforehand, could help us map out their genetic variables."

Lia was nodding, trying not to get distracted by the fact they had convicts to add to the equation. On the one hand, it was virtually coercion when an offer to participate in trials was given with such an unequal balance of power and status. On the other hand was also the fact that they were a small cohort...versus a group of possibly dangerous convicts in their facility. She tried to focus on Mulder's question instead. "Yes, assistance in screening would be desirable. I will need to assess them thoroughly and group them accordingly. We shall need to work swiftly to advance our testing to more complex samples and subjects to be ready for them in six months. It should be possible, but..." it would mean more long hours, tired staff, strained staff.

"You can use my team," Mulder said quickly, giving her a nod. "They should be capable, if they know what they are meant to be doing. It would double the resources, as we now progress to a stage where Astrophysics may be...less vital, unless everything goes horribly wrong."

"Fine," she replied quietly with a single, controlled nod. It was as far as she would likely go in outwardly expressing that something had put her mind to rest. Well, as rested as her mind was able to become. "You will need to be aware of the variables to adjust efficiently as required," she added, firmly pushing away her concerns about having convicts as subjects, locking the information away in a box, with other distractions she didn't need.

"Understood," he said, giving her a nod before he looked down. "It will be heavy going. However, the science is strong. We will make it work." He paused, looking at their director, before he raised an eyebrow. "If we start now, I'd say...?"

Lia gave a firm nod, looking to Barker, eager to get moving. Eager to get control back over the variables of this experiment. It felt like they had already been working to a frenetic extent, but somehow, she had the feeling that they had barely even begun.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

RADM Prentac
Classified Assignment
Starfleet Command
[PNPC Saalm]

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

Dr. Marcus Mulder
Head Researcher Astrophysics
Cold Station 31
[PNPC Rice]

Dr. Lia Quil
Head Researcher Xenobiology
Cold Station 31
[PNPC Blake]

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