Lines of Attack ((Eagle/Swan/Kent))

[Samantha_Kent 0]

Sam glanced at Kat Swan, to whom she was trying to explain her plan of infiltration into the Sam-Kent AI's stronghold, and then tapped her console, bringing up the access into the Aether computer network which the engineering department had hacked. "We can get schematics of the Aether's Caress neural interface technology. Theoretically it should be replicable here."

 

Kat watched as Sam brought up the info. "The trouble will be getting by her. Isn't she in the thoughts of the others? Or can she read their minds? We wouldn't want her to know we are there before we are ready. Right?" Kat looked from Sam to Eagle, hoping she had this right in her own mind.

 

Eagle looked up from the Tactical console for a moment and listened to Sam and Kat discussing the proposed plan. The power beam from the main dish had been integrated into the patch being sent to Aether and the initial charge being sent to the center. The level had been set to a nominal charge piggy-backing along on the carrier wave and modulated to just cause the AI some minor discomfort...hopefully drawing attention from Sam and Kat's plan when it was implemented..

 

Sam nodded slowly as Kat responded to the idea, her expression pensive. She felt entirely out of her depth with the levels of computer engineering being discussed here but she went into it with a will; there was no time for second-guessing now. "That is the danger; she does have control over much of the city's network, and she has the knowledge of the people who used the Caress. Our hacks into the mechanisms seem stable enough for the moment, though, and hopefully they'll last long enough to get our people in, and out."

 

She glanced at Kat. "You had mentioned neural blocks...that might be a good last line of defense if she starts hacking back into our link the way we hacked into her systems -- freezing the link long enough to retrieve them."

 

Kat nodded. "I can do that and I think that it can possibly be sent into the network via the mind chairs. A hypo to one of the umbilicals that go to the chairs possibly? I would have to get another look at them to be sure." Kat moved off to another console and logged into the medical information of the ship's library. "The drug pavulonizine should do exactly what we want. It should slightly sedate the neural interface." Kat looked down to the console again and mumbled to herself, "I hope."

 

Eagle tapped into his console and finally brought online another modulation setting, to present the systems with ghosting imaging in the event the AI were to get too close to some of the aspects of their little ruse. "I have initiated another program to enhance our ability to remain undiscovered in the event the AI begins to try and find us -- merely let her chase ghosts in the machine if you will. Each ghost image can of course be duplicated as is necessary keeping her off balance and taking dead end leads," he said, turning to Sam and Kat, a distinct grin forming, "along with the neural interface you have in place and numbing her up a bit. The AI may actually begin to think she is losing her marbles."

 

Sam nodded, listening to Kat as the doctor spoke. What she was saying sounded plausible; Sam knew no more than rudimentary field medicine so she would have to go with Kat's word on this one. "Good...we can have hypos of that created along with our people...that'll be our backup...if all else fails," she mumbled, then looked over at Eagle as he spoke up, nodding at him. "Also good -- the better we can keep her confused, the safer we'll be." She glanced down at the schematics of the neural link technology that she had pulled from the hacked computers. "We'll have to get this replicated and set up fast, though; we don't have much time."

 

"I'll head down to medical and get the drug needed and fill the hypos," Kat said. "Shall I return here? or meet someplace else?"

 

Looking at the ship's wall chronometer and then back to Sam and Kat, Eagle agree, "We have very little time indeed. You heard the commander's orders as well. The quicker we can get in and accomplish our mission the better. I have inputted the necessary beam modulations to keep randomizing that should keep her busy, unable to get a lock on us. Time indeed is getting close...we need to get this fish fried up and served."

 

Sam nodded back at Eagle and tapped her console again, transferring the link schematics to sickbay. "I'll come with you," she said to Kat. "Between the two of us we can get the links set up and ready for..." She paused, then glanced at the others. "How big a team do you figure?"

 

Kat shrugged at the question, not knowing completely how big this ordeal was. "I'm not sure."

 

"Hmmm...." Eagle said. "We need at least a minimum compliment to get the job done...as well as having them where they need to be stationed. The AI may be easy to distract, but it is not stupid and we may not have much time. I would think five members to do the job should suffice." He looked at Sam and Kat. "How many do each of you need to effectively carry out the mission?"

 

Sam shrugged uncertainly. "I haven't a clue...I can't say I've ever done this before. But we'll need an engineer, someone who can hack into her systems once we get there...security or two to cover our backs...Kat with her neural block...and..." She paused. She wanted to go; she wanted to be in there personally mucking up the plans of this strange, humiliating and frustrating version of herself, but would she do more good than someone else in her place? "Maybe me..." she allowed, then cracked a faint grin. "At the very least maybe I can serve as another distraction."

 

"I can give hypos for injecting the drug to whoever goes, and tell them where to do it," Kat said.

 

Eagle listened to Sam and Kat. "No -- just enough party to get the job done, Sam," he said. "I know full well what you are feeling; however we need to keep on target, just the necessary complement. This looks like we need one engineer, two sec,and a medical tech then...four it will be then. You're needed and way too valuable to this ship...both of you...to possibly be compromised. Kat, you and Sam, then, go and take what is necessary to get the mission done. Meet me back here on the bridge as soon as possible...the clock is ticking. Let's get moving."

 

Sam sighed, frustrated, but nodded and jumped up to head for the turbolift, calling as she did so for officers from the requisite departments to meet her in sickbay.