Posted by Commodore Drudoc Andone (Commanding Officer) in Main Sim - Science Lab: Research and Defence (Tag science officers)
[snip]

“First, we are to research and review everything we know about the Warrens. This means looking into historical, mission, and allied databases. Ensign Lis, I want you and the other linguists to tackle the allied databases. Make sure the information we’re getting are properly translated and see if you can’t find anything else in archives without a standard translation. I don’t want to miss a thing and we got over a hundred years of scans, probes and small exploration attempts to compile.

“Especially,” She paused, putting emphasis upon this next part, “Anything regarding energy bursts or strange phenomenon. If any of you find anything related to such, flag it and leave a note about the date, location and a summary of any reports, findings or scans about it. This is an absolute must, folx.”

V’alura took a breath then said, “That brings us to our second objective. Should our research turn up anything about these energy bursts, then we are to prepare the Ark Angel to defend against them. We don’t know much but when I hear unknown energy bursts and haywire computers in the same sentence then I think of transient electromagnetic disturbances. So until our research turns up anything else, we’re going to prepare the Ark Angel against EMP bursts.”

She took another breath, “Any questions?”

Lt. Jgr. Belmont, CSO

“No, Ma’am.” Demil said. “May I begin work on the assigned task?”

“Go right ahead,” V’alura said. She answered a few questions from her team, then dismissed everyone to begin their tasks.

When the permission was given, he went to general lab 2, where he began to pore through the databases, flagging anything even vaguely promising. He pulled up first databases of Federation member worlds, starting with the core worlds before branching out into newer members. Then he expanded into the databases of any worlds or powers allied with the Federation, such as Bajor or the Klingon Empire. He, of course, delegated some of the work to other linguists, but mostly did it himself, wanting to make sure nothing was missed. He even went into the data intercepted from Dominion and Cardassian communications.

Then, once he was done, he went over everything again. Once that was done, Demil pulled up the flagged data on the large screens. He hadn’t worked this late since the linguistics final paper, which he had outdone the Academy length record on.

“Crewmen Edwards and Chiao, please go over the core worlds data. Dr. Janel and Ensign Vinara, the data from the other Federation worlds. Crewman Saloto and Ms. Tassann, please review the data from the allied worlds. I’ll look over the retrieved and intercepted data from former enemies. Does anyone have questions on the tasks?” Demil addressed the Linguistics team, somehow not sounding tired.

While Demil and the other linguists covered allied databases, V’alura and several others tackled the historical and Starfleet databases. Much like the other team. They poured over the results and flagged the relevant information. Perhaps knowing that danger lurked on the path ahead, there was a grim air to the group as they studied the data. V’alura though focused on the task, found her thoughts wandering every other hour. What if the Ark Angel arrived only to meet the same fate as the SS Synthesis? What if everything they worked towards resulted in nothing? Will this end with another ship receiving their distress call one hundred years later?

Whenever those thoughts pressed against her focus, she stood and took a quick walk around the deck. She came back every time with coffee and other drinks for her team, in the hopes that they would assume her walks were for their benefit. And not because doubt clawed at the edge of her thoughts.

Lt. Jgr. Belmont, CSO

Information coming up from Allied sources was limited, the Klingons had basically taken a peek into the Abyss sometime around the 2350s, and for some reason after loosing two ships to unknown causes never went back. Dominion communications during the war back in the 2370s were equally useless. The Dominion had sent a strike fleet in for some purpose unknown but the whole fleet of 30 ships had vanished equally. After that they hadn’t gone back. Federation records, were annoyingly sparse as well, but more complete somewhat. The region had been mapped as being about 40 light years across by 50 light years wide and another 20 light years ‘tall’. Overall a very big chunk of real estate. The first probes had gone into the region in the 2160s reporting rich mineral contents and possible habitable planets. The SS Synthesis had then been sent in to explore and chart but vanished a month into their exploration. In 2230s another series of probes had went in reporting similar rich minerals and several systems that had no intelligent life but could be colonized. Three Starfleet ships and escorting six colonial freighters and transports setting out for one system made land fall and began to setup shop when three months into things the USS Val reported contact with an ion storm nearing the system and then all went quiet. Follow up by the USS Boston found the colony intact structurally but all the colonists were gone. Equally in orbit the USS Val, USS Freedom, and USS Gaston were equally empty of any life or signs of struggle of what happened to the crew. As a result of this Starfleet called off further colonial plans and in-depth exploration till 2290 when the USS Apollo II explored the outer boundaries of the Abyss being the first ship to fully map its extensive lengths. It came back safely but the ship’s Science chief reported scans of possible space borne life forms, but follow up probes found nothing to confirm this and it was passed off as a sensor ghost. In 2340, the Ambassador class USS Poll tried again to follow up deep space probes to scan the heart of the Abyss, but two months into their explorations the ship sent a general distress call and a garbled message.

The message if played was badly broken up but was as follows. =/\= This…USS Poll....encountered massive zitch....unknown zitch…attempting to zitch warp core, will make zitch 2 light years from here if possible. =/\= It said.

GM CockRoach

Each respective team’s research done, V’alura gathered everyone into science lab one to examine and dissect the results. And oh, the facts did not paint a pretty picture. If she had to describe that picture it would be thus: a big black abyss of nothing. Dozens of missing ships, ships whose crew vanished without a trace, entire colonies gone poof. The perfect horror mystery. Normally V’alura loved horror. The thrill of danger and suspense, but this was another beast entirely. This wasn’t a movie or a sim created for entertainment, but reality. V’alura took a moment to mentally compose herself, her expression and her body language before addressing her team.

“I won’t beat around the bush, this Abyss has taken many lives.” She said, her voice even and firm. V’alura held herself tall, and gave off an impression of calm and composure. “We have the opportunity to save some of those lost lives. There is no challenge we cannot overcome and we have far more information and technology and skill than those who have gone before us. Look at the data. Does anything strange stand out to any of you?” V’alura urged, to get her team thinking. There was one pattern that stood out to her, and she hoped her team had picked up on it as well.

Lt. Jgr. Belmont, CSO