Posted by Civilian Stovik (Science) in Main Sim: A Systematic Understanding (Science)

Posted by Gamemaster Mal Fet (GMT) in Main Sim: A Systematic Understanding (Science)
The actual process of recovering the escape pods was relatively trivial.

Following Mr. Stovik’s direction, the Science Department located four additional escape pods that were not transmitting their distress beacons, as well as one with faint life signs that the analysts flagged as red.

A rapid series of interdepartmental comms led to the bridge crew shifting course and the critical patient being transported directly to Sickbay.

With the last of the survivors from the Federation ships collected, the Sentinel shifted course to rendezvous with the task force. That left the Science Department with an opportunity to review the sensor logs from the battle and try to make sense of what they had witnessed.

It was clear the Klingons were using some sort of sensor-manipulation technology that caused these duplicates, or “ghosts,” to appear. Considering the amount of debris and the report that the task force had lost a cruiser and six destroyers, this technology had clearly given the Birds-of-Prey a decided tactical advantage.

If, or when, the flotilla returned, they would possess that same advantage. Unless the crew could find a way to mitigate the impact of the technology.

And to do that, they needed to understand of what was going on.

Gamemaster Mal Fet

With the final survivors safely aboard and the Sentinel turning to rendezvous with the task force, Stovik remained at the primary science station. The immediate rescue operation had concluded. The circumstances that had made it necessary had not.

He brought the accumulated sensor records from the engagement onto the central Science display. “Science personnel, redirect attention to analysis of the sensor anomalies encountered during the battle. Our objective is to determine the mechanism responsible for the duplicate Klingon contacts and develop a method of distinguishing genuine vessels from false sensor returns.”

Stovik divided the available telemetry into several datasets: the original long-range observations, the chaotic readings recorded during the engagement, and the moment when the false contacts had abruptly disappeared.

“Compare all sensor frequencies and detection methods independently. Do not assume the phenomenon affected each subsystem identically. Examine gravimetric, electromagnetic, thermal, subspace, and navigational sensor records for inconsistencies between genuine contacts and the apparent duplicates.”

He paused as the department began reorganizing around the new assignment. “Particular attention is to be given to the transition when the anomalous contacts ceased. If the Klingon technology was deactivated, disrupted, or moved beyond effective range, the resulting change may provide the most useful comparative data.”

Stovik opened a channel to the Chief Science Officer.

=^= Specialist Stovik to Lieutenant Kross. Survivor recovery is complete. Science is beginning a comprehensive analysis of the sensor-manipulation phenomenon encountered during the engagement. I am assigning comparative examination of the battle telemetry with priority given to identifying characteristics capable of differentiating authentic vessels from the duplicate contacts. =^=

Stovik
Science Specialist

The Science Officers set to the tasks assigned by Stovik.

One thing that was immediately clear was the massive spikes of sensor noise flooding the Sentinel’s sensors as soon as they entered the system. This barrage of input overloaded the gravimetric, electromagnetic, and subspace sensor bands.

No efforts were made to identify the source of this noise at the time. Instead, the team had worked to filter or block it while attempting to identify targets and support the battle effort.

As a result, the readings they did have of the battle were coarse identifications, vague compared to what the sensors normally provided. Those three bands were the primary avenues for detecting and identifying ships. The scientists were still looking for a means to identify the real ships hidden among their duplicates… but their efforts had yet to bear fruit.

As Stovik sat at the console, it was clear that the noise had disappeared as the Klingon vessels jumped to warp. The noise dropped in stages over the few seconds it took for all the vessels to warp out.

Similarly, the sensor “ghosts” started dropping out during that same window. It did not match the same pattern as the noise reduction, however. The ghosts faded in stutters rather than vanishing all at once.

Gamemaster Mal Fet