driftfleet | Captain's Log 03

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Captain's Log 03 - Landing Party

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.

_{[ 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. ]}

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[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.

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

Gumballs!?

[Allen rubs the back of his neck.]

It would seem so.

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.

[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.

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]

[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?

[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.

[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!!]

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.]

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.

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.

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?

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.

[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.

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.

This information may be just enough to give them what they need to start researching though. Especially if we give them our data and some of our intact gumballs to study. That's all they asked of us anyway - to provide any new information or insights and report back.

Yeah, we don't have to make any drastic decisions today. Just report.

[Thank goodness for that]

Still, glad we at least found...something? [Whatever this is]

It's something, and it's new. And it's connected to something we already have.

[He still thinks this is so stupid, but he still feels a smile starting to grow.] We might actually be able to help them figure out the real source of the problem!

[Beverly smiles at him. Truth is, it feels good and right and normal to be doing something like this, something productive that helps the people they meet along their journey. It's part of what being a Starfleet officer is all about.]

I think we stand a good chance of doing so, yes. At least we can put them one step closer to finding the answer.

[But there is that little seed of doubt there, a feeling very similar to the one she had when they first discovered the Iskaulit. What if Atroma is creating these catastrophes on purpose for them to discover?]

Yeah, that's the spirit! [He claps Clay on the shoulder.] Good work spotting it, Clay.

[Allen meanwhile hasn't given that much thought about whether or not it was Atroma. It didn't matter at the moment to him, the important part was helping these people. That's what his mind thought about]

I wonder if any ships still have crates of gumballs leftover. That'd help a lot.

[Clay's pretty much going with Allen's train of thought here. Whether Atroma caused it or not, what matters is that these people need help, and there's a possibility that they can fix it. It's what he's resolved to do with his life here, and it's such a new feeling that it makes him a little giddy. He gives a big smile up at Allen and reaches up to hold his hand for a moment, though he'll let go as he thinks about his answer.]

I know Vanquish doesn't have any left over. We transferred all of our gumballs to the SS Maldua. You guys did too, right?

[If he'd known the gumballs were so vital, he might have kept a crate, even if it meant losing the vast amount of credits they got.]

[Which is exactly why she's not bringing up her doubts to them - she learned that lesson with Bashir.]

We did, but I know not everyone did. Maybe check with the Red Fish? I believe Coil was doing some experiments with the gumballs there.

The Red Fish....

Yeah, I guess they might have some.

[Do we have to talk to them though. It's the Red Fish though. ]

[And that gets another eyebrow raise. Babe please put aside weird rivalries for a moment]

If he kept any, then he could be vital to this. We can ask other ships too, see if they have any too. [He grins, one hand clenching into a fist.] We'll be JUST FINE!

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dancingmd - 2016-05-31 22:18 (UTC) - Expand

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save_the_souls - 2016-06-01 22:58 (UTC) - Expand

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