[snip]

A beep came back from the computer showing it had done what it could to try to process the light patterns. It revealed it was some kind of likely mathematical formula. Bringing it up El would find it interesting to say the least, it had some comparisons to usual known theories of various FTL forms of travel. Warp travel for example carried a pretty common line of math no matter who used it in some form or another. But the formula was also different, it would remind her of when she had been planetside not so long ago. Part of the formula matched many of the programming patterns the humanoid aliens used for their computer processing systems. What this likely meant was that the Greyhound Saviors/Survivors had probably scavenged Serpent hardware and backwards engineered it for use by the locals in various forms. But seeing how it matched up in other uses her mind would swirl with more ideas.

“It’s mathematical,” Dorian said, looking at the results as they were coming in. “Have a look.”

El leaned in, gnawing a nail between her teeth as her eyes flashed over it. “Wow.” Even if it was mumbled behind the nail.

“Wow .. because?” Dorian asked. “It looks familiar but my eyes glazed over at advanced calculus.”

She moved her hand down and traced some lines. “You missed out then,” El said. “Here and here. Foundational warp theory. Here too. Oh this is giving me tingles.” She pointed to some other lines. “But here. Where did I see that? Wait, that’s from the planet at their computer cafe. This and this code here matches.” She let out a small string of Chinese ..

Dorian glanced up. “What?”

“Can we get aboard that thing? Can we beam onto it? Through that hull? You said it’s not that thick.” Her voice got faster with more of a Chinese accent. “You said there were no shields. If we can’t beam through it can we beam away a portion of the hull to then beam into it?”

“Okay, checking, but what is it?” Dorian asked. “Any time my girl friend got that excited about something I knew I was either in trouble or a very good evening.”

Rosa called over. “Not listening!”

El said, “Okay, if you missed Fitch’s calc class he would constantly be saying that equations had power.” He fingers stabbed at the screen. “There is power in those equations. Big time. They are doing something with it. Punching out a communications signal is a good bet. But there is more to it. We’re talking a mesh between comms and subspace. Could they be talking to space itself and warping it? Maybe to something past that.”

“So .. can we block it?” Rosa called over.

El thought about that then looked over to Rosa. “Maybe. Let me think about that.”

She hit the comms. [o] El to Galen. We’re trying to scan to see if we can beam into that ship. Is the Captain or XO there to look into that possibility? [c] She took a breath . [o] Best that I can tell right now off the data is that those lights are a signal that may be integrating with subspace, be it a way of communication or … burrowing into subspace. We’re still theorizing. How exciting is this!!? [c]

The first was that indeed the light pattern was some kind of signal, given the power output with each burst it was fair to say it was a long range communicator to where/when though was anyone’s guess. Also what it meant was equally a mystery and probably would always be so.

The second though was that the formula somehow dealt with FTL travel, indeed into the realm of subspace which worked in concert with warp travel to move ships and other things known to her. So with the first idea in mind she could further theorize that this long range communication was tunneling into subspace to go even further then normal so this meant whoever would receive it probably was not going to be getting it anytime soon nor show up anytime soon.

The third and probably most important though, was with this formula she could in theory create a counter formula pattern to cause interference or outright blocking of any further transmission to whoever was going to get this, the power to use it would have to come from their own warp reactor of course, and the ‘lighting’ would have to come from the ship’s nacelles, coupled with a carefully timed raising/lowering/fluctuating pattern of the ship’s warp bubble. In essence it would be like trying to run the ship at warp while staying still, starting and stopping it over and over. It would be risky of course, no one to her knowledge had ever attempted something like this, it was like over revving a conventional car motor in neutral to the red line to make the most noise and hoping you did not blow up the engine.

Of course if she or those on the ship did do this there was no telling how or what this might do to the massive diamond structure over the planet, at the least it would simply block the signal it was preparing to transmit, at worse it could in theory cause it to explode with unknown results to them or the planet below.

Finally there was one longer term idea gemerinating in the back of her mind, if this formula could be used as a means for making computers run at incredible states of processing on such simple hardware, not to mention produce such imaginational levels of power output, and use for FTL means of travel. It occurred to her that with further research who knows what limits it could produce for Earth’s Starfleet!

Checks on beam over were a bit mixed, in theory they could, however, the sheer amount of radiation inside it from the massive power core would simply fry anyone going over there, and even if they had say some kind of automated drone that too would have its circuits fried pretty quick. So in short no they couldn’t get inside.

GM CockRoach