Words Words Words

[Shadow 0]

Words Words Words

A joint log by Shadow and Tay

 

“What do?” Tay asked the Odile, her frustration showing. “Write more report on subspace? Words words words?”

 

“For the moment, yes, please. I've been in contact with another Starfleet scientist, and we're both thinking we need more of an 'early warning' system.”

 

Tay’s frustration seemed to turn to interest. “Scout. Know intruder. Is need. Will think. Shadow is here. Will talk.”

 

Shadow was inclined to agree, and he knew he could help, if only in a small way. “The Odile enjoys reports. Many words. I can produce words with energy.”

 

“Never enough words. Always need more words.”

 

“How many words need?”

 

“Aleph three?” Tay said, smiling.

 

Shadow waded a tendril in the nearest console, lighting Tay’s screen up with words, words, words. Report after report on the Soltan encounter. Many words. Tay should be pleased. Yet, she seemed confused, tilting her head this way and that.

 

“Shadow connects with computer directly. Can do many words. Can make triplicate, quadruplicate, many many words.” He hoped this would explain the matter, and it seemed to at least placate Tay, judging from her facial expression. “The Odile delights in reports. Words. words. Words,” Shadow explained.

 

“Many shadow words, fewer Tay words?”

 

Shadow turned his parameters to produce more Shadow words, fewer Tay words.

 

“Odile wants new report. Report how find ships warn ships coming subspace? Soltan ships.... need warning before come. Need find them to fight them.”

 

That made sense, but how to do it? “Ship communication is subspace, yes?”

 

“Yes....” said Tay, seeming to follow the thought.

 

“Soltan fly subspace. Communication is subspace. Soltan have energy signature, can magnify if detected in communication matrix? Or communication disruption by any signature trigger alert?”

 

Tay tilted her head sideways. “Sounds good. Know signature? Best know right signature.”

 

Shadow agreed, but… “Not know Soltan signature. Much confusion.”

 

“Soltan ships make subspace noise. Comm gear filters out noise. Change filters? Listen only specific noise?”

 

Of course. “Change filters to allow ship travel noise. Records for Soltan attack? Should have Soltan ship noise somewhere.”

 

Tay pulled up the ship’s detailed comm records unfiltered for subspace noise, then shifted to other records. “Earth must have records. Lots scholars. Record everything.”

 

“Exit noise same as travel noise?”

 

“Likely different. Exit noise loud, but too late? Want travel noise. Detect sooner?

 

“Earth records in ship database? Yes, likely different….” Shadow paused, his face lighting up – literally. “Wait! Agincourt travel with Soltan ships in subspace. Piggyback, the Harper said. Agincourt have Soltan travel signature?”

 

Tay called up the sensor readings taken during the cross galaxy jaunt. Almost as many

sensor records as Shadow had words. If those readings existed in subspace, what would leak over into a comm array in realspace? As if she followed Shadow’s inquiring thoughts, she performed FFT transforms, allows for doppler, performs an integral over the differentiation, throwing every bit of technobabble she could at it to make it seem right.

 

Shadow was impressed.

 

“Need test. Have spare Solarian ship?”

 

Shadow blinked. “Spare Soltan ship? Soltans gone.”

 

“Gone where?”

 

“Home? Not here. Not at Earth. Gone.”

 

“Hope so. Not sure.” Tay frowned and ran a simulation in an attempt to determine what a Soltarian signature would look like. “Problem.... this signature whole fleet. Need make signature one ship, to ship.”

 

“All fleet ships same?”

 

“Likely not. Need find average.”

 

Shadow agreed. “Find average better than none at all. Can also program for entire fleet.”

 

Tay tapped away and, just for fun, translated some of the subspace signatures into sounds, to listen to what the ships "sound" like, which made Shadow change colors across the spectrum. Then she attached those filters to the raw feed of the subspace sensor / comm arrays.

 

Finally Tay said, “If Soltan ship shows up, not detected, will know did not work. Need better way test.”

 

“Ask the Harper for Soltan ship?” Somehow Shadow knew that wasn’t going to fly.