Captain’s Log Part Five — Untangling the Snarl

Saturday—Five: Untangling the Snarl 

Personal log, supplemental. Ottawa has been scanning the subspace twists of energy, trying to understand what it is we’re looking at and what might be causing these disruptions, with little luck thus far. One thing has been clear, though: the distortions are growing. 

You’re working at your station, trying to come up with a new way to look at the data that might shine a light on what’s going on and making little headway. You call up the other department updates to see if anyone else is having luck and consider everything listed as a whole, and see two updates.

Medical reports the Bytown scientists are all remain unconscious, including their lead scientist, Ammalia, a Denobulan specialist in gravity and gravimetric theory. The chief medical officer notes that her file lists her yearly hibernation cycle should not be occurring now. The Vulcan, human, and Tellarite survivors are also unconscious, but that’s less notable.

Science reports the distortions are “bending” energy patterns in multiple ways—each strand of energy seems to have its own unique frequency of distortion despite otherwise being similar otherwise. The sensors continue to struggle to make sense of the data they’re receiving because of this variance. 

You lean back in your chair, eying the two updates. 

There has to be an answer there somewhere. Bytown’s destruction, the survivors unconscious, the uniqueness of the strands of subspace distortion…

It might be worth doing a deeper dive into the effects of these strands on biology—Vulcan, Tellarite, human and Denobulan give you four different reference points to work with—maybe it’s time to look at this from a xenobiological point of view (REASON + MEDICINE; Potential Focus: Xenobiology), or maybe it’s time to really focus in on the problem and attune the sensors to closely examine just one specific strand of the subspace distortion: look at the tree, rather than the forest  (REASON + SCIENCE; Potential Focus: Sensor Operations).

Saturday—Test Five: Sleeping Beauties

If you choose to examine the unconscious scientists, you need to make a REASON + MEDICINE test. Take your Reason Attribute score and your Medicine Discipline score and add them together, creating your Target Number. Roll two twenty-sided dice (2d20) and compare them to the Target Number. You’re trying to roll a number equal to or lower than the Target Number on at least one of the twenty sided dice. If you have it, you can erase Momentum to re-roll one of the dice.

If one of your rolls is below the Target Number, read Test Five: Xenobiology Success! below. If both of your rolls are below the Target Number, read Test Five: Xenobiology Momentum! below. If neither of your rolls were below the Target Number, read Test Five: Xenobiology Failure! below. 

Test Five: Xenobiology Success!
In Sickbay, the unconscious scientists are being watched by med-techs and nurses, and you aim your gaze at the readouts above each in turn. After some time cross-referencing with the xenobiological database, you’re pretty sure what you’re seeing isn’t as simple as sleep.

It mostly comes down to the gravimetric specialist and leader of the Bytown’s scientists, Ammalia. Denobulan sleep cycles are measurable, and distinct from most species. A yearly hibernation, rather than a daily rhythm, there are few things that can initiate an early cycle, and you rule out some of the more basic options right away. No virus. No sign of disease, nor the presence of Orion pheromonal influence. 

Some forms of radiation have been known to affect Denobulan mental states, however, and you spend some time cross-referencing those against radiation known to affect Vulcans and Tellarites and humans and…

Wait.

You get a partial match on an obscure distortion pattern—something called “the Manheim Effect”—and spend some time reading up on the fallout of a failed experiment that opened a partial window to another dimension. That experiment created temporal distortions, but that’s not quite what you’re seeing here, you don’t think. 

It takes another hour, but you track down the difference when you take a quantum resonance scan of the neural tissue of the unconscious scientists and get a different reading from each. 

That’s not right, at all. Everything in the galaxy should resonate the same way. If they don’t…

Those subspace twists aren’t just distortions, they’re somehow interacting with other dimensions. And in beaming the Bytown scientists aboard, they passed through some of that distortion, is it possible they’ve passed through those dimensions and been affected?

The answer comes shortly thereafter, when one of the humans wakes up. You ask him to walk you through what happened, and his explanation of how the scientists were caught unaware when the subspace twists erupted all around their ship seems coherent enough, right up until he refers to the ship as Dalhousie.

“You mean Bytown?” you say.

“What?” He frowns. “No. Our ship was the SS Dalhousie.”

You call up his records and show him—but he frowns, shakes his head, and asks you to retrieve his communicator. You do, and he flips it over, revealing the markings on the back. His name is clearly listed, as is the name of his vessel.

SS Dalhousie.

You check the communicators of the other scientists. Half list the SS Bytown, the others list the SS Dalhousie. 

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 5 on your Mission Tracker to note your success! If you also have the Xenobiology Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Medicine Discipline, read Genetic Variance below. Otherwise, when you’re ready, you can move on to Part Six.] 

Test Five: Xenobiology Momentum!
In Sickbay, the unconscious scientists are being watched by med-techs and nurses, and you aim your gaze at the readouts above each in turn. After some time cross-referencing with the xenobiological database, you’re sure what you’re seeing isn’t sleep.

It mostly comes down to the gravimetric specialist and leader of the Bytown’s scientists, Ammalia. Denobulan sleep cycles are measurable, and distinct from most species. A yearly hibernation, rather than a daily rhythm, there are few things that can initiate an early cycle, and you rule out some of the more basic options right away. No virus. No sign of disease, nor the presence of Orion pheromonal influence. 

Some forms of radiation have been known to affect Denobulan mental states, however, and you spend some time cross-referencing those against radiation known to affect Vulcans and Tellarites and humans and…

Wait.

You get a partial match on an obscure distortion pattern—something called “the Manheim Effect”—and spend some time reading up on the fallout of a failed experiment that opened a partial window to another dimension. That experiment created temporal distortions, but that’s not what you’re seeing here, you don’t think. 

Inspired, you take a quantum resonance scan of the neural tissue of the unconscious scientists and get a different reading from each. 

Not time, dimension. Everything in the galaxy normally resonates the same way. They don’t.

Those subspace twists aren’t just distortions, they’re somehow interacting with other dimensions. By beaming the Bytown scientists aboard, they passed through that distortion, and perhaps have been affected by that journey.

The answer comes shortly thereafter, when one of the humans wakes up. You ask him to walk you through what happened, and his explanation of how the scientists were caught unaware when the subspace twists erupted all around their ship seems correct—and then he refers to the science vessel as Dalhousie.

“Don’t you mean Bytown?” you say.

“What?” He frowns. “No. Our ship was the SS Dalhousie.”

You call up the records and show him—but he frowns, shakes his head, and then you realize what you might be seeing. You ask the medtech to retrieve the man’s communicator, and flip it over, revealing the markings on the back. His name is clearly listed, as is the name of his vessel.

SS Dalhousie.

He’s not wrong. You check the communicators of the other scientists. Half list the SS Bytown, the others list the SS Dalhousie. 

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 5 on your Mission Tracker to note your success, and then put a checkmark in the Momentum Box! During a future test, you can erase your Momentum checkmark to re-roll one of your dice. If you also have the Xenobiology Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Medicine Discipline, read Genetic Variance below. Otherwise, when you’re ready, you can move on to Part Six.] 

Genetic Variance
The more you dive into the readings you got from the various survivors of the Bytown—or is it Dalhousie?—the more you realize the subspace distortions can have a deleterious effect on the neurology of individuals that get too much exposure to it, especially inducing fatigue. Working with Sickbay, you determine a shot of hyronalin should work as a preventative in the future, as well as a way to offset the ongoing effects for those suffering from exposure already.

[Mark a checkmark by Genetic Variance under Advantages. When you’re ready, you can move on to Part Six.]

Test Five: Xenobiology Failure!
In Sickbay, the unconscious scientists are being watched by med-techs and nurses, and you aim your gaze at the readouts above each in turn. After some time cross-referencing with the xenobiological database, you’re pretty sure what you’re seeing isn’t as simple as sleep.

You figured the only real place to start was the gravimetric specialist and leader of the Bytown’s scientists, Ammalia. Denobulan sleep cycles are measurable, and distinct from most species. A yearly hibernation, rather than a daily rhythm, there are few things that can initiate an early cycle, and you rule out some of the more basic options right away. No virus. No sign of disease, nor the presence of Orion pheromonal influence. 

Some forms of radiation have been known to affect Denobulan mental states, however, and you spend some time cross-referencing those against radiation known to affect Vulcans and Tellarites and humans and unfortunately all you get is a partial match on an obscure distortion pattern—something called “the Manheim Effect.”

You spend some time reading up on the fallout of a failed experiment that opened a partial window to another dimension. That experiment created temporal distortions, but after more cross-referencing, you find nothing to lead you to think the same thing is happening here. 

You’re still chasing down new theories when one of the humans wakes up. You ask him to walk you through what happened, and his explanation of how the scientists were caught unaware when the subspace twists erupted all around their ship seems coherent enough, right up until he refers to his science vessel as Dalhousie. 

“You mean Bytown?” you say.

“What?” He frowns. “No. Our ship was the SS Dalhousie.”

You call up his records and show him—the records list the vessel as SS Bytown—but he frowns, shakes his head, and asks you to retrieve his communicator. When you do, he flips it over, revealing the markings on the back. His name is clearly listed, as is the name of his vessel.

SS Dalhousie.

You check the communicators of the other scientists. Half list the SS Bytown, the others list the SS Dalhousie. 

That’s… unexpected.

[Mark an X in Box 5 on your Mission Tracker to note a failure. When you’re ready, you can move on to Part Six.]

Saturday—Test Five: One Strand

If you choose to focus on a single strand of the subspace distortions, you need to make a REASON + SCIENCE test. Take your Reason Attribute score and your Science Discipline score and add them together, creating your Target Number. Roll two twenty-sided dice (2d20) and compare them to the Target Number. You’re trying to roll a number equal to or lower than the Target Number on at least one of the twenty sided dice. If you have it, you can erase Momentum to re-roll one of the dice.

If one of your rolls is below the Target Number, read Test Five: Sensor Success! below. If both of your rolls are below the Target Number, read Test Five: Sensor Momentum! below. If neither of your rolls were below the Target Number, read Test Five: Sensor Failure! below. 

Test Five: Sensor Success!
Sometimes you need to focus on a single piece of the puzzle. Find the corners, then work on the borders, then fill in the whole image. This is the approach you’re trying to take, and it requires fine-tuning ship’s sensors to a single strand of the dark red, twisting and jagged threads of subspace distortion as it snaps around. 

It’s not easy. You have to compensate for the distortion from all the other strands to get a specific sensor profile on the strand you’ve chosen, but with some diligence and some help from the ops and science teams, you manage to adjust the sensors to get a clear, detailed scan of the individual strand, and stare in wonder when you realize what you’re looking at.

You’ve definitely determined how the strand you’re looking at is different from all the others: it has a different quantum resonance. 

The thing is, that shouldn’t really be possible. 

Everything in the galaxy should resonate the same way. If each individual subspace strand resonates differently…

Then those subspace twists aren’t just distortions, they’re somehow interacting with other dimensions. 

How, though?

More data comes shortly thereafter, when one of the human scientists wakes up. You join the Captain in Sickbay while he speaks to the scientist. When asked to walk the crew through what happened, the scientist’s explanation of how the scientists were caught unaware when the subspace twists erupted all around their ship seems coherent enough, right up until he refers to his ship as Dalhousie. 

“You mean Bytown?” The Captain says.

“What?” The scientist frowns. “No. Our ship was the SS Dalhousie.”

You call up his records—it says SS Bytown, of course—and show him, but he frowns, shakes his head, and asks for his communicator. The Captain has a med-tech retrieve it, and when flipped over, revealing the markings on the back, the scientist’s name is clearly listed, as is the name of his vessel.

SS Dalhousie.

You check the communicators of the other rescued scientists. Half list the SS Bytown, the others list the SS Dalhousie. 

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 5 on your Mission Tracker to note your success! If you also have the Sensor Operations Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Science Discipline, read Sensor Focus below. Otherwise, when you’re ready, you can move on to Part Six.] 

Test Five: Sensor Momentum!
Sometimes you need to focus on a single piece of the puzzle. Find the corners, then work on the borders, then fill in the whole image. You’re sure this is the approach to take, even if it requires fine-tuning ship’s sensors to a single strand of the dark red, twisting and jagged threads of subspace distortion as it snaps around. 

It takes precision to compensate for the distortion from all the other strands and get a specific sensor profile on the strand you’ve chosen, but with diligence and help from the ops and science teams, you manage to adjust the sensors to get a clear, detailed scan of an individual strand, and stare in wonder when you realize what you’re looking at.

You’ve definitely determined how the strand you’re looking at is different from all the others: it has a different quantum resonance. 

The thing is, that shouldn’t really be possible. 

Everything in the galaxy should resonate the same way. If each individual subspace strand resonates differently…

Then those subspace twists aren’t just distortions, they’re somehow interacting with other dimensions. 

Or that’s where they’re from. Either way, you’re going to need an inter-dimensional approach to any theories you put together going forward.

More data comes shortly thereafter, when one of the human scientists wakes up. You join the Captain in Sickbay while he speaks to the scientist. When asked to walk the crew through what happened, the scientist’s explanation of how the scientists were caught unaware when the subspace twists erupted all around their ship seems coherent enough, right up until he refers to his ship as Dalhousie. 

“You mean Bytown?” The Captain says.

“What?” The scientist frowns. “No. Our ship was the SS Dalhousie.”

You call up his records—it says SS Bytown, of course—and show him, but he frowns, shakes his head, and asks for his communicator. The Captain has a med-tech retrieve it, and when flipped over, revealing the markings on the back, the scientist’s name is clearly listed, as is the name of his vessel.

SS Dalhousie.

You check the communicators of the other rescued scientists. Half list the SS Bytown, the others list the SS Dalhousie. 

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 5 on your Mission Tracker to note your success, and then put a checkmark in the Momentum Box! During a future test, you can erase your Momentum checkmark to re-roll one of your dice. If you also have the Sensor Operations Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Science Discipline, read Sensor Focus below. Otherwise, when you’re ready, you can move on to Part Six.] 

Sensor Focus
Now you know how to get a clear reading on one of the individual subspace distortions, it should be possible to examine each of the twisting ropes in turn, flagging and marking them to see if there those unique resonances have any other unique effects, or if they interact in any way that can improve the prediction models you’re using to avoid running into them. You upload your sensor protocols. Hopefully this will clear a few things up.

[Mark a checkmark by Sensor Focus under Advantages. When you’re ready, you can move on to Part Six.]

Test Five: Sensor Failure!
Sometimes you need to focus on a single piece of the puzzle. Find the corners, then work on the borders, then fill in the whole image. This is the approach you’ve decided to take, but it requires fine-tuning ship’s sensors to a single strand of the dark red, twisting and jagged threads of subspace distortion as it snaps around. 

The more you work at it, the more you think it might not be possible. You’re trying to compensate for the distortion from all the other strands to get a specific sensor profile on the strand you’ve chosen, but even with ongoing help from the ops and science teams, you don’t manage to adjust the sensors to get a clear, detailed scan of the individual strand.

You’re missing a piece of that puzzle, you think. Everything you know about sensor systems says this should work. 

You keep at it, still chasing down new sensor adjustments when you learn one of the human scientists from the Bytown has woken up. You join the Captain in Sickbay while he speaks to the scientist. When asked to walk the crew through what happened, the scientist’s explanation of how the scientists were caught unaware when the subspace twists erupted all around their ship seems coherent enough, right up until he refers to his ship as Dalhousie.

“You mean Bytown?” you say.

“What?” He frowns. “No. Our ship was the SS Dalhousie.”

The Captain has you call up the scientists records—which say SS Bytown, of course—and show him, but the scientist frowns, shakes his head, and asks you to retrieve his communicator. When you do, he flips it over, revealing the markings on the back. His name is clearly listed, as is the name of his vessel.

SS Dalhousie.

The Captain has you check the communicators of the other rescued scientists. Half list the SS Bytown, the others list the SS Dalhousie.

That’s… unexpected.

[Mark an X in Box 5 on your Mission Tracker to note a failure. When you’re ready, you can move on to Part Six.]