Time to get the probes ready

Posted on Sat Sep 22nd, 2018 @ 11:23pm by Lieutenant Samuel Clemens XV & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi & Lieutenant Commander Sonak
Edited on on Tue Sep 25th, 2018 @ 6:21pm

Mission: Hera v Hera
Location: shuttlebay

McBain had left Lieutenant Sonak and had gone straight to the shuttlebay. He spoke to the deck boss and requisitioned an area in the Torpedo Inspection Area to set up three class-VIII probes and four class-VII probes. The purpose of the class-8s would be to both act as a diversion, and allow some idea of the speed with which the forces of Hera could react. Since they were faster, the class-VII probes would be mag-locked under the Sevens and deploy in-system, but hopefully out of sensor range. Once he had the workstation set up, he nodded at the other man's nervous, and more-than-a-little-disapproving, expression. "I promise you, Chief, the XO will sign off on this as soon as she shows up. I really do have permission."

The Intel Specialist used a nearby terminal to contact a conference call, requesting First Officer Paris, CEng sh'Zoarhi, CInt Clemens, and
ACSci Sonak. Clemens' status showed as Do Not Disturb. As faces appeared on the screen he spoke to the XO first. "Please bear with me just a moment, sirs, ma'am. Commander Paris- I spoke to Lieutenant Sonak, earlier, and took his advice. I have everything set up in the Main Shuttle Bay, Torpedo Inspection Area. The Chief of the Deck needs your authorization for three class-VIII probes and four class-VII probes."

The Commander's face vanished from the screen, and quite shortly she was double-timing it across the flight deck over to the bay McBain was working in. One eye was always on the PaDD as she walked, while she adroitly stepped over cables and cargo and flight deck hazards in those high-heeled knee boots of hers.

"All right Mister McBain... according to what I'm seeing here, the class VII probe is a class V probe with greater range, powered by a micro fusion engine which can propel them at warp 1.5. Their sensors include a passive data gathering system plus subspace transmitter array. Nice, so what's a class V- wait."

In addition, these probes have a hull made from stealth material- that same plating on the hull, right?" Paris asked, then her eyes bugged as she read the next line. "And a low-yield molecular detonation packet linked to detectors registering unauthorized access to the probe HOLYPHLUGERVILLE!!"

"Nukes? We use nukes in case of tampering? Isn't that a bit... overkill?"

"Hardly by modern standards," Sonak reminded them from over the comm channel. "The latest photon torpedoes have a six hundred and ninety gigatons of yield, while the newer quantum torpedoes go as high as two hundred isotons. This self-destruct device is just enough for the probe to obliterate itself down to the molecular level, so as to not leave any trace of itself if found. And it will not leave harmful radiation behind. Allegedly, if detonated inside a building or vessel, the funneling effect of said structure would amplify the blast considerably."

"Never really thought about it, to tell the truth, ma'am." McBain added, as he looked away from the screen to look at the XO. He shrugged. "I tend to leave things I can't change alone. You were right on all counts, though, Commander. I spoke to Lieutenant Sonak, as you suggested, and explained my idea. He suggested using these faster mid-range class-VIIIs as carriers, to piggy-back the VIIs out to Meroset 347 and get them there faster." McBain faced the XO. "I was calling everyone together to determine the best way to get this done. Sound okay to you, Commander?"

"You're doing fine, carry on Mr. McBain. I'm just researching what we're doing so that I know what I am signing off on." In her day there were class 1 probes and that was that. Now they traveled at warp and could nuke when tampered with. flipping through screens, Rita paced in front of McBain's conference call so he wouldn't have to turn to address her as well. While she was no scientific nor technical genius, Rita did have a conscience, and if she was to be held accountable then she needed to know for what.

Looking a bit rattled, the Intel Chief came in, one of the larger PaDDs under an arm. "Got heah as soon as ah could. Ah've been diggin' through th'ship's logs, lookin' fuh anything she might have run into that'd give us an edge. We struck gold, Cohmstohck-style. Ah've got a briefin' worked up, when we get a chance fuh it." He paused, looking at the probe efforts displayed, there. "Saaay...that's some fanceh werk ya got goin' on, son. Ah' like th'piggeh-backin' t'get 'em theah fastuh." He turned to the XO, "Ma'am, we gotta get those probes as dahk as possible, if'n theyah gonna do ennah good at'all. Ah'd like ta check th'31 Vault t'see what we have that'd help. Can ya a'range it?"

"Why can't we use the plating we have on the hull? Isn't that kind of it's entire purpose?" Paris asked plainly and practically, referring to the deep pearlescent violet coating that made the starship's hull appear to be black. "Pretty sure covering a few probes shouldn't be an issue. Meanwhile, check with Dedjoy- she might not have an inventory but she knows what's been identified in the vaults."

Clemens nodded, adding notes to the tab he had open for this meeting.

McBain had been watching for Sonak or Thex to reply on the screen but when he understood what the two officers were talking about he shook his head "No need for that, they're already coated for stealth," he piped in, repeating what had just been discussed. He went on, "In fact, Lieutenant Sonak suggested the class-VII over the class-V, because the VIIs are more stealthy. I think you will find the class-VII are already as stealthy as anything we could add," he remitted redundantly, then continued, "The class-VIIIs are supposed to be seen- they're being sent to test the response time of whatever Hera has for point defense. We're piggy-backing the stealthy guys as they are not as fast." McBain smiled at his XO. "After all, we need the information as soon as possible."

Sonak then spoke while showing a graphic representation of the target system.

"Mister McBain could also plot the flight path of the probes to enter in a specific angle from the star relative to the planet. By using the radiation and photon emissions of the star to blind any sensor or sense turned in this direction while the observation probes are deployed, we should further minimize the chances of detection. This 'fly in the sun' approach could also be used for our own entrance into the system and the planet's vicinity."

McBain smiled in agreement. "Pilots have been using the sun to hide their movements since the first days of aerial combat on Earth." He made eye contact with Sonak "On Earth that would be WW1, like August of 1914." He was apparently unaware how much older air travel on Vulcan was, compared to Earth, and thus was also unaware of the insult he'd just tendered to Sonak. Or, he simply didn't care. McBain pointed to the class-VIIs "Thanks for coming Lieutenant Sonak- I have already started to open this one, for you to program the sensors."

"I estimate it will take forty-seven point five three minutes to complete recalibration and testing of the first one's sensors and transmitter for compressed encrypted blips. Once this is recorded, it will take approximately four point seven five minutes for the others." the Vulcan stated.

Thex had been taking notes whilst saying very little. She finally spoke up. "I could try and improve the probes recalibrating speed. Every second saved could matter."

With everyone present, McBain shut off the conference link on the computer. "They are warp-9 capable as they are. If you do bump the speed capability I need to know exactly for programming the flight. Why I asked for you was because I wanted a transponder and life-force emitters added, so these class-VIIIs will look like a patrol-class ship. The idea is to make sure Hera's forces will see them, so we might get some information on their response time to an intruder. Also we need mag-locks to attach a class-VII probe to the hull of each class-VIII. That will get the slower class-VII Intel probes in system faster. I don't believe either of those projects should be too time-consuming, should they?" he added, like a supervisor "asking" someone to work on the weekend.

Sonak furrowed his brow a moment, not sure the two officers were on the same page. He decided to go into more details.

"The technical task of recalibrating the sensors is not what takes that much time; four point seven five minutes as I said. But a thorough testing of the first modified system before doing the same adjustments to the others is what will actually take time. If we shave off on this, it would mean simply less thoroughness in checking the effectiveness and reliability of the modified system. Considering what we are facing, I would deem it unwise to do so."

"...an', as yer D'partment Haid, given Mistuh Sonak's resuhvayshuns, ah'm afraid ah hafta insist, Raymond," Clemens added. "Those probes're a brillyant ideeyuh, which makes 'em part of th'foundayshun uv th'plan as it stahnds. We really can't ah'foahd fer even one of 'em t'conk out- it might give th'uthuhs away an' leave us blinded. 'Sides," he said, "...it's not like ah'm askin' ya t'put on a cowl n'cape at night, an' dispense justice."

McBain looked from Sonak, to Clemens, before looking at Commander Paris. "What are they talking about?" He felt like he had been trapped inside a looney-bin full of cuckoo birds! “Lieutenant sh'Zoahi does not need to boost the speed, warp-9 is plenty fast enough. Adding the transponders and other equipment is not an unknown procedure, Hell I could do it but it would take me longer. The mag-locks will not alter the performance and I can adjust for the additional weight in the flight plan. Lieutenant Sonak, I have no idea what your concerns are. If you think it is a problem I can program the sensors myself without any concerns at all they will malfunction." he finished, ignoring the clear statement from the Vulcan on exactly what the issue was, and then dismissing him as though he were an underling that got mouthy.

McBain shook his head, and continued, "This is standard everyday equipment! You prepare it you run a simple diagnostic and if it works, it works." He looked at Clemens, raising his hands, unsure how to even answer him. In exasperation, he exclaimed, "No, Sir, you are not asking me to do anything even difficult, let alone super hero-like. This is a routine task."

“I believe the point Mr. Sonak and Chief Clemens are driving at is that they would like to run tests to verify that these alterations will work when we deploy them, Mr. McBain. We’re not in a time crunch, so we do have the luxury of insuring that our modifications will work properly. Am I getting the wavelength here?” the first officer looked around at the assembled officer. “It isn’t rocket science, but it is, so tests would seem to be in order since we’re not doing this on the fly?”

McBain saw the look on all three of those officers eyes. There was no way to explain to these three officers (actually only two of them, but details didn't matter to him) from a long ago time, that this was not some sort of experimental project. This was just another day in the office stuff. They were all senior to him and he saw no reason to try reasoning with them any further. Their collective minds were made up already. "Yes Commander, you need to feel secure in what is happening. I will of course assist in anyway I can." He nodded his head and moved to program the flight plan. There were parts he would need to adjust once he knew the speed and the position of the Hera once launch time was determined. He was so intent in circumventing the assistance that he'd requested from the gathered senior officers, that he failed to notice the flared, arched brows of his immediate superior officer, accompanied by a glare every bit as brilliant as the normally-subtle spymaster's smile. Clemens held his tongue with effort, and let him keep digging.

"All right people, let's review the plan- the order of deployment?" Lt. Cdr. Paris requested. "I know it's been discussed, I'm just seeking clarification," the career fleeter had made a habit out of asking clarifying questions, and it had come in handy more than once.

Sonak spoke from over the console he was using to reprogram and test the first probe's sensor suite.

"If I understood Ensign McBain correctly, the basic idea is to intrude into Hera's space with three decoy probes to gauge her reactions, while studying and evaluating them and her ressources with hidden observational stealth probes launched and deployed before starting the luring maneuver."

"D'we know ennathin' about owah tahgit system? Realspayce, subspayce, Eee-Ehm layout, what's neahby?" The Intelgineer was busily building simulations, with variously-titled scenarios, such as "Tachyon Detection Grid In Use", and "Heavily-Ionized Upper Atmosphere". "Ah'd hate to git found owt b'cause we didn't know 'bout a pulsah in th'neighbuhood, throwin' out stuff that lights up th'whole place."

"Excellent point, Lieutenant. Computer, give me a two meter holographic representation of the Meroset system. You heard the man, please show us overlays of relevant realspace, subspace, subspace corridors, electromagnetic tides and gravity waves, as well as any planetary issues... as the planet is Meroset 347 I assume this is a solar system with a lot of..."

The holographic representation the first officer had requested of the computer sprang to life before her- that of a system filled with hundreds of small, medium and large planetoids.

"Well... that's an element to be aware of for tactical operations..." Paris muttered.

Sonak nodded without interrupting his work.

"The probes will provide confirmation of this data as well as reveal anything out of the ordinary. As a matter of fact, the luring probes themselves should do active scans the entire duration of their flight and add that data to our passive stealth probes' detections. Active scanning would be expected from scout-ships entering the system. It would not entice suspicion; in fact, not doing it might just look suspicious in itself."

"I would suggest the class-VII probes not close with any of the small planetoids, or larger objects, any nearer then 20,000 miles. That should keep them out of range of any mines and still allow for a complete scan." McBain had figured on the class-VIIIs doing an active scan and saw no reason to say so since it was already mentioned, which was a change in routine for him. He had felt the active scan would be sure to set off any passive warning systems. That would prove a useful bit of information. All those big rocks would make it tough to fly but easier to hide their approach for the infiltration teams. This would be interesting, as it almost seemed as though this system was made for hiding and ambushes.

"The class VII probe sensors have a range of four hundred and fifty million kilometers," Sonak specified as he was working on them; "or two hundred eighty-one million, two hundred and fifty thousand miles in the antiquated Terran measurement system you are referring to. That is roughly as much as two astronomical units. The probes can hide as far as the orbit of the next outer planet and still provide perfect scans without being easily detected, being themselves barely two meters in length and doing only passive, undetectable scans."

"Undetectable to us mere mortals. Who can say what tech Hera may have access to." Thex added memories of having to patch up holes created by the weapons of the master still fresh in her head.

McBain nodded at Thex's words. "2AU is fine and even accurate for normal survey work. This is military intelligence gathering and even at a high orbit there are many reasons command has to put boots on the ground to figure out what is there. Certain forms of radiation, heavy/dense ores, not to mention military grade shielding will all mess with a long range scan. The sheer number of planetoids present would make a long range scan all but useless for our purposes. I would agree to send one to do a deep space scan for an overview though as that might be useful for the Hera to enter the system," he offered magnanimously, after lecturing the room. A lot of good officers put too much faith in technology and lived to rue the day they did. "I believe 20,000 mile proximity should get us more of what we need," blissfully-unaware that he'd just countered his own argument that this was all routine, and shouldn't require any kid-glove treatment. He glanced at Thex smiling "...and nothing is undetectable if you are searching for it with the right tools."

"Your assessment is sound, considering the present circumstances," the Vulcan agreed. "I was not criticizing your approach; only reminding you of the capabilities of our instruments. I will be able to even enhance scanners resolutions for your thirty-two thousand kilometers chosen close range."

He then turned to Thex.

"As for the capabilities of our opposition, speculations are useless. We can only work with what we actually know and can do; and from there, try learning more and adjust ourselves accordingly. This is in fact the very purpose of Mister McBain's well thought-out endeavor."

"Mmmm, former MACO, infiltration specialist, programmer, engineer, scientist, tactician, astronomer, senior officer. We certainly are fortunate to have you amongst us, Ensign McBain," Lieutenant Commander Paris noted with seeming innocent admiration. In point of fact, she'd had more than enough of being lectured by the junior officer and hearing the input of the genuine experts in their respective fields countermanded and dismissed. "Why, I daresay it almost seems as though the rest of the senior staff here are moot, given your expertise in these fields."

The statement could be taken more than one way, but Paris was hoping her message was getting through. His reaction would clearly dictate to her whether he was a genuine professional, if he took the hint.

"Let's throw a probe at the outer edge of the system to orbit it and refresh our astronomical data in addition to what's been discussed. I think we're done here, people? Good work, all. Let's implement." The first officer offered a two-fingered salute and headed off to the next project as the Hera girded for the battle ahead.