Laboratory Analysis

Posted on 21 May 2021 @ 6:26pm by Lieutenant Leland Hawksley & Lieutenant JG Ted Silver

1,630 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Deck 04 - Science Labs
Timeline: [Prior to 'Blue Away']

[ON]

Leland left the main shuttle bay of the Tomcat with a small sample in his metal bio hazard briefcase. He had checked with the ships main computer to run a standard analysis of the iron, sulphur builds up that was on the port nacelle of the Allegro. A Type II shuttlecraft that was currently out of service for repair work.

Interested in the computers undetermined findings, Hawksley had set about scraping the piece of stalactite off the shuttlecraft nacelle and into a science lab petri dish.

"Let's find out what you all about, shall we?" Hawksley had eyed the small fragment of build-up that was now crumbled into the petri dish. He had locked down the Allegro to remain out of service until he knew what he had found.

**Deck 04, Science Labs**

Entering the main science labs on Deck 04, Leland had hoped to find a familiar face. Looking around the various work stations he had spotted a friendly face he had met prior. Lieutenant Ted Silver. "Lieutenant Silver." Hawksley had lent a smile.

Walking up to him, Leland held his small sleek silver briefcase at his side, not wanting to thrust his question right away.

"How goes your work, Ted?" Leland curiously looked over the Lieutenants science table.

Ted rubbed his eyes. He was tired. But reports did not write themselves. Absentmindedly he tapped a finger on the desk thinking.

oO What am I doing here? OO

He looked up when he heard Leland.

“ Hello. Not too bad. Just catching up on some paperwork. How may I help you?” Ted asked

"Is it that obvious? I can't just walk into a fellow crewmate, and chit chat?" He winked. "Nah, I got something interesting. Well, might be nothing... Probably nothing." Leland rubbed at his temple, before placing on the tabletop a biosample dish.

Ted felt like he had just been very bad-mannered. He did not mean to sound rude. But after with everything going on recently. He was still a little rattled by it all.

"Found this compound. It was stuck on the starboard nacelle of one of the shuttles. The computers couldn't identify it." Hawk proposed.

Then again.

Silver looked at him.

“ Did you check yourself through the contamination scanners? Only if the computer could not identify what this is. We need to make sure your proximity to it. Has not affected you medically” Silver said

Hawksley had a dumbfounded, and now perplexed look. "Uh. You see I didn't actually touch the compound. I used an instrument to scrape it off." Leland cocked his head sideways, as he shifted his weight in his standing.

“ Did you deal with the instrument?” Ted replied.

"Well. Yes. I then put away the encasing un-..." He then paused. "Well, now." oO Why does this ALWAYS happen! Oo He shook his head.

Silver then started to laugh. Perhaps the first time in days.

“Sorry. I could not resist. Just pulling your leg. My sense of humour. I did not mean to cause you distress. So we have a mystery here ah? Let’s put this baby under the microscope.” He said chuckling.

"Distress." Hawksley had crossed his arms clearly not amused. After a while, his serious facial expression had flinched to reveal a bit of a slight grin. "Ok. Well. Yeah. That was funny."

"So. You don't think it is a danger of contamination. I guess once you take a look you can tell me better than the shuttle bay sensors." Hawksley had then pulled up a metal lab stool as he took a seat.

Hawksley cocked his head towards the lab microscope that Silver had just begun to work on. "You realize, Ted. I am not going anywhere until you find out what that thing is. You also realize that if we are dealing with something unholy, then you Ted will have been exposed by me bringing the sample to you." He then boasted as his chest had puffed up a bit. "So. Yeah. Jokes on you too!" Leland winked chuckling, his own joking around in return.

Ted adjusted the image on the microscopes monitor.

“ I wouldn’t worry about that. I beefed up the bio scanners in the lab. After all with everything that goes on in here. You can never be too careful. If this was dangerous we’d of known about it long ago. So what do we have here? Well, it’s dead that’s for starters. No biological activity. But then again there is that tiny light blob just there. Interesting....” Silver said.

Leland was relieved to hear that things were ok. Hearing that the blob of macro dust, or whatever, was not presenting biologically. At least anymore.

"What if it's some sort of space gold? Wouldn't that be a kick?" He narrowed his eyes into the microscope monitor. "I see it. I see what you mean."

Ted checked the readings closely.

“ I do not think this is space gold. If anything it could be the remains of a missing crew member. Where exactly did you find this?” Ted asked

"Off of the port flank side nacelle of the Type-6 Personnel Shuttle." Hawksley thought. "I brought this to you Ted because I wasn't sure why it was there, and never really seen anything like it to be attached to the craft. Seemed organic at the time." Leland shrugged looking at Ted.

Silver ran a probe over the compound.

“ Well, that bright bit is brain matter. But I can’t tell how advanced it was. For all, we know it could have been a bird. That did not look where it was going and went splat against the nacelle. Then again it could be the remains of someone’s lunch. Not all crew members can eat replicated synthetic meats.” Ted explained

"Nice to know I am checking for pieces of upchucked food hitting our shuttle crafts bay machinery..." Hawksley grumbled. "Well. If you think it is nothing, then I probably should be on my way?" Leland had gestured to the doorway of the Labs.

Ted waved his finger.

“ Hang on a moment this is important. We need to know what this is. Unwanted food gets recycled. But if this was chucked away. Someone did not want it looked at. There could be more to this. The shuttlecraft you found this on. We’re had it been?” Ted said seriously.

"It was one of the Type-6 Personnel Shuttles had been out of service. The final flight plan logged was from the Unara System, a Class M planetoid. Utara Prime." Hawksley had reviewed the data on his flight control systems padd Hawksley had handy in his khaki shorts.

Silver rubbed his chin in thought.

“ That was before I was assigned to the Tomcat. I never did find out what happened to the last Assistant Chief Science Officer. This stuff is too small to be anything larger than a humanoid. Oh, I know what I said before. But human flesh once cooked can also resemble a beefsteak. Let’s put this through the cellular probe. Hopefully, it should give us a better idea of what this is.” Silver said.

"I heard that is what the smell of space would be if we could smell it out there. A bunch of particles and amino acids." Leland remembered one of his Science Professors from the Academy had stated that.

"Yes! What does the old cellular probe say."

Ted looked over the probe's readings.

“ Yes, I heard that too. Although....... Interesting the cellular make-up of this blob is organic. It’s not from Earth..... Unara system..... Utara Prime high iron levels but not much copper. Then again it’s been in space. A frozen vacuum would strip anything away. If the dark area was a brain. There’s not much density. So this would not be too intelligent. What do we know about Utara Prime?” Ted asked.

Hawksley had shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." Leland then cocked his head to the side. "Computer. Identify and Classify the Unara System planet, Unara Prime."

The Computer replied, = Unara Prime. Located in the Unara System. A Class M Planetoid. Unara Prime comprises an ecosystem containing complex amino acids and protein readings. Supports carbon-based plant and animal life. The atmosphere contains large percentages of nitrogen and oxygen and smaller percentages of trace elements. Nucleogenic particles are present in the atmosphere. Unara Prime remains geologically active and rich in minerals. The planetary core contains nickel-iron with a bentonite mantle. =

"Computer. Are there any inhabitants on Unara Prime?" Leland questioned.

= Affirmative. A small, sparse population of humanoid settlements exists. However, contact and communication have been minimal with Federation expeditions in the region. =

"Looks like. More questions than answers." Hawksley crossed his forearms and turned to Ensign Silver.

Ted considered what Hawksley said.

“ Hmmm. What about any non Federation contact? Just because we have kept away. Does not always apply to others.” Ted wondered.

"True. But. That is a bit out of my pay grade Ensign." Hawksley was beginning to get tired. "So... This thing here..." He gestured with his fingers at a microscope, "It's not gonna hurt anyone or the craft. Cause, that pay grade, I'm responsible." He grunted.

Silver looked at the monitor.

“ Well. To me, it looks like something that was not looking where it was going. Tried to fly through the shuttle and splat. I’d run a deep structural scan on the area. But I don’t think this is going to get your hand smacked.” Silver said

"That sounds about right." Hawksley had nodded. He then gave a nod to Ted. "Ensign, thank you for your help. Please." Leland glanced at the microscope, "keep me updated, would you?"


[OFF]

Ensign Ted Silver
Deputy Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant Jg Leland Hawksley
Chief Helm Officer

 

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