From There to Here Part 2

Posted on Fri Dec 2nd, 2016 @ 5:07am by Lieutenant Commander Jean Reynard & Lieutenant Ryan North
Edited on on Sun Dec 11th, 2016 @ 5:13am

Episode: Lost Property
Location: Transporter Room 1
Timeline: MD05, 1100 hrs

Ryan still wasn't sure this was going to work and after spending over an hour and half crawling around the guts of the transporter, it did little to change his mind. Still, he would admit that, under the circumstances they didn't really have much of a choice. He had gotten a hold of Theo and asked him to come down, after all who better to have around than an biologist to keep an eye on the organic stand in for the crew of the DeSalle. He tapped a few icons on transporter control station before looking up at both Jean and Theo.

"Looks like all the modifications are online," Ryan replied, from behind the transport control station. "I've got the bio-filters ready as well. Now, all we need are the test mediums and an open comlink to the other ship."

"Yeah, everything looks green to me. I'm establishing a channel now," Jean said, nodding. While that went on, he frowned and then took a moment to activate a force field between the transporter pads and the rest off the room. "Just in case anything goes... splat."

"Let's hope that we keep that from happening," Ryan said.

Jean considered for a moment enlightening Ryan on the early history of the transporter - and some not-so-early, really - but decided it'd just be a distraction. Meanwhile the console showed that the two transport computers had finally started talking to each other and a voice link had been established as well. "Desalle Transporter, this is Highlander Transporter One, Lt. Reynard speaking. Can you hear me?"

A woman's voice responded, faint and full of static. "This Lieutenant Nguyen Huong aboard DeSalle. We have the first test device ready."

"All right. Calibration scan beginning. Stand by to energize." At the far end, the DeSalle's transporter analyzed the precise makeup of their test unit and transmitted the result to their end. Once that was done, Jean initiated the transport. It took a few seconds longer than usual as the computer waited for the optimal moment, when the ship's subspace frequency brought it to closest alignment, then a test cylinder on their own pad shimmered and disappeared. The transporter automatically subtracted excess mass and routed it to the ship's replicator stores before transmitting the rest along. Several more seconds dragged on before the pad lit up again and then a new object appeared. It was crude, to say the least, little more than a used cargo container filled with a human-like amount of biomass. Still better than a rat, though.

For a moment, everything seemed fine, but then the top popped up with a splash of steam and boiling algae slop. Apparently it'd gotten a little overheated.

"Well," Jean said, "I suppose at least it came through mostly intact. Any signs of dimensional disturbances, Ryan?"

"Long answer no," Ryan said. "Short answer yes... although we aren't seeing an entire shift we're seeing enough of a quantum vibration to cause the... splatt as it were."

"Well, that's something, I guess." Jean snapped his fingers at the science ensign hovering nearby and waved him toward the mess.

"Four years at Starfleet Academy for this," Theo muttered, getting a vacuum tube and a sonic scrubber from the equipment locker.

"Highlander, we received your test cylinder intact, but frozen" Huong said over the link.

"Hmm. The matter stream is picking up energy one way and losing it the other," Jean mused. He looked at Ryan. "Any ideas?"

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. "This subspace transporter was your idea, remember? Everything we are doing is working on a theory that we, so far, haven't been able to prove. It's possible that the transporter systems on the De Salle are just too ancient to handle the precise calculations needed for this... its possible that our transporter beam might literally overpowering their systems."

"But if it were just that, we'd see overheating at both ends," Jean said. "Hmm... quantum vibrations, you say. We're at different subspace frequencies, which means different baseline vibrations. And the temperature of an object is basically a measure of molecular motion, which can be affected by those vibrations. It's possible when the test object arrives, it's still at the starting quantum frequency and when it synchronizes with the destination, the result is a release or absorption of heat."

"I'm not sure there is a way to fix that," Ryan sighed. "Unless we instantaneously put them into stasis, scan the object and then run it through the pattern buffer again so that we can correct for the vibration."

"Stasis, no, but we could definitely hold them in the pattern buffer for longer than usual," Jean said. "Ensign, there's a CRM-114 phase discriminator in the red box. Attach it to the next test unit." To Ryan, he said, "If we can get a readout on the vibration change at the start and end of transport, that should tell us what the adjustment we need to make in the buffer is."

"And hopefully not blow up both transporters in the process," Ryan said. "I'm ready when you are."

"Setting up the datalink to the scanner. Initiating transport." Another test unit dematerialized and was replaced thirty seconds later by another makeshift cylinder, which started to steam gently. "Hmmm. The discriminator made it through chilly but intact and is transmitting the readings. Looks like a uniform temperature shift of about sixty degrees kelvin. Quantum vibrational delta is about three hundred and fifty hertz."

Ryan tapped in several commands. "Alright, adjusting the systems. Let's give it another go."

After another round of hums and sparkling lights, a new cylinder arrived, apparently intact. Vega scanned the contents for a minute.

"I didn't know yeast could get cancer," the biologist reported. "Also, I'm pretty sure this thing would glow in the dark with radiation."

Jean sighed and looked at Ryan. "Two steps forward, one step back. I think we may be here a while."

Ryan let out a long breath and shook his head. "Alright, so now the damn thing is radioactive, let's try adjusting the container's phase shift slightly. Also, let's re-align the bio-filter."

"Right, phase shift because otherwise the quantum difference blueshifts light caught in the beam into gamma rays," Jean said as he made the changes. "I should have thought of that."

"Easy to overlook," Ryan replied. "Let's try this again and this time pray to every deity that you now that it works."

"And number three is go." Jean waited impatiently as the transporter cycled again. This time all the readings showed the contents of the test unit were perfectly healthy.

"Excellent. Now all we have to do is prove that this wasn't a fluke." Jean looked at Ryan and grinned. "Do you want to know how many times Starfleet regulations say we have to repeat this before we can move on to animal testing?"

"Six," Ryan answered. "However, that look in your eyes tell me that you find that number somewhat... too low?"

"Actually, I was hoping to shock and horrify you with the low number needed for emergency certification," Jean said, sighing dramatically. "Alas, I am deprived of my entertainment. Of course, it's six successes in a row, but with any luck we'll be up to mice by lunch time and have something for the captain by mid-afternoon."

"Then let's get started," Ryan nodded.

OFF:

Lt Jean Reynard
Chief Operations Officer

Lt. JG Ryan North
Chief Science Officer