ECTO part 2

Posted on 19 Aug 2020 @ 12:45am by Captain Jonathan Reynolds & Lieutenant Commander Aidan Datari & Lieutenant Xu Chang Lau
Edited on on 19 Aug 2020 @ 12:47am

Mission: Mission 4 - Race against the machine
Location: Main science labs
Timeline: MD 6
1247 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Xu, along with the other two science officers, had taken thirty minutes to grab something to eat, shower and refresh themselves. Bumble she had found to be a most irritating individual but for no particular reason other than he just irritated her, and taking that break meant she could escape him, even if only for a moment. The next part of the assignment was to somehow trace or track this bio-reading or the 'Ecto' as Bumbled had designated it.

Now that she had finished the food and returned the empty plate to the replicator it was time to get back to work. She collected up her combadge from the sideboard by the door and tapped it gently as she made her way out of her quarters heading directly back to the lab.
"Chang-Lau to Hawkins, are you busy? We could do with some help in the lab!"

Michael bumped his head coming out from the innards of the console of the battle bridge, when Xu called. Wincing slightly, he tapped his commbadge with one hand,rubbing his head with the other, "I will be there shortly."

Doing another diagnostic scan, Michael nodded with satisfaction, everything was in working order, closing the console up he stood up, brushed his uniform off, readjusted his utility belt and quickly made his way to the lab. Quickly stepping inside, his tricorder in hand, Michael looked around checking for anything sparking, or damage from when things overloaded from the previous back feed from the Planet Killer. Not noticing anything obvious, he looked at those who were in the labs.

"Is everything all right?"

Xu smile at him, having only arrived back at the lab seconds before him. "Ensign, we could use you expertise with the sensors?"

Now she hoped he did have the knowledge needed to help them out. "I'll let the others explain".

Michael nodded. "I will do what I can." a light of curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

Ron glanced the man over. He was of course everything he could have imagined. Lean, Chiselled, dark and mysterious. Yes a man who could charm the ladies. No wonder she wanted to ask him to come down so quickly.

He chided himself for having spent his time away looking up the history of her hairpin. He would likely bore her, especially with this "hunk" around. It was a shame though, she would never know its royal heritage.

"Its like a quick flash of something organic. We called it ecto. It was like a ghost," Ron stated.

"Hello, Lieutenant Bumble, great to see you once again." Michael smiling at the science officer from the Europa. "Ecto, you say? Sounds rather interesting." he redirected his gaze over towards Aidan "Good to see you as well, Lieutenant Datari."

"Michael," Aidan greeted. "Yes Ecto as it's somewhat...ghostly. We were wondering if you could help us with the detection of this matter or well, non-matter, I suppose?"

"Intriguing." Michael commented. "Reminds me of an old earth movie and also a show which dealt with ghosts and ecto plasmic details. Anything can give off an energy reading, those that are corporeal, and those that are not. Lets see what you've got so far, and perhaps I will be able to add to what you've already found." He glanced over towards Xu, giving her a nod, then looked back towards Ron.

"That's what I named it ecto after. I like those movies," Bumble muttered. "But yes please be my guest Lieutenant Hawkins."

"I like them too, perhaps my friend" looking at Ron, " you and I can watch those classics, its been a long while since I've hung out with a buddy and watched those movies." He looked at the sample that Bumble and the other scientists were studying, "Out of curiosity where did you get this sample from?"

"Its not a sample. Just a scan we managed to get off the planet killer," Ron said. "We launched it before the first attempt. It recorded that data while it was speaking."

Michael nodded, "A scan, that is actually pretty amazing." moving towards the console and looking at the readings and data that had been put together. "So you picked up a scan when that being talked to us via the PK, almost sounds like it is being used like a glorified golem. My mother, who is an archeologist had done some studies on Golems a mystical creature used by those practicing Jewish Kaballah, a mystical practice, calling forth a spirit or using magic to inhabit a clay form to exact revenge on those who have done them wrong." he explained. "Perhaps that is what is happening here."

He looked at the others, "If we took some comparative scans of us, then using it to create an analytic program to help alert us and track down this ecto, we may be able to figure out just what is happening. Um do any of you know who might be behind this?"

The Trill science chief shook his head. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Ghostly as it may seem, I think some kind of spiritual or technological possession is more accurate. As your expertise lies with scanners, we're hoping you can help us find our ghosts."

Xu pitched in for the corner, not having wanted to interrupt the flow of ideas between the three men. "We can always make use of generic medical scan data from a variety of humanoid and other forms of sentient life from the medical database to create a baseline and from there we could expand to other forms of known life. It would give us a place to start at the very least!"

"It would indeed." Michael responded, giving smile towards Xu.

"Also, weren't there some scans made from a planet which seemed like an Ancient weapon repository and some recording of someone wanting to sell the items? Villanueva was the planet's name? " Michael turning towards Ron and Aidan. "If so, there is another area to explore as well,to track down this mysterious entity who maybe possessing the Planet Killer."

"I think for now our priority is to disable, or even destroy the device out there," Aidan suggested, "and when that thing is gone we can explore other avenues?"

Michael nodded, "You are right. Where the Planet Killer is concerned, had there been any discussion about utilizing an EMP bomb in scrambling its circuits? Though there is the fact of that monster's hide that we still need to penetrate. Unless we use something to deliver an EMP payload into its gaping maw."

"Could we not transport a mass directly in its path, something rich in whatever that thing likes consuming and within that mass could we not hide the EMP devise?"

Once again she was grasping, trying to keep up with the gentleman before her. "Or could we just mask the EMP as background radiation and drop it directly in the weapons path?"

"Worth a shot I suppose if your captain will okay it?" Bumble agreed.

Aidan nodded. "I think at this point he'll probably approve of any viable idea," he noted, "and I think it's worth a shot."

"Then it looks like we need to let the Captain know. "Looking at Aidan since he was the more senior of the group, and part of the command staff too.

His gaze moved towards, Xu giving her a nod of approval too and also Lieutenant Bumble.

"Right then," Ron said. "Lets do this."

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