Beg, Steal or Borrow – Core Conundrum
by Lieutenant Commander Greo Tovon
Post Details
ON
Greo tossed and turned in bed, restless and hot. The bed sheets clung to him as he tried to find a comfortable position. It was no good the more he shifted the less comfortable he became. He heaved a huge sigh and sat up and looked out the window. The stars lazily ghosted past the station, peaceful points of light. He reached a hand out to touch the duraglass and feel the cold that lingered beyond. It was no good, he couldn't sleep.
"Lights." He ordered the room, slidding out of bed and padding over to his wash room. A few minutes later he was washed and dressed in uniform. He had few other clothes and he made a mental note to get to the promenade to check out a tailor's shop or two. This was not the time however. He walked to his side table and picked up the collection of PADDs and data rods lying there. He had work to do, and he wouldn't be able to sleep until it was done. He left his quarters and made his way to the nearest turbolift.
"Science Lab one." He stated to the turbolift. The customary whoosh and the passing lights were the only indication of movement as the pod navigated the inner transport conduits of the station. He had time to think.
So much had happened since his arrival it was no wonder he couldn't sleep. The Leda, the debris field, the computer core! Not to mention meeting the various people on board. It seemed there was a mixture of officers of all kinds and they were friendly for the most part. He had never been in the company of marines before and his encounter with Micklin made him want to keep it that way. If the Master Sergeant knew that Greo hated Cardassians as much as the Bajorans then maybe he wouldn't have been such a narrow minded racist fool. Yes it was clear there were people that he should avoid. Then there was Gabriel....
The turbolift doors slid open smoothly interupting his train of thought. He stepped out and crossed the broad corridor to the science lab. He tapped at the controls, accessing the security lock he'd instigated. He checked both ways down the corridor then spoke.
"Override security Greo Alpha-Seven-Two-Niner." The hiss of the door opening abruptly filled the silence. He stepped into the dark room, the vaulted ceiling high above him and dimly lit computer stations buzzing around the walls. In the centre of inspection pit three stood the romulan computer core. Cylindrical in shape and twenty feet high it was a sight to behold. Reinforced armour covered the surface in a network of interlocking tritanium plates, but in some places the inner core was visible. It was from these holes or gaps that a green glow eminated. The whole room was bathed in that light and for a moment Greo felt that he had somehow been beamed to a romulan ship. He shook the spooky thought aside and reinstigated the security lock on the door behind him. I doubt it could hold out someone who really wants to get in, but it will stop people just blundering in.
"Lights." He commanded for the second time that night. "Let's get to work." He rubbed his hands together as he walked to the central data relay and accessed the diagnostic files. The main computer had been running a cross diagnostic program as it began to link with the alien technology. It was checking the romulan core, but also checking itself as the links were established. Greo was concerned that the core might contain invasive sub-routines that might act as a counter-attack to any probing. The report showed no irregularities or breaches of Starfleet protocols.
Satisified, he walked over to the computer station of inspection pit three and brought up the link data. The screen scrolled through the usual data uplink files, showing that initial contact had been made between the two technical devices. What followed was a list of trial and error processes at merging the Federation and Romulan technology in order to create a bridge for the free flow of data. The process had finished three hours ago according to the log.
"Strange." Greo was want to talk to himself when deep in his work. He walked over to a replicator. "That seems too easy, I would have thought there would be anti-intrusion sub-routines in place." He turned to the dispenser. "Raktajino." The klingon coffee materialised and he picked it up.
Greo walked over and stood in front of the core sipping at the drink. "Odd that the core is so well defended physically, but the data is not protected nearly as well. Almost like...". He shook his head and walked over to the inspection pit ladder. With the data bridge in place it would only require a simple rearrangement of isolinear rods in the main subprocessor to access the cores files. He paced around the pit, something was not quite right.
Don't let the quest for knowledge cloud your mind to the realisation of the truth, son.
He nodded as his father's ever present voice guided him once again. Suddenly he realised that the conundrum of the core was not what it contained, but how it came to have survived the destruction of a D'deridex class ship and the shockwave of the strange bomb. Lieutenant Tan had mentioned something to that effect. Maybe he knew something. Another scientist may have got on with the scouring of the core and leave it at that, happy that they had all the knowledge they could gain from the romulans. However, Greo had been taught to step back from a problem and view how it fitted into wider issues. He picked up a tricorder and began to scan the tritanium armour.
"Computer." He spoke as he scanned, jumping down into the inspection pit with a clang of metal. "Start data retrieval, but analyse the underlying data algorithms as you do. Let me know if anything stange turns up."
"Required process will take seven hours to complete." The chirpy female voice spoke back to him.
"Begin." As Greo spoke the words the pit came to life. A large probe arm extended from the inner wall. Its flexible head rotated and brought to bear a data access jack. The small targeting sub-routine it possessed locked onto the main data port he had opened only yesterday. It eased forward and locked into the awaiting port. He could hear it removing and replacing isolinear rods.
"Data retrieval initiated." The computer informed him.
He moved closer and extended his scanning across the whole surface of the core. It was going to take a long time, but then he had about seven hours to wait for the data anyway. Now with his attention on the real issue he might be able to produce a report that might be more useful to Commander Villiers and the senior staff. If someone had ensured the survival of the core then whatever data it held might be corrupted or disinformation. It was beginning to look like the computer core was a bigger enigma than first thought. Greo scratched at his ear.
"I wonder if it was meant to harm us," he mused to himself as he got to work, "or to help us?"
OFF
Lt Greo Tovon
Science Officer
by Lieutenant Commander Greo Tovon
Post Details
| Title | Core Conundrum | |
| Mission | Beg, Steal or Borrow | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant Commander Greo Tovon | |
| Posted | Fri Aug 14, 2009 @ 11:15am | |
| Location | Tovon's Quarters and Science Lab 1 | |
| Timeline | SD10 01:30 |
Greo tossed and turned in bed, restless and hot. The bed sheets clung to him as he tried to find a comfortable position. It was no good the more he shifted the less comfortable he became. He heaved a huge sigh and sat up and looked out the window. The stars lazily ghosted past the station, peaceful points of light. He reached a hand out to touch the duraglass and feel the cold that lingered beyond. It was no good, he couldn't sleep.
"Lights." He ordered the room, slidding out of bed and padding over to his wash room. A few minutes later he was washed and dressed in uniform. He had few other clothes and he made a mental note to get to the promenade to check out a tailor's shop or two. This was not the time however. He walked to his side table and picked up the collection of PADDs and data rods lying there. He had work to do, and he wouldn't be able to sleep until it was done. He left his quarters and made his way to the nearest turbolift.
"Science Lab one." He stated to the turbolift. The customary whoosh and the passing lights were the only indication of movement as the pod navigated the inner transport conduits of the station. He had time to think.
So much had happened since his arrival it was no wonder he couldn't sleep. The Leda, the debris field, the computer core! Not to mention meeting the various people on board. It seemed there was a mixture of officers of all kinds and they were friendly for the most part. He had never been in the company of marines before and his encounter with Micklin made him want to keep it that way. If the Master Sergeant knew that Greo hated Cardassians as much as the Bajorans then maybe he wouldn't have been such a narrow minded racist fool. Yes it was clear there were people that he should avoid. Then there was Gabriel....
The turbolift doors slid open smoothly interupting his train of thought. He stepped out and crossed the broad corridor to the science lab. He tapped at the controls, accessing the security lock he'd instigated. He checked both ways down the corridor then spoke.
"Override security Greo Alpha-Seven-Two-Niner." The hiss of the door opening abruptly filled the silence. He stepped into the dark room, the vaulted ceiling high above him and dimly lit computer stations buzzing around the walls. In the centre of inspection pit three stood the romulan computer core. Cylindrical in shape and twenty feet high it was a sight to behold. Reinforced armour covered the surface in a network of interlocking tritanium plates, but in some places the inner core was visible. It was from these holes or gaps that a green glow eminated. The whole room was bathed in that light and for a moment Greo felt that he had somehow been beamed to a romulan ship. He shook the spooky thought aside and reinstigated the security lock on the door behind him. I doubt it could hold out someone who really wants to get in, but it will stop people just blundering in.
"Lights." He commanded for the second time that night. "Let's get to work." He rubbed his hands together as he walked to the central data relay and accessed the diagnostic files. The main computer had been running a cross diagnostic program as it began to link with the alien technology. It was checking the romulan core, but also checking itself as the links were established. Greo was concerned that the core might contain invasive sub-routines that might act as a counter-attack to any probing. The report showed no irregularities or breaches of Starfleet protocols.
Satisified, he walked over to the computer station of inspection pit three and brought up the link data. The screen scrolled through the usual data uplink files, showing that initial contact had been made between the two technical devices. What followed was a list of trial and error processes at merging the Federation and Romulan technology in order to create a bridge for the free flow of data. The process had finished three hours ago according to the log.
"Strange." Greo was want to talk to himself when deep in his work. He walked over to a replicator. "That seems too easy, I would have thought there would be anti-intrusion sub-routines in place." He turned to the dispenser. "Raktajino." The klingon coffee materialised and he picked it up.
Greo walked over and stood in front of the core sipping at the drink. "Odd that the core is so well defended physically, but the data is not protected nearly as well. Almost like...". He shook his head and walked over to the inspection pit ladder. With the data bridge in place it would only require a simple rearrangement of isolinear rods in the main subprocessor to access the cores files. He paced around the pit, something was not quite right.
Don't let the quest for knowledge cloud your mind to the realisation of the truth, son.
He nodded as his father's ever present voice guided him once again. Suddenly he realised that the conundrum of the core was not what it contained, but how it came to have survived the destruction of a D'deridex class ship and the shockwave of the strange bomb. Lieutenant Tan had mentioned something to that effect. Maybe he knew something. Another scientist may have got on with the scouring of the core and leave it at that, happy that they had all the knowledge they could gain from the romulans. However, Greo had been taught to step back from a problem and view how it fitted into wider issues. He picked up a tricorder and began to scan the tritanium armour.
"Computer." He spoke as he scanned, jumping down into the inspection pit with a clang of metal. "Start data retrieval, but analyse the underlying data algorithms as you do. Let me know if anything stange turns up."
"Required process will take seven hours to complete." The chirpy female voice spoke back to him.
"Begin." As Greo spoke the words the pit came to life. A large probe arm extended from the inner wall. Its flexible head rotated and brought to bear a data access jack. The small targeting sub-routine it possessed locked onto the main data port he had opened only yesterday. It eased forward and locked into the awaiting port. He could hear it removing and replacing isolinear rods.
"Data retrieval initiated." The computer informed him.
He moved closer and extended his scanning across the whole surface of the core. It was going to take a long time, but then he had about seven hours to wait for the data anyway. Now with his attention on the real issue he might be able to produce a report that might be more useful to Commander Villiers and the senior staff. If someone had ensured the survival of the core then whatever data it held might be corrupted or disinformation. It was beginning to look like the computer core was a bigger enigma than first thought. Greo scratched at his ear.
"I wonder if it was meant to harm us," he mused to himself as he got to work, "or to help us?"
OFF
Lt Greo Tovon
Science Officer