Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Dariusz Pokorski (Navigator) in Main Sim - Bridge - Arrival at Ardan V
[snip]

The probes went out equal distance and above the area where the landing party went down. Once they reached a distance just before what would have been a ship entering a geosynchronous orbit they blinked out as any signals from them stopped being sent.

Morris frowned at the monitor. “Sir, looks like the probes cut out just as they reached geosynchronous orbit. Launching 4 more probes into the next quadrant of the planet to see if the dampening field is the same strength there as well.”

“Yes, please do that,” responded Kahuna. “I wanted to know if the field extends right around the planet. If it does not, then we might be able to take a shuttle down to Ardan V, far enough away, and pick up the landing party from there.”

“Sir!” Cara told Kahuna, “I think that in Engineering, they used the field from a Micro-Resonator to shield the matter-antimatter reaction from this disruption field for enough time to restart a sufficient reaction within the Dilithium crystals to bring the Warp Core back online and give us enough power to leave its influence. I think I’m correct! So, getting to my point… if the landing party could use some similar piece of equipment on the surface they could also make a bubble large enough to stand inside. Then we might still be able to beam them up by the Transporter, one at a time?”

“It might work,” replied Kahuna, “but we’d need to let them know about that first, and without communicators working, we have no way to do that.”

Dariusz watched the screen and monitored the 4 new probes as they were launched went even further around the planet than the first.

The extra probes deployed proved the field was equidistant around the planet. Like a protective bubble.

“The probes show the field is the same strength all around the planet, Sir!”

“It was worth trying,” said Kahuna. “We have plenty of probes. Do you have any other ideas, Mr. Morris?”

Morris gave a concerned frown and thought, “Now, this might be a situation of to a hammer everything looks like a nail, but if we were able to pinpoint the origin of the dampening field, we might be able to knock it out with either a phaser burst or a photon torpedo. Perhaps I can have the ship scan and see if it can find where the field is strongest, or any other anomaly that could be a clue as to its origin.”

“Okay, make any scans you think are worthwhile,” Kahuna replied. “We don’t have a lot of options here, and the passing Klingon merchant vessel told us to get our people off the planet as soon as possible.”

“Let’s check if the existing probes detected any slight variation in the field strength or any anomaly,” Kahuna added. At the same time, he allowed Clifford to make new more detailed ship scans.

Morris began directing the computer to give a full spectrum analysis of the planet and the dampening field, searching for any anomalies or irregularities that might help give them a target.

With using so many probes around the planet to scan they indeed found a focal point for the jamming signal. The focal point was the cavern area where the Captains away team was. Firing torpedoes in there really was not a good idea unless they wished to kill their own CO and shipmates.

“The focal point appears to be underground,” Cara explained. “Near to where the landing party were sent, and within the extent of the mining tunnels.”

At which point a communication was picked up, sent over a wide range of channels =/\= USS Merrimack! =/\= Stella called out. =/\= Hey you! USS Merrimack you up there? =/\=

“That’s Stella’s voice!” Cara exclaimed. “Their communicators are working again!”

=/\= Stella? Uh, we had a slight communications malfunction, but uh …everything’s perfectly all right now. We’ve been trying to make contact with you but we first had to move further away from the planet. We’re fine. We’re all fine here now, thank you. How are you? =/\=

Cross had just stepped on the bridge as Cara had made contact Finally she thought. ‘’Cara do please ask her about the rest of the landing party?’’ .

=/\= This is Lieutenant J.G. Ashley Walker part of Engineering. What’s the status up there? Is there a way we can get in contact with the captain?=/\=

“Hold on folks!” Cara exclaimed. “I can only talk to one person at a time!”

If it wasn’t for the fact that the situation was dire Cross would have smiled ‘’Try working in sickbay !’’ the CMO exclaimed.

Cara replied on all the open channels at the same time. =/\= We are holding a geocentric orbit with an apogee significantly beyond that of a geosynchronous orbit, and we are undergoing a few repairs from when the Warp power went offline. Sickbay is dealing with a few slips and falls and heads knocked against bulkheads, but nothing serious. We have been unable to communicate until now because of the field surrounding from the planet, but have now been able to isolate its focal point as a cavern area beneath you inside the mines, which we are assuming is where the Captain’s away team are. However, we haven’t made contact with them, no! =/\=

Morris tried to sift through the cacophony of voices trying to speak though the comms, but since he was new and didn’t know the voices speaking, it was almost impossible. He respected how the science officer (Cara?) was able to handle the situation. The officer, stella, they seemed to be talking seemed off to Morris, how she was speaking over the comm seemed inorganic to him. But he had to admit, he had no idea what their natural voice sounded like, so couldn’t determine if something was actually wring or not.

=/\= That is correct. The captain is in the cavern area beneath us inside the mines. However, I’m not sure if we will be able to contact them. We will try our best from here. But I do want to ask, if there is a way you can transport us back to the ship once we are finished here. =/\= replied Ashley.

Cara replied =/\= I think the ship will be too far away from the planet now to get a lock on you, or even to transport, but I’m not an engineer. We’ll let you know. The field surrounds the entire planet, so a shuttlecraft landing isn’t possible either. =/\=

=/\= So your telling me we are on our own for a while then? For how much longer? =/\= Ashley asked.

=/\= The field is originating on the planet where the Captain is. We can’t do anything about it here. It needs to be turned off. =/\= Cara replied.

=/\= Understood. We’ll try and keep tabs if need be. =/\=

Lieutenant J.G. Ashley Walker
Engineering Physicist
U.S.S. Merrimack

=/\= ” Merrimack this is Lieutenant jg Stella Gagnon. I have a bit of a question if you don’t mind. What field? What is the field made of? Can we see it? Can we smell it? Is there any way at all we can measure it or tell where it is? Obviously, you have found a way to detect this so-called field. So, at this time the chances of us turning anything off are about the same as a Badger mating with an Alligator. So, as you can tell a little sharing would be wonderful.

Stella Gagnon Lt.jg. Comms

“Er… I’m a scientist not a farmer! …sorry, I don’t know how it works, I just know that when we were inside its bubble the Warp Drive died, and nothing would work. The probes that have been sent out all went dead. …but when we moved away from it …now everything is hunky-dory again. Does that help? =/\= Cara replied.

‘’Cara dear you have spend a lot of time with us humans and it seem you’re turning into a homo-sapiens ‘’ Cross chirped in.

“I very much hope not,” replied Cara. “No apes in my family tree either on my grandmother’s or grandfather’s side, but many primitive human cultures have worshiped both my species of Caitians and M’mera’s species, if not as Gods themselves, but as vessels that the gods chose to inhabit, and whose likeness Gods chose to adopt. So, you would be wise to bow down to your god at this point.”

‘’Ah yes the great Pharaohs who had nothing better to do and decided to build the pyramids with their slaves of course ‘’ Cross replied ‘’I ain’t bowing to no Gods , I hate cats but I know of someone who adores them so much so he has one running around the ship ‘’ after that she stayed quiet so as not to disturb Cara.

Cross CMO.

Stella spoke again =/\= So, to sum up you were in a bubble full of something that you couldn’t see or measure and that had no impact on its environment and is immeasurable. Or for matter may not even be a a bubble but could be a huge gelatinous wobbly cube! …Cara? I assume that when the ship approached the planet, they did the normal sorts of scans, atmosphere, planetary magnetic fields and such? =/\=

Stella Gagnon Lt.jg. Comms

Dariusz, who knew that Cara hadn’t been on the Bridge back then, piped up, “They ran every kind of scan possible when we first made orbit. Nothing out of the ordinary came up. Of course, whatever it is can’t have been operating then, and had no impact because the ship wasn’t being affected. When it was, it happened immediately, like a switch being thrown. …And I guess the extent of activity could be cube-shaped rather than a sphere, but not sure how that is important. It is measurable though… the probes show it is strongest in that area where we think the Captain is.”

Cara listened then replied to Stella =/\= Yes. …They ran all kinds of different scans. What are you getting at? =/\=

• Cara, Science

Dariusz looked at the probe data again and ran an analysis, “No, it’s definitely cube-shape; following the inverse square law and decreasing with distance from its source!” He waited for more instructions, but Kahuna was listening to Cara’s conversation and Cara was talking.

• Kahuna, weapons