Reverse Engineering

Posted on Sun May 26th, 2019 @ 1:02pm by Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi & Lieutenant Commander Sonak & Hera

Mission: Fractured Fairy Tales
Location: USS Hera, Deck 24, Chief Engineer's Office
Timeline: 2396

Bracers of the Moon and Sun
Current status: Experimental discovered Olympian (Ambrosian) technology

Crafted by the Amazons of Meroset 347, the bronze bracers are of masterful workmanship and artful engravings, depicting battles and scribing creeds and reminders of the Amazon's code, all in Cyrillic ancient Grecian script. Most of the passages are written in a fifth case, the Vocative case, which is a form that causes many of the words, although similar, to be pronounced in different ways. Embedded sub-quantum projectors into the underside enable the user to produce a number of effects.

The left bracer, the Moon-themed bracer is activated through a series of muscular flexings and hand movements- primarily leveling and flexing a defensive fist. When activated the device evidences an energy shield. The shield is a thin film transparent neutronium simulacrum, which is impervious to all but the most powerful hand-held energy weapons it intercepts. It also slows incoming kinetic damage in a manner not unlike a portable inertial dampener.

If no size or shape is visualized by the user, the shield that springs into place upon activation is a half meter wide slightly rounded shield, comprised of lines of faint blue energy that flicker at the edge of human visual perception. They flare to full illumination when in use, however. Similar symbols and phrases as found on the bracers can be seen in the revolving lines of the energy construct, with some variance (see fig 14). In testing it has been established that shield size ranges from a small 10 cm shield to one a meter long by half a meter wide shield.

The Sun bracer employs a null space dimensional displacement drive to store items in fourth dimensional space. Said space can store 280 pounds or 127 kilos of material. An inventory of them has revealed a number of spoiled food items, an average of 3 cestus, 3 cestes and a spare Amazon helmet complete with plume and a spare tunic and sandals. Testing is currently being conducted to adapt this to Starfleet use.

"So. That's the report," Rita Paris explained as Thex sh'Zoarhi finished reading the report on the PaDD. "Now, let's figure out how these things work. Because stable access to stable extradimensional space could revolutionize galactic society as we know it. And these energy constructs they produce are tremendous. So, let's figure out how it's done so that we can accurately catalogue how these seemingly simple devices create sum miraculous technological achievement?"

"So I want you and Sonak to work on it. Hera says the micro circuitry inside the bracers are the key, the power source and control interface. We'll liaise with Hera as well as part of this project- she's the designer, after all. We can call a meeting now and try to get this all logically catalogued and mastered in an afternoon if we're having a good day. So, what do you say?" Leave it to the First Officer of the USS Hera to bring her friend a puzzle, then offer her the most brilliant mind of an age and the advanced technologist who had created the technology in the first place as part of a research team to reverse engineer a fantastic technology for an afternoon's exercise.

The Vulcan chief science officer of the Hera pinched his lips before replying.

''There is something I am obviously missing here. Logically we should not have much work to do. Since Hera is the actual designer, it should not be any problem to ask her to draw the schematics or give us a step by step detail of one for us to write down.''

"True," Paris admitted, unsurprised that the logical chief of the science department would grasp that point immediately. Which in turn directed her course correction, which resulted in a logical reframing of her request and intention. "However, it's still a good exercise in reverse engineering for Science and Engineering to cooperate on a project like this. Since we in essence have the answer, it becomes a question of essentially 'checking your work'. In doing so, I believe it can provide a challenge to both departments and encourage creativity and exploration. Do you agree, or is the exercise a waste of time and resources because the answer is there for the taking?"

Sonak nodded.

''Training and studying are the cornerstones of efficiency and understanding. For that reason alone, the task is worthwhile. And with having indeed the designer to check on our work's validity, the benefits will be immediate.''

Thex was munching on a ration bar as she looked at the info they had on it. Her current condition was making the blue girl eat far more than she usually did. "Well did Hera say if it has the nasty side effect that the armor of Achilles has? " The cheif engineer asked not wanting to find out halfway through that it would use your life force as a power supply if it couldn't access it's main power supply.

"She did not. Part of that independent research- I'd like to know what you find out before we just ask for the answers, and confirm it for ourselves. Think you're up for it?" Paris replied, hoping this was an exercise that would work for all parties involved.

''Affirmative,'' Sonak simply said.

" Okay then. Let's get these under the scanner and see if we can see what's inside. " Thex said as a grin spread over her face as she headed for the industrial scanner in the workshop. It didn't take to long before everything was prepared and Thex touched the control panel to start the machine.

She let out a slight smile as the results came through. The outer shell was an unknown substance that looked like it was artificially made as it had no record in the computer archives. Quickly she jotted down a name to call it. Amazonite.

''As the periodic table of elements is complete, this is logically a synthetic composite,'' Sonak concluded after studying the molecular analysis. '' We should be able to replicate it once we complete the subatomic lattice reconstruction; or if it proves too complex for direct replication, replicate all of it's basic constituants and reassemble them chemically following a schematics remade from this analysis."

" Well, at least we can see inside it. That should help." The blue girl said to the vulcan and her human she considered among her closest friends.

"So is there a microcircuitry board on the inside of it that translates the wearer's will into action, correct? Watch this." Paris held up her PaDD as a sensor log played of Petty Officer Jablonski in her uniform. "Okay, this is keen, yah ready?"

With that Jablonski manifested a cestus in her right hand, which looked like a regular knife in her rather large hands. Tossing it to her left hand, it had not even slapped the palm of her left hand before a phaser rifle filled her right hand. Which also looked like a large firearm in her hand.

"So I can toss the knife to blow a panel or somethin, right? Or I can juggle it back," the enhanced humanoid tossed the sword up in a lazy arc that kept it pointing upward the entire time. Shifting the phaser rifle to her left hand she caught the classic shortsword and it vanished, to be replaced by a dark studded mace. Turning to the camera, Jablonsky did a mock bellow, only faintly echoing the real thing, but bearing up on the camera as if in a hostile manner. After which she backed off, and checked for approval as the mace shifted into subspace and the phaser rifle changed hands.

"Fortunately, she has excellent weapon awareness, and isn't just waving that thing about. Apparently with coordination it's quite... potent. So again, the drive to ask, what is this thing, how do I work this thing, and what fundamental forces of the universe are being lent to this thing. Along with ideally how can we incorporate that technology ourselves. Wow, the Borg really ARE our dark side..." Rita realized in the moment.

''There are but four forces active within our universe, '' Sonak summarized; ''the weakest but most far reaching is gravity, the one acting from and upon masses; but we register no gravitational wave or mass alteration when this item is present or used. All the objects made with it retain the same mass. We can therefore ignore it as far as this item is concerned.''

After showing them the data recorded by the analyzer, he resumed his reasoning.

''The weak nuclear force keeps atoms together. For this item to do what we have seen, rearrange atomic bondings to make itself into different items, it requires a stronger force than itself, to act upon the molecular structure of this... amazonite, obviously made specifically to be reactive at this molecular level to such a force.''

He pointed to data recorded by the apparatus and detailed by the computer.

''Electromagnetism is ten to the thirty-ninth power stronger than gravity and roughly three point six times stronger than the weak force. As it is the one of which psionic power is a part of, and observing how the object behave itself, it is therefore the one the object reacts to, so as to function as we have seen.''

The Vulcan showed them another flat line on the scanner readout.

''The fourth and last one, the strong nuclear force, holds subatomic particles together but does not exert itself outside of the atom; since it is ten thousand times stronger than electromagnetism, it cannot be influenced by any of the others unless massively amplified to the point of disruption. As we do not witness a nuclear explosion each time the object is used, we can discard it as well.''

He then looked at them all with his unblinking grey eyes.

''What we have here is basically a matter converter, much like our transporter and replicator systems; a device rearranging itself on the molecular level, composed of an artificially made reactive matter through electromagnetism, itself modulated to psionic frequencies. Thus, the real puzzle is; where comes the energy required to activate it in this manner? From this fundamental force analysis and our observations, my first hypothesis would be biochemical electricity, as it seems that it requires direct physical contact with a living entity to function.''

His brow furrowed.

''However, if this could conceivably be sufficient to turn it from a brass knuckles to a mace, or possibly a chemically powered weapon like a gunpowder firearm, it would not provide enough energy to turn itself into anything better than a functional but completely discharged phaser.''

Thex was thinking to herself as the Vulcan talked, as her blue eyes looked at the results coming in from the rest of the bracers. "I think I may have an answer for that. You said one of the bracers can store items in fourth-dimensional space. What if it's not just using the space for storage, but for harnessing energy. Then the energy can be used to power the matter converter, shield, and storage." She said as she highlighted a part of the bracelets inner workings that judging by the readings was the transporter to the dimension.

“That would be a valid hypothesis,'' Sonak agreed. ''Since matter and energy are but interchangeable states of atomic composition, as our transporters and replicators amply demonstrate, it is conceivable that storage of energy is as feasible as that of matter; even if only as transformed energy into actual matter, ready to be retransformed again when use requires it. This would indeed solve the problem.''

“All right, so can we map the circuitry and confirm this hypothesis?” Rita pursued. While she was used to being the lowest IQ in the room, she had long ago learned that asking the relevant questions often made her invaluable in such discussions.

" I think we can...." Thex said as she began typing a few things into the computer. A holographic image began to appear next to the scanner as she typed something out. " Ah ha." She said as the circuitry hologram finished being constructed. " There we go. Yeah, it looks like a really small version of the transporter network that drawing power and info from the 4th-dimensional space. There may be more of it inside the fourth-dimensional pocket."

''Indeed,'' agreed the Vulcan. ''Since the 4th dimension is actually time itself, it would mean that the storage is done within the entire time continuum; while not in actuality but still for all intent and purposes, near infinite storage capacity of both matter and energy.''

"Question. Why is it limited in mass- apparently size doesn't factor into the equation, as I've seen Jablonski shunt her entire EVA complement into it and back again. Volume doesn't seem to factor into it, so the limitation is weight- why 127 kilos? How is that pregenerated amount able to function so precisely with this particular..." The lost navigator fumbled for words, her face wringing into a frown. "Design. Where, in this maze of microcuircitry, is the preset that determines that component of the equation?"

For managing to pull it together and arrive at her relevant question actually gave Rita a happy moment.

Sonak thought a brief moment before replying.

''I suspect it may have been designed this way to account for the fact that, after a certain amount of mass, the gravitational energy resulting from said mass would start to disrupt the effect of the other forces use in it's functioning. Gravity is unique among them that it alone amplifies with the quantity of mass present; the more mass, the more gravitational force, up to the point of collapsing upon itself into infinity.''

"So you are proposing that's the reason why the volume of the mass is immaterial, is because it's a measure of gravity... that's absolutely brilliant, Mister Sonak," the feisty First Officer opined. "With that likely solved, how are we going to map the circuitry of the extradimensional space so that we can record it? Throw an active tricorder in there looking for it then yank it out again?"

Pausing, Rita cocked her head to the side slightly. "Wait, would that work?"

" Maybe though I think one of our probes would be a better suited for the job. " Thex said with a grin on her face as she tapped a few buttons to replicate one. The small orange sized orb appeared on the table as the andorian began to type commands into the computer. " Okay, I have her set to record the surrounding space it appears in. You want me to send her in?" asked the sapphire engineer.

"I'll admit, I haven't actually tried one of these myself. All right, take some readings, see if there's a change in my quantum field or something," Rita muttered as she pulled up her sleeves. The bracers were thin enough ans slender enough, she could actually wear them under her uniform if she so desired. However, while she had a few members of the Security team wearing them to test them, she herself had not engaged them yet. Perhaps it was a mistrust of the technology, or perhaps it was not wanting to give in too much to favoritism to the starship's resident goddess.

But now that the moment of truth was at hand, in fairness she could not ask Dox to do it. She had consulted with the testers among her Security Amazons, so if there was risk involved, it was her responsibility. Insuring she had the moon bracer, Paris proceeded to wedge her slender left forearm into the simple bronze armor piece. Once it was on, she rotated it, and it fit surprisingly comfortably. Wedging on the other, she flexed a bit before a round blue 'default' shield sprung to life on her left wrist, which she eyed for a few seconds before successfully dismissing.

Flexing her right forearm, she flicked her wrist slightly as she nearly closed her hand, as if gripping a weapon hilt, and an ancient Grecian bronze shortsword sprang into being. Eyes opening a bit wider, Paris focused on it, flexed and flicked a few more times until the shortsword vanished once more.

"Well... that's surprisingly intuitive," the first officer remarked as she picked up the probe. "Now let's see how easy it is to add something new to... oh." Even as she considered the action, the grenade-sized probe vanished from her hand. "Bit easier than I thought. All right, what's do the initial readings look like and what is our probe reporting... or is it, since it's a bit extradimensional right now? Should I shunt a few things in and out to give it variables to record?"

''The computer has been programmed to take extradimensional variables into account,'' Sonak assured her. ''And since we know the conditions we are probing in, we should be able to interpret the data correctly.''

"Yeah, we're getting info from the prob. Quite a lot of it to be true. It's definitely bigger on the inside," the andorian observed as her eyes were fixed on the data coming from the probe.

“Hmmm… interesting. So a lot of the circuitry and such is on the other side of the extradimensional space… that makes sense. Now my question is, how did they get all of that on the other side of this particular bridge… using the circuitry on this side to literally send it to the other side, at which it begins to draw power? But how would it power the first gate between dimensions?” Thinking out loud, Paris was genuinely fascinated by the technology, and was enjoying the detective work with the scientist and engineer.

Thex let out a slight hum as she pulled another ration bar from her pocket. " Could it be possible that they used a teleporter to open a bridge into the pocket from which they could transport the machinery needed to build the circuitry. "

“How?” Paris asked plainly. “How would they transport into an extradimensional space?”

"They might be opening a microwormhole,'' Sonak hypothesized. ''If the circuitry is quantum based and uses quantum frequencies to access much of it's mechanism located within the extradimensional space itself, they could in the same way harness the energy of a singularity anywhere along the spacetime continuum.''

“And they are doing that with these, or are we now hypothesizing other materials and processes that are involved in the manufacture of these devices?” Rita redirected.

"Maybe in its initial creation..." Thex said looking at the data that was still coming from the probe. This was interesting. "I wonder if it may be simply possible to create a circuit that's in the bracelet and connect it to the already existing machinery. It may be designed to work with multiple bracelets."

"Mmmm, in testing we found each of the bracers seemed attuned to it's own extradimensional space. You can't drop something in there then pull it out with another bracer, so I'm not so sure about that theory, Thex. Not that I have any better ideas, mind you. But I really would like to figure out how this ticks," Rita ran her fingers through her hair, sweeping it out of her face. "Of course, learning how a digital music player works doesn't teach you how to create a recording studio. But some relatively primitive peoples were manufacturing these. So how did they do it?"

''Fabrication is a mechanical process which, beyond its actual starting conception, requires factually little if even no mind at all,'' explained Sonak. ''From cosmological formation to DNA to industrialization and automation, once a process is established, it can even go on by itself. You do not have to know how to actually make a phaser or even the principles behind its workings to assemble it; a mere machine can do it. The same way, a pre-technological primitive could also do it if shown through a ritual for example. I hypothesize this is what happened in this specific case you mention.''

He paused before addressing another question.

''As for the exclusivity factor of each bracelet; you recall our earlier conversation, Commander, about time travel. I would suggest this supports my reflections about the actual effects of altering the spacetime continuum.''

He turned towards Thex.

''I hypothesize that time travel is directly linked to the quantum multiverse theory; each time you move out of your spacetime frame, you alter it and at the same time create a new one. If you move into what you consider your past, it becomes your present and in your new present you create the starting point of a new future; while at your original present, this present is altered by your absence and the future where you should have been is changed by your very absence. In simpler words; when you travel through time, you not only create a new, alternate reality, but at the same time destroys the original one.''

He pointed at the device.

''When a bracer opens a 4th dimensional pocket space, it creates thus it's own bubble of spacetime, connected to the continuum the bracer exists in, but impossible to access by any other, even in the same spacetime frame. The very act of opening creates a specific one each time.''

“That’s… brilliant. Seemingly simple yet a technological feat of science bordering on sorcery. So, now that we grasp… okay, I grasp…” the buxom blonde corrected, as she wasn’t about to speak to Thex’s comprehension, “how it works- assuming your theory is correct, Mr. Sonak, which I am proceeding from that assumption- can we reproduce this technology?”

''In principle, affirmative; we do understand quantum frequencies and spacetime manipulation, at least on the basic level. You and I being here attest to this. But for the actual feasibility of practical applications, more so to the level shown by this specific device, I would defer to my esteemed engineering colleague,'' Sonak said, turning his grey eyes towards Thex.

"With the current level of tech we possess it may be possible, but not onboard this starship. You'd need a lab and computer bank to handle the calculations bigger than the ship. I could ask Hera, to see if she can help us get the process down so it can work on a smaller workable scale." Thex said grimly. To have worked out so much and to have failed at the last hurdle. Still, the engineering core would be looking at the data they had gathered for years.

“Well, the purpose of the exercise was to see what we could reverse engineer the technology, since we have the opportunity to check our work against the designer’s schematics, so to speak. In doing so, we’ve still covered some remarkable ground. If we cannot reproduce the technology, there’s no harm in that. Science is, I am told, often about the discoveries we make along the journey, rather than an end destination,” Paris offered with a smile. “At any rate, thank you both- this was extraordinary work, as per your usual. Please do reach out to Hera, Thex, if you will, and ask for her input, and add it to your report. If either of you would like to continue testing, please let me know and I will insure you have a pair of bracers at your disposal.”

“Now, after a very good and productive meeting, how about we grab some lunch? I’m famished!” the curvaceous commander beamed a cheerful smile at the assemblage of officers.

"You need to ask?" These two are keeping me hungry and they're not even out of their shells yet." Thex said patting her belly slightly.

''I am not yet required to take sustenance; I will therefore meditate on our research until then,'' the Vulcan said with a slight nod. ''So if you will excuse me, please do... indulge yourselves.''

"As you like, Mister Sonak. Let's go put a dent in our ration card, shall we?" Paris obliged as she led the Andorian engineer out of the office. Striding along, the Starfleet siren cocked her head curiously.

"Did you say shells...?"



Many decks above, in VIP quarters #11, the goddess Hera smiled as she shook her head and turned another page of her current read, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

"Shakespeare almost had it right. What clever fools these mortals be...."