Captain's Log 03 - Landing Party

[universal_charm]

Who: Jim Kirk & Anyone Who Wants to Come On an Expedition
Broadcast:No
Action: Yes - On the moon, in the Terraformers
When: Sometime this week

Tests have been run, data has been gathered, packaged, looked over, highlighted with all sorts of colored sharpies. There is only so much the data can prove. What's needed now is an actual investigation, getting the final clue to a puzzle that, Kirk thought, they were running very short of time on.

Which was how he ended up down on the surface of the toxic moon, in front of the nearest terraformer.

Time to go find some answers.

<sub>[ ooc: Since I didn't want to flood the comm, it can be assumed that Kirk announced he would be going to explore the terraformers and asked if anyone wanted to come and form an expedition party. So, if you want to come, feel free to jump in.

Also feel free to start your own side threads. I will put up some sections, but feel free to start your own as the group explores. The ultimate goal is just to gather information (but this is a Jim Kirk Expedition (TM), so something may very well go wrong!), so have fun!)

If you need help starting things or want a refresher, here is the original mod post. ]</sub>

Comments

[geonomy]

[... And he squints. Because yeah, Allen came to about the same conclusion he did.]

But that's - I mean, Al alchemically took some of the gumballs apart, but -

No way, right?

[save_the_souls]

[.....]

Well.

I've seen stupider.

[But this is still pretty stupid if it is]

[geonomy]

Gum doesn't work that way, it can't - it doesn't -

[Noooo no no no, it can't be gum, it can't be this stupid]

Maybe we should get a sample and run some tests on it? I don't want to remove what's in there, but...

[save_the_souls]

[He frowns]

We don't know what'd happen if we take it out. I don't want to make things worst for the people.

But...maybe we can scan it with Beverly's tricorder?

[geonomy]

... Yeah, right, you're right.

[Proving this can't be that stupid isn't worth it. He reaches up to grip Allen's shoulder, then holds the battery with both hands once more.]

You guys scanned it before with the tricorder, right? If the same ingredients in this match up to the gumballs from before, then... it's gum, I guess.

[save_the_souls]

Yeah...

[Poor Clay...he's clearly taking this stupidity hard he takes a moment to turn and call Beverly, then he turns back and grips Clay on the shoulder]

Are you okay?

[geonomy]

It's just so stupid. [He sounds a bit like he's whining there] I mean... gumballs?

[dancingmd]

[Hearing Allen's shout, Beverly immediately comes trotting from around the corner.]

Allen? What's happened?

[She looks between the two of them.]

Are you two all right?

[save_the_souls]

[He smiles sheepishly at Beverly]

Ah, it's okay! We're fine!

Clay found something. [He nudges the guy. BE PROUD OF YOUR STUPID FIND] I was wondering if you could scan it for us.

[geonomy]

[SIIIIIGH. But... he holds out the battery, letting Beverly take a look at it.]

This was the battery the locals tried to take out. All the important parts are missing, but... this is still inside.

We think it might be... [He looks at Allen, sighs, then just. Gets it over with.] Gumballs. As in... those ones we delivered.

[dancingmd]

[Beverly stares, not taking the battery for a second.]

Gumballs!?

[save_the_souls]

[Allen rubs the back of his neck.]

It would seem so.

[geonomy]

Yup.

[And still, he holds it out.]

You scanned the gumballs when we still had them, right? We were hoping you could use the tricorder to... see if they matched.

[dancingmd]

[She sighs. This makes no sense but... takes the battery anyway.]

Of course. Just give me a minute.

[And indeed, the tricorder, after a minute of scanning, does confirm that the substance in the battery is the same as the gumballs.

Very funny, Atroma.

She hands the battery back to Clay.]

They match. Same peculiar molecular structure and everything.

[save_the_souls]

So...in other words, we were smuggling gum that's also used to help terraform planets?

If that's so, then... [A frown crosses his face. That's...okay 1) stupid. But 2)..] We should've gotten paid much more than we did.

[#PRIORITIES]

[geonomy]

[And with that confirmation, Clay lets out a mix between a groan and a sigh as he takes the battery back. And with Allen's remark, he gives his boyfriend a little swat on the arm and raises an eyebrow at him. Focus, babe.]

Okay, so. There are gumballs. Inside the terraformer.

So what does that mean?

[dancingmd]

[Allen gets an eyebrow raise from Beverly too but she simply ignores the money comment to answer Clay's question.]

The gumballs had some sort of... data encoded on their molecules. A map or instructions of some sort - though what exactly those instructions say, we don't know.

[save_the_souls]

[Sorry money is important! But fine fine, he'll take the looks and swat as a means to focus on what they're saying]

Instructions....

[He thinks about that, and then it clicks and he lets out an audible gasp. WAIT. HE KNOWS THIS ONE]

- They're like a Gramophone!

[Holy crap being from the 19th century actually pays off for once!!]

[geonomy]

A what now?

[The name sounds familiar, but god, he can't picture it in his head. If it's from Allen's time, then, well... It's probably not a surprise that Clay has no idea what he's talking about.]

[dancingmd]

One of the earliest devices for recording and reproducing sound, in the 19th century. I think Edison actually referred to it as a phonograph, so maybe you're more familiar with that? There'd be a giant disk with grooves in it for a needle to follow to play the sound through a large horn.

[She looks to Allen for confirmation.]

At least, from what I remember of them.

[save_the_souls]

Yeah, that! Very good, Beverly! [He nods! Nice knowing your musical history Beverly!] Each of the disks have a bunch of grooves on them that make no sense if you just look at them, but if you put it in the gramophone, it can read the grooves like instructions to know what to play! It's how you played music in my time.

The gumballs probably work the same way! They make no sense to us, but if they get put in the terraformer, it can read those instructions and knows what to do.

[geonomy]

Oh right, those ol - ... those things!

[H-hahaha those aren't old at all no Allen you're not old]

But yeah... Now that you're putting it that was, that does sound plausible. [He frowns as he studies the inside of the battery] Then the reason it didn't work right anymore was because the instructions... were taken out? Maybe?

[dancingmd]

Possibly. But we don’t know what the code says on the gumballs we still have or where they were being taken to. [She sighs. Clay, she knows this sounds silly but -] For all we know, this sort of gum could be a common thing in this part of the galaxy, as a way to store and transmit data. Our gum might have completely different programming from the gum the terraformers need to run.

[save_the_souls]

[Hmmm...both of them are bringing up valid points]

Maybe the locals will know what our gumballs say. Or they can research it, at least. They have more time in this system than we do.

[geonomy]

Mm, I don't know about that. It's pretty obvious the locals tried to take this out to make it stop running already, and if they couldn't figure it out even after seeing the gum, then they probably don't know now, especially since that information's been lost for a while.

[He tilts his head a bit, as if to mull over the issue] We can definitely still ask them though. I mean, it's possible that they don't even know this is gum.