Test Time II

Posted on Tue Nov 14th, 2023 @ 2:12pm by Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Edited on on Wed Nov 15th, 2023 @ 9:36pm

Mission: The Q Effect
Location: S’Tokkr Alpha Three
Timeline: Three Days Ago

on:
{S’Tokkr Alpha Three}

Kevin approach the shipwreck. He had made unbelievably good time over the barren landscape leading him to suspect that the Q had manipulated time and space to speed his travel. Still he had had to use his parkour skills to cross magma flows and climb around boiling hot springs. He had quickly learned to avoid low spots where concentrations of sulphur dioxide were greater. He was worried that the respirator would degrade more quickly due to his exertions but there was nothing that he could do about that other than quickly finish the tests that the Q was giving him.

The craft had embedded itself into the ground at the edge of a precipice with about two-thirds of its disk exposed. There was what appeared to be a loading ramp lowered that would allow access to the craft. Kevin did not see anyone outside of the craft and assumed that the impact had sprung open the ramp. Advancing towards the craft, Kevin climbed up to the open ramp and into the ship.

The loading ramp opened into a cargo bay in disarray from the crash. Crates had been broken open and their contents strewn across the bay. A large tracked vehicle of an unfamiliar design rested at an angle against the interior wall. The tools and other contents dumped from the crates were also unfamiliar. He was so preoccupied with analyzing the tools that he almost missed the rhythmic tapping.

At first, Kevin dismissed it as one of the noises that components damaged by the impact were making but slowly he began to realize that it was neither random, like arcing from an exposed electrical conduit, nor constituent, like the background hum of an engine. The tapping was following a pattern. One tap. Two taps. Three. Five. Seven. Eleven. Thirteen. Then a pause and the pattern repeated. It took only a moment to recognize that the tapping pattern was the first seven prime numbers.

It took a little longer to isolate where the tapping was coming from but after listening from several different places in the cargo bay, Kevin determined that it was emanating from the interior wall of the ship. Behind the toppled tracked vehicle, of course.

Climbing atop the vehicle, he could see what appeared to be a doorway in the shape of an inverted triangle. The door looked thick, perhaps an air tight seal or blast containment, and appeared undamaged despite the forward track of the crawler vehicle having come to rest upon it. Moving the vehicle off of the interior door would be the first thing.

Kevin climbed behind the controls in the vehicle cockpit. It was roomy, with space enough for five humanoids. Through trial and error, he was able to get the vehicle started and after more experimentation, was able to move the vehicle away from the door. It was a bit of a challenge to manipulate the controls as they were oddly shaped, as if designed for a species without independent digits, like fingers. It was also design for someone larger that a human male.

Once the vehicle was clear of the door, Kevin jumped out of the cockpit and examined the control panel for the door. The rhythmic tapping was indeed coming from the door. On the control panel, there were no obvious buttons to push and only something that looked like a palm pad. It was inoperative, either damaged in the crash or not programmed to respond to a human. Still, any device had to follow laws of physics and mechanics, therefore Kevin reasoned that he should be able to mechanically hack the doorway into opening.

He spent several minutes rummaging through the alien equipment to find things that looked like the tools that he would need. They felt odd in his hands confirming his suspicion that they had been designed for an alien physiology but he was able to manipulate them in a manner to sufficiently achieve his aims.

He pried off the cover of the door’s control panel and was happy to see that the design was relatively simple, more like the Dorcas James indicating that this was likely a civilian ship. Kevin tested the circuits and wiring, only shocking himself a couple of times, to determine each elements’ function. His efforts finally paid off and the interior door retracted.

“Thank the Great Herd Mother,” a soft voice exclaimed.

Kevin looked up from the control panel at the speaker. She was about as tall as himself with a narrow face and short tan colored hair that covered her head and neck. Instead of humanoid hands, she had hooves that were divided into thirds. Kevin thought that he detected some movement at the tips.

“I am Faline,” she introduced herself, “You don’t look like a Romulan.”

:off

Kevin Lance
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Chuck Norris