Weapons Go Boom! Pt 1
Posted on Fri Jul 2nd, 2021 @ 2:14am by Commander Dean House & Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Lieutenant JG Avarak
Mission:
Gamma Quadrant
Location: Weapons Lab
Timeline: Backlog
Dean, even with all his ‘pretty boy’ intellect as Bonnie would word it, for the life of him could not figure out one of these variables that keeps screwing up in the simulations for this prototype weapon. Scowling a little and giving a call to Avarak and the Captain. “Could you join me down in weapons control please.”
The Captain looked up from the report she was reading, the coffee long cold on the desk and the tea Remal had made her also long cold. “Sure” She replied, rising to her feet and heading out the door towards the bridge. It would be a short trip down to weapons control but would be a welcome reprieve from the paperwork.
Avarak looked up from his computer terminal in the science lab and tapped his combadge “I will be right there.” He had very little experience with weapons systems and was uncertain what help he could provide. The thought occurred to him that perhaps the tactical officer was experimenting with a prototype weapon; a thought which intrigued him greatly.
He was still tinkering, mostly over one of the screens, and then back and forth over a piece of equipment when she came in. A spark here or there that looked like it hurt and there was a bit of a flinch.
"Trying to set fire to the weapons systems?" Rhenora quipped as she strode in, a tinge of smoke still in the air.
“It smells like that doesn’t it.” Dean gave a glance up, “Or that’s the hair on my arm.”
"Please tell me whatever you've done is an improvement, I don’t think heading into the Gamma Quadrant without weapons is a good idea" the Captain retorted in good nature.
Avarak entered weapons control to find that he was the last one to arrive. “Good day Lieutenant, Captain.” He nodded politely to his two superiors. “How may I be of assistance?”
“It should, theoretically, be an improvement. Experimental weapon system but I’m having a few issues.” Dean looked to Avarak, “Ah, the other person I wished to see.”
"Care to give me an overview apart from a few singed arm hairs and the lingering scent of tampering?" The Captain looked at the various systems with a critical eye before turning her attention back to Dean.
“Of course, Captain.” Motioning to the screen where it was already up. “What it’s supposed to do is essentially, build up power and momentum off of the ship we target. If there are more it’s supposed to keep bouncing, while absorbing energy from them until it hits the last and releases all of that built up energy in conjunction with the warhead.”
"Interesting, are you sure this system can handle that kind of energy? She is a few years old now and if the trip through the wormhole taught us anything it should be to treat this ship with a little caution." The Captain replied, looking at the screen.
Dean leaned back a little bit, “It’s more altering the torpedoes than the system and launcher. It should be alright.”
"You're sure of that?" She had confidence in Dean, just not so much in the ship at the moment.
“That’s why I wanted Avarak help, and you to look before it actually is implemented. Those are just test simulations. There’s something off.”
"Describe...off…" she said carefully with a raised eyebrow.
“Well see here.” Dean moved a little so he could point specifically and bring up the past results. “Every time it tries to absorb too much energy, it completely throws the course off and or causes the warhead to explode.Not when it is supposed to.”
Rhenora moved closer and regarded the screen with a critical eye. She was no physicist but she could see when it wasn't working. "What's your theory to resolve it?"
There was a shrug given, “That’s why I asked for help.”
Avarak stood ponderously with his hand on his chin, thinking. It was a fascinating concept and one that he hadn’t thought was possible. He felt multiple eyes on him, as he privately brainstormed a solution, or at least a diagnosis, then one possibility came to him. “Does it bleed off energy from the target? By which I mean, as the power and momentum of the target is absorbed by the warhead, is that same amount lost by the target in turn?”
“Yes, pretty much. However, not only to the warhead, but it’s supposed to let out a wave, as well, of the absorbed energy. Even if it doesn’t hit one of the others, their energy is still drained.”
Rhenora watched them bounce ideas off each other and brainstorm. This is what they did best and she wasn't going to ruin the momentum.
“And when that wave is released, is that automatic, or controlled by the operator?” Avarak continued.
Dean gave a thoughtful look for a moment, “Well it should be automatic so that it doesn’t completely overload and backlash. I haven’t thought of trying to make the detonation controlled by Science or Tactical.”
“It is conceivable that the algorithms used by the automated deployment program are overcompensating.” Avarak hypothesized.
“What I mean is that perhaps energy and momentum absorption is being magnified by the automated detonation. So, when the warhead absorbs energy, perhaps the program is sending false-positives, misreading the input.” While he had some peripheral understanding of software programming as required to conduct experiments and research, programming was far from his speciality.
“It’s entirely possible. I’m not going to pretend I’m perfect with the coding. I wonder why the computer missed it. Or maybe the computer coding is what’s off.” Dean gave a glance and pulled the coding up.
“ Perhaps we could bring Bonnie in on the project - she is our computer genius after all” Rhenora mused aloud, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, taking in all the possibilities.
“I don’t mind Bonnie coming to help. Whatever it takes for this to work, it will be a massive advantage.”
“ I agree - call in all the resources you need to make this work - it's a sound concept, we just need to put it into action” The Captain replied, happy that the team was working together.
TBC
