Nat glanced over at Banks. "Maybe we should focus on more pressing issues, like a massive invasion. After all, if the mirror alliance put nanites in us, don't you think Admiral Nat would've removed them?"
Sarah prime grumbled. "...and probably replaced them with his own..."
Nat sighed. "He does say he's trying to work with us, so it's better than the apparent alternative..."
Krystal held up a hand before getting up and going to the replicator. Next thing Banks knew, Krystal was offering her a glass of water.
"Take a breath and try to relax," she said. She shot a look at Nat that told him that what he said probably didn't help Banks' nerves. "When you're ready, go ahead. You're not the only one here who found herself in a mess."
Elric slouched in the Captain's chair, flipping through the fragmented data on his PADD. He had sent out a message to Starfleet Command, informing them of his situation, and requesting orders. He expected to be returning home, but when the communications signal chriped, indicating a reply from Admiral Quinn, all it said was, "Proceed."
Banks takes the glass with a grateful look at Krystal. "Thank you sir. Sorry, with all this, everything went clean out of my head!" She starts to read over the notes on the PADD, with an occasional muttered "What on earth did I mean by that?" After a minute she seems to be clearer, and begins to explain.
"Right, sorry, I've got the thread now.
"There's a bit of everything in this - McDonnell seems to have gone for belt and braces. But the main component of it is DNA. It's semi-organic, and contains a whole library of DNA sequences. That's the beauty of it; it's far too small to release any worthwhile amount of anything much by itself, but using this method, it can make everything else it needs. You have to admire it.
"DNA is like a recipe book, each piece of DNA is a template for making a specific protein. This nanite contains a whole library of DNA sequences coding for different biochemicals that might be useful. Presumably, there's some mechanism in the nanite that enabled the bast- " - she coughs - "that enabled McDonnell to trigger whichever one he needed."
"We're all but certain that it must be able to replicate itself somehow. Even with the DNA, it doesn't seem possible for one single nanite to produce the reported effects so quickly. Although the odd thing is that Captain um... dunno how to pronounce this, Safer, or Cipher? - anyway, his team examined the nanite first, their notes are here and they swear they only found one nanite in Ms Kassidy's bloodstream."
[img]http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/ST stories etc/OoOTiM banner.jpg[/img] One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Sarah prime spoke up. "They integrate themselves with the "victim"'s immune system and take it over. I'm guessing that the nanites use that control to influence the rest of the body to make it do most of the work."
Nat and Jim both looked over, a little concerned. Nat spoke up, "how in the world do you know this?"
Sarah prime replied. "The Infamous told me about them once, not that I really wanted to involved. At all."
Krystal thought for a moment.
"So in theory... what Mirror Nat said about destroying the nanites that we had... was a lie," she said. "There was no way for him to do it because they were so integrated into our immune systems that doing so would have basically doomed us to death via common cold."
Scott interrupted. "Temporal stasis. By putting the "victim" into temporal stasis, we can remove the nanite, and undo it's influence, without it killing whomever, or destroying whatever we removed the nanite from. Safe to say, mirror Nat's people probably have the same technology, so it's likely within their capabilities."
Sarah prime responded. "So you temporal technology wielding people can remove them safely?"
"Exactly, although it's complicated," Scott replied.
Nat sighed. "You know, I'd think the mirror Alliance would've done more to stop us. They're supposed to be time travelers. They have spies everywhere. Don't you think they'd figure out we were meeting here, and destroy us here and now?"
"But if they're time travellers, surely by the same argument they wouldn't have to believe - they'd already know whether we did turn out to be a threat or not." Banks's face falls as she realises where that argument is leading, but then she has a thought. "Come to think of it, sir - the other possibility is that they don't know. You see what that would mean? That'd mean that in the future, by the time they find out where we've been and what we're up to, they're either not around any longer or at any rate don't have access to time travel to go back and do anything about it."
[img]http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/ST stories etc/OoOTiM banner.jpg[/img] One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Nat looked quite concerned. "Or maybe they know they're actually going to win."
11 of 14 spoke up, "and besides, wouldn't they check what the future held before they had a chance to lose their time travel capabilities? Are they really that overconfident?"
Jim chuckled. "Probably. I mean, I've seen worse universes then there's..."
"The future isn't set in stone," Krystal spoke up. "They could have seen one possible future, and figured that was what will happen. The fact of the matter is we have a way to push them back. We just need to get it set up."
Krystal had a thoughtful look on her face.
"What worlds are the most important for us? I can name at least three. Earth, Qo'nos, and New Romulus. Take those three, you cripple the three major powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants."
Nat turned to Scott and Jim. "You did say they would send a Tactical Fusion Cube to attack. Where did they send it?"
Scott replied. "To the meeting, believe it or not. That said, we couldn't get a clear reading on the homeworlds. They may have been attacked as well."
"This is intelligence from the future, right, sir?" Banks said to Krystal. " - Hang on, you say we have a way to push them back? First I've heard of it."
[img]http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/ST stories etc/OoOTiM banner.jpg[/img] One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
"To close their gateway into our universe, you mean? What were you thinking of using to generate the pulse? A starship? Could you get more power if you had a static array like a starbase generating the pulse?"
[img]http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/ST stories etc/OoOTiM banner.jpg[/img] One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Krystal stretched for a moment.
"Most major worlds have orbital facilities already. So all we would have to do is configure them to emit the Pulse, and maybe lure the enemy ships within range."
"Hang on, I'm confused - are we talking about using the pulse to destroy the gateway and prevent ships getting in, or to destroy the ships themselves?"
"Do we have a backup plan if the Borg do get through? That's an enormous ship to fight in any normal way, but the nature of the Borg means they have weak points. If you could exploit one of those then you could have an effect far above your size. Could we use an electromagnetic pulse weapon on them, for instance?"
[img]http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/ST stories etc/OoOTiM banner.jpg[/img] One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Nat replied, "no, it just sends the already present ships back to their universe, and closes any open rifts. There's nothing really stopping them from opening more rifts..."
Sarah prime spoke up, "if an electromagnetic pulse weapon would work, don't you think we'd be using them against the Borg already?"
Sarah alternate turned to Krystal. "Suppose you could call in reinforcements, you know?"
"Oh, I see, it can send a ship back even if it's already left the rift. Odd. But useful."
Banks nodded absently, her mind apparently on something else. "I suppose so, just wondered if any of us could think of a way of making it work. I take it not... What about the Manning effect, then?" she says, leaning forward slightly.
[img]http://www.zen177395.zen.co.uk/ST stories etc/OoOTiM banner.jpg[/img] One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
"I could... If I was given the proper codes," Krystal replied to alt Sarah. "While he did set me up to succeed him, he never got the opportunity to give me the codes and comm frequencies. So unless some of his fleet check on me and are aware of the fact I'm the new boss... we're on our own."
Krystal leaned against her desk for a moment, looking at the group. Although her gaze hovered on Banks a bit longer, she seemed to be considering options.
"Obisek used an Anti-Tachyon Pulse to protect a Republic station from Terran forces in the past," she said. "Right now... that is our best bet. It is possible Mirror Nat is aware of this capability. If he's as well informed as he makes himself out to be that is. For the time being we'll have to work on the idea that he may be aware of it, but it is still viable. So... odds are any attack will focus on Orbital facilities first in order to neutralize our ability to fire the pulse. I need options people."
Alternate Sarah smirked. "Guess we've lost the codes then, huh. Maybe we should just pay the Dominion a visit..."
Scott blinked. "The Dominion?"
Sarah alternate replied, "oh, yeah, the Dominion. The majority of them answer to the Infamous's people now, and those that don't are all in a state of civil war!"
Burt looked over, evidently concerned. He seemed to be thinking about something, and it didn't seem like good news.
Sarah prime turned to Krystal. "The Infamous had at one point been trying to recruit me to run the Gamma Quadrant, actually. I may be able to find the Infamous loyal Dominion."
"I still don't know the full extent of what he had," Krystal said. "You'll need a fast ship at this rate. Hopefully... they'll know who was supposed to take over after him."
Sarah alternate spoke up. "Enough firepower to drain the Alliance's resources enough that they would have to turn to another Alliance for support in order to sustain themselves."
Nat spoke up. "I feel like you know that from experience."
Sarah prime grumbled. "...and probably replaced them with his own..."
Nat sighed. "He does say he's trying to work with us, so it's better than the apparent alternative..."
Winning.
"Take a breath and try to relax," she said. She shot a look at Nat that told him that what he said probably didn't help Banks' nerves. "When you're ready, go ahead. You're not the only one here who found herself in a mess."
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
"Right, sorry, I've got the thread now.
"There's a bit of everything in this - McDonnell seems to have gone for belt and braces. But the main component of it is DNA. It's semi-organic, and contains a whole library of DNA sequences. That's the beauty of it; it's far too small to release any worthwhile amount of anything much by itself, but using this method, it can make everything else it needs. You have to admire it.
"DNA is like a recipe book, each piece of DNA is a template for making a specific protein. This nanite contains a whole library of DNA sequences coding for different biochemicals that might be useful. Presumably, there's some mechanism in the nanite that enabled the bast- " - she coughs - "that enabled McDonnell to trigger whichever one he needed."
"We're all but certain that it must be able to replicate itself somehow. Even with the DNA, it doesn't seem possible for one single nanite to produce the reported effects so quickly. Although the odd thing is that Captain um... dunno how to pronounce this, Safer, or Cipher? - anyway, his team examined the nanite first, their notes are here and they swear they only found one nanite in Ms Kassidy's bloodstream."
One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Nat and Jim both looked over, a little concerned. Nat spoke up, "how in the world do you know this?"
Sarah prime replied. "The Infamous told me about them once, not that I really wanted to involved. At all."
Winning.
"So in theory... what Mirror Nat said about destroying the nanites that we had... was a lie," she said. "There was no way for him to do it because they were so integrated into our immune systems that doing so would have basically doomed us to death via common cold."
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
Sarah prime responded. "So you temporal technology wielding people can remove them safely?"
"Exactly, although it's complicated," Scott replied.
Nat sighed. "You know, I'd think the mirror Alliance would've done more to stop us. They're supposed to be time travelers. They have spies everywhere. Don't you think they'd figure out we were meeting here, and destroy us here and now?"
Winning.
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
Winning.
One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
11 of 14 spoke up, "and besides, wouldn't they check what the future held before they had a chance to lose their time travel capabilities? Are they really that overconfident?"
Jim chuckled. "Probably. I mean, I've seen worse universes then there's..."
Winning.
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
Winning.
"What worlds are the most important for us? I can name at least three. Earth, Qo'nos, and New Romulus. Take those three, you cripple the three major powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants."
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
Scott replied. "To the meeting, believe it or not. That said, we couldn't get a clear reading on the homeworlds. They may have been attacked as well."
Winning.
One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Scott spoke up, "although I question if we can generate an anti-tachyon pulse big enough to repel a ship of that size."
Winning.
One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Jim spoke up, "actually, the admiral has that problem already handled, apparently."
Winning.
"Most major worlds have orbital facilities already. So all we would have to do is configure them to emit the Pulse, and maybe lure the enemy ships within range."
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
Winning.
"Do we have a backup plan if the Borg do get through? That's an enormous ship to fight in any normal way, but the nature of the Borg means they have weak points. If you could exploit one of those then you could have an effect far above your size. Could we use an electromagnetic pulse weapon on them, for instance?"
One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Sarah prime spoke up, "if an electromagnetic pulse weapon would work, don't you think we'd be using them against the Borg already?"
Sarah alternate turned to Krystal. "Suppose you could call in reinforcements, you know?"
Winning.
Banks nodded absently, her mind apparently on something else. "I suppose so, just wondered if any of us could think of a way of making it work. I take it not... What about the Manning effect, then?" she says, leaning forward slightly.
One Of Our Telepaths Is Missing - a new Foundry mission.
What do you do when somebody goes into meditation and doesn't come out?
Where's the only place in the universe that Romulus still exists?
Can you cope when your minds are playing tricks on you?
Winning.
Krystal leaned against her desk for a moment, looking at the group. Although her gaze hovered on Banks a bit longer, she seemed to be considering options.
"Obisek used an Anti-Tachyon Pulse to protect a Republic station from Terran forces in the past," she said. "Right now... that is our best bet. It is possible Mirror Nat is aware of this capability. If he's as well informed as he makes himself out to be that is. For the time being we'll have to work on the idea that he may be aware of it, but it is still viable. So... odds are any attack will focus on Orbital facilities first in order to neutralize our ability to fire the pulse. I need options people."
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
Scott blinked. "The Dominion?"
Sarah alternate replied, "oh, yeah, the Dominion. The majority of them answer to the Infamous's people now, and those that don't are all in a state of civil war!"
Burt looked over, evidently concerned. He seemed to be thinking about something, and it didn't seem like good news.
Sarah prime turned to Krystal. "The Infamous had at one point been trying to recruit me to run the Gamma Quadrant, actually. I may be able to find the Infamous loyal Dominion."
Winning.
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
Nat spoke up. "I feel like you know that from experience."
Winning.
The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)