Council Transcript - Soltan and Selshan Technology

[OdileCondacin 0]

Mishra: How does Soltan technology work?

 

Condacin: To put things simply, Soltan responds to brainwaves. The brainwaves trigger the different "pieces" of technology to assume different forms, based on what the operator needs at the moment.

 

Mishra: And how does the operator interface with the technology?

 

Condacin: Touch. It responds best to Soltan DNA, though we had limited success activating and operating the devices ourselves. It was unpredictable what "form" of the technology -- in our case, specifically, an engineering console -- we would get. Think of it like trying to listen to a conversation on a nearby frequency to the one you're using, but not the same one, exactly -- the device would get some of what we were trying to tell us, but not all the little details.

 

Mishra: Did you test this with different races?

 

Condacin: Several. Xenexian, human, Caitian, Romulan, Nightflyer, Shadow...

 

Mishra: Did you test it with any psi-positive personnel?

 

Condacin: No. Shadow aside -- and whether or not that counts as psi-positive is for someone aside from me to answer -- we operated with non-teeps.

 

Mishra: But if if functions on brainwaves, wouldn't that be the logical step?

 

Condacin: It would be. That didn't occur to us. Under the circumstances we were also working to install the subspace drive which the devices controlled, and I suppose things were a bit more muddled than ideal laboratory conditions.

 

Mishra: Understandable.

 

Khren'nos: It ought to be our first avenue of testing, anyway.

 

Mishra: Agreed. Tell us more about the way the technology changes state.

 

Condacin: The devices go through a series of changes as it morphs. First a gel-like, viscous state, then to solid after it "remembers" the state the user desires. We counted six (correct if there's a canon number) different states in one "console"; who knows if there were more we couldn't access or even imagine well enough to retrieve.

 

Mishra: But how can it configure itself so many ways?

 

Condacin: Shape-memory. It's... "trained"... and gods if I understand it entirely... to retain several forms. The Federation's tried something along the Soltan's lines, I know, though not so extensive.

 

Mishra: And not nearly so effective.

 

Khren'nos: This change -- it's a true shape change, not merely a configuration such as we use on bridge consoles?

 

Condacin: It's a true shape change, yes. Their weapons -- hand-weaponry, that is -- work the same way. They go from a ball to a hand-encasing "glove", and then back again.

 

Khren'nos: That sounds like there's a mass change involved.

 

Condacin: The mass remains the same. Only the shape changes.

 

Khren'nos: But such a drastic alteration.... and where does the power supply go in the 'ball' mode?

 

Condacin: It's biopowered. As for where it "goes" -- as far as I can tell, it's able to shift position -- unwind and wrap with the rest of the device, if you will. It's a little difficult to dissect, if you will, because the only way to get at the thing in "glove" form is by cutting it apart while it's on a living subject.

 

Khren'nos: It can't be removed from the hand?

 

Condacin: No, and if it was able to be, it would revert to ball-form.

 

Khren'nos: And how does this weapon function?

 

Condacin: It's another mind-linked device. It uses links to the user's brainwaves, again, to control both the targeting and the power settings. These are both hard to control -- at least for me. Again, with a telepath, perhaps you'd have more success. The power settings are the more tricky of the functions, too.

 

Khren'nos: How strong is it?

 

Condacin: Very strong. I would hazard a guess, from preliminary tests, stronger than the average Fleet phaser.

[Semil 0]

Sounds like you need an expert in shapeshifting technology.

[OdileCondacin 0]

How kind of you to offer.