Interference Signature

Posted on 12 Jul 2024 @ 10:43am by Commander Kristiana Petrova & Ensign Kat Walker & The Narrator

1,779 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Miranda

Junior Lieutenant Amala Misra had been left in charge of monitoring the reports from the away team that had headed to the caves as well as keeping an eye on the sensors that tracked their comm badges. That strange crewman fella had already gone in the caves and come back fine, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. The team checked in at regular, short intervals, and Amala was able to watch their progress on their monitors. However, as soon as they had entered the cave system, there had been some interference. Something about the caves themselves got in the way. She hoped they would have the answer after being there.

Everything had been going fine. The last report was that they had found an energy field of some kind, but then...they didn't check in when they were supposed to. Maybe they found something and were just delayed, but then their comm badges started flickering in and out on the screen. The interference had increased a great deal, and they still hadn't called in. Amala waited a little longer, as much as was protocol, and then she went to find the first officer...

"Oh, hey, Lieutenant Misra," Kris hadn't had much chance to interact with the junior officer. Even so, she prided herself in knowing at least the names for all the new officers that had come aboard recently. She offered a practiced smile, as she lowered the PADD she'd been reading. It contained the report from Ensign Walker's flyover scan of the caves the strangers called home. The results were very intriguing and had piqued her curiosity, for sure. She was waiting with less patience than she cared to admit for the away team to report back with their own findings from inside the caves. That thought set aside though, she turned her attention fully to the younger officer. "What can I do for you?"

"Commander," Amala replied evenly with a nod of professional deference. "I've been monitoring the comms from the away team and their regular check-ins, but I'm afraid that they missed their last report. They are approximately fifteen minutes overdue. I've registered some kind of interference as they've gotten deeper into the cave, although I have not been able to conclusively identify whether it's naturally or artificially created. They did report some kind of field energy in their last check-in, which they were going to investigate further, but I don't know anything more about it since they didn't follow up on it."

"Huh," Kris mused, furrowing her brows as she listened. She remained silent for a moment, contemplating the Lieutenant's words. Mostly she was trying to decide whether she should be concerned or not, especially given what Ensign Walker had reported about the nature of the caves. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Keep monitoring the situation. If they haven't reported in half an hour from now, please come find me again. Good work," the senior officer said after a moment, even as she turned to try and find Maria, who seemed to have some sort of leadership position in the group of strangers.

Maria was, at that time, standing with Avery. They looked generally casual as they spoke, like friends, which wouldn't be a surprise to anyone looking in since they had come together in this group and from the same place. Every now and then, there was a certain intensity to each one's gaze that would be hard to determine the source of, but it was the only outward sign of anything beyond the placid, casual nature of their conversation.

"Miss Baran," Kris began, when there was a polite enough opportunity to do so. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Could I have a moment of your time, please?" she added, that subtle but definite hint of a Russian accent shining through in her voice.

"Of course," Maria replied after a couple of moments where she blinked at the commander, almost like it took a little bit of effort to change gears from her conversation with Avery to what Commander Petrova had said to her. She nodded once and looked at Avery. "I'll be just a moment." There was almost deference in her tone, though it was subtle, and then she turned back to the commander. "What can I do for you?"

Kris gave a nod to Avery, her expression all business. Attention then turned fully to Maria, as she spoke. "As I understand, you have a kind of leadership position within your group, right? Forgive me if I'm mistaken."

Maria considered for a moment before she replied. She gestured to the others around her. "With these few, I suppose you could say that," she said. "Since I was the first one to encounter your group, I somewhat became the de facto leader for those who came to visit you here, yes."

"Mm. That'll have to do," Kris spoke, matter-of-factly, though a thought seemed to cross her mind, causing her to shelve her actual topic for this moment, to address later. "Do you have leaders? What kind of hierarchy is your society?" she asked, the curiousness taking over for a moment.

"We have leaders, yes," Maria agreed with an almost-amused smile. "It's difficult not to. Humanity is not really designed to function without some sort of hierarchy. We are led by a council of three, who are chosen on a cycle from among our population."

Kris wasn't sure she agreed. On a small enough population, a simple consensus form of peer government could work, she'd seen it happen. It took work and effort though - but that was neither here nor there. "We've lost contact with our away team in your caves," she got right to the matter at hand. "They missed their scheduled report moment, twenty minutes ago. Now, Ensign Walker scanned your caves from the outside and found various layers and some sort of energy field that might interfere with communications from low powered communicators like we're using, but I wanted to hear your opinion too." She didn't think it necessary to add that they were very much intending to leave this planet with a full crew complement, in as good a state of health as they could. So far Maria and her people hadn't done or said anything wrong. They just seemed a bit - ... weird, but that was not enough to start throwing threats around. Even veiled ones.

Maria listened intently and then looked off, thoughtful, nodding slowly. "We do have a forcefield in place that helps protect our home from geological and meteorological events," she said after a few moments. "And there is a substance in the rock that may affect sensors. If they reached a deep enough level to encounter the field, I imagine that could interfere with signal strength. I am not familiar enough with your technology to speak to it specifically, but that's certainly very possible."

"Is there a way to temporarily lower it or turn it off, so we can contact our crew?" Kristiana asked. "I - we ... are very protective of our own and do not enjoy a lapse in communication like this. I would very much like to hear from our crew, if you think that can be arranged."

"I will see what we can do," Maria replied placidly, "but I will need to return to the colony to do so. It shouldn't take me too long to return and speak with our technicians, if you'll permit me to depart now and get it sorted?" She gestured vaguely over her shoulder toward the direction she and her group had come from.

"Is it alright if I send Ensign Walker along? She's the AI fighter. She'll be flying overhead, while probably sending her avatar along for conversation if you want," Petrova offered. "She can contact our away team when you give her the signal to try. It'd be nice for her to be out on a mission, especially in atmo."

Maria considered for a brief moment but then nodded. "I don't see any problem with that," she said. "We do no have any systems like hers, so I am sure she will make fascinating company."

"Alright," Kris nodded, tapping her comm badge. "Ensign Walker, report your avatar to my location and prepare your fighter for immediate departure. I have a mission for you."

"Understood Commander," was the quick and easy reply.

"Just a moment, please. The Ensign will be here shortly," Petrova offered. In the background the humm of a small reactor core spooling up and the hiss of thrusters sounded as the fighter went through pre-flight checks. Within a few moments the iridescent black feathered, four-winged creature appeared from the trees, sailing down towards Kristiana and Maria's location. A shimmer as the form landed, shifting into that of the young female humanoid, moving to stand at attention.

If the appearance of the AI's avatar surprised or affected Maria in any way, it didn't show. She watched the arrival with the same placid, yet somehow dispassionate, expression as she looked at everything. "Fascinating," she murmured, though she knew the posture was not for her but the commander.

A quick glance over at Maria at the woman's expression of fascination, a soft smile from the AI avatar. Petrova however took it all in stride. She'd seen what the AI could do. "Ensign, I want your avatar to accompany Maria here back to her people's cave. We've lost contact with our away team and Maria is going to attempt to allow us to re-establish communication. I want your fighter to fly along and try to raise the away team when Maria gives you the word. Dismissed."

A simple nod and a "Yes Ma'am," from the avatar, before she turned her attention to Maria, extending an almost too perfect and unblemished hand in greet. "Hello Maria, I am ensign Kat Walker. I'm very pleased to meet you."

Maria took the offered hand with her own, equally unblemished hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ensign. How would you prefer me to address you?"

"Kat, or Ensign, or Miss Walker. Whatever you feel most comfortable with," Kat's handshake was artificial, in ways that were difficult to explain. Maybe the warmth of it wasn't quite as one expected, maybe the movements slightly too mechanical - even though it was already a marvel that this holographic projection still could exert a tactile presence, to begin with. A very soft, almost inaudible, ever-present hummm accompanied the holographic avatar.

In the distance, the fighter took flight, hovering as it wheeled about and set a course to intercept the location the two were at.

 

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