"Spooky Action at a Distance"

[Guest Lieutenant_JG_TParek]

"Spooky Action at a Distance"

September 18, 2155

Joint Log by Lieutenant Dave Grey and Lieutenant j.g. T'Parek

 

 

The lights were on in the science lab, even as most of the crew took the travel time as an opportunity to rest and relax after more than a day of stressful anxiety and exertion. Some people, however, just did not know when to call it quits. Certain people were too wrapped up in their own little worlds, where the laws of quantum physics were mutable, to notice anything but their goals in front of them. This determined attitude came before rest, before sleep, before obsessive hobbies such as late-night all-out knitting competitions.

 

Grey slumped in a chair in the science lab, several separate formulas displayed on the monitor in front of him. Nagen's retrieved quantum signature, which was even more degraded than he had feared, played out on a console to his left. Although the rest of the equipment had mostly been silenced, casting the lab into an eerie vacuum atmosphere, Grey personally felt as if a marching band had decided to take a tour of his skull. The chief science officer groaned and looked over at T'Parek.

 

"Okay, let's try this one more time," he said resolutely. "I'm pretty sure the problem is that the sensors aren't used to what we're trying to get them to do. Maybe if we tied in the transporters. . . ." Grey broke off with a rueful laugh and shook his weary head. "No, it's no use."

 

The Vulcan sighed. "Your pessimistic attitude will not be of any use in this situation." She looked at the monitor before her. "Your sensors aren't sophisticated enough to run sub-quantum field scans. Thus, we will have to completely recalibrate them. Tying in the transporters may help, and we will need to eventually, anyway."

 

Grey ignored the jab about the sensors, mostly because it was true, and accessed the lateral array. He did not relish the task of recalibrating them but supposed it had to be done. As he recalibrated the array to new specifications, Grey thought about what they were attempting to do. Part of him tingled with the excitement of possibly making a ground-breaking scientific discovery. The other part--the part that really wanted sleep--urged him to be cautious and reminded him that the idea was as far-fetched as time-travel or stable wormholes. Maybe some day, but not here, not now. Not unless they were successful.

 

Finished with the recalibration, Grey said, "Maybe we're going about this the wrong way. We're trying to use the sensors to locate the quantum counterparts of this signature." He motioned at the signature displayed to his left. "You're absolutely right, however, when you say that the sensors can't run the proper scans. I've recalibrated the lateral sensor array and linked it with the transporter systems, but I think we're on the wrong track."

 

He cleared the formulas on his console and brought up some new ones. "One of the issues with the theory of quantum entanglement is that you can't send information faster than the speed of light. So regardless of two entangled particles reacting no matter their physical distance from each other, no one has figured out a way to send any sort of classical data back through the particles' link. A couple of smart guys back before we even had nuclear weapons published an entire paper on the subject," Grey referred to the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox from the early 20th century. Then he grinned. "We have something they don't, something that helps us out in the supraluminal area." He held a finger up to his lips for silence. "Listen." The hull gently vibrated with the throb of the ship's warp engines.

 

"I hear nothing out of the ordinary from the normal functions of the ship, Lieutenant. Although I know the point that you are attempting to make." She stood up and began to pace.

 

"If we tie in the warp field density manifolds, there is a possibility that we could isolate his quantum pattern, using the warp field curve variable." She sat down at the display again. "But it may not work."

 

Two diagrams appeared on the screen, showing the transporter pattern buffer and the warp field manifolds. T'Parek motioned to the screen. "If we can overlay these two schematics and add in Nagen's signature from the last time he was transported, we may be able to use the theory of warp fields to increase the sensor radiosity."

 

Grey set to work with T'Parek and together they attempted to do just that. The transporter buffer interfaced with the warp field coils, and using its subspace geometry, they attempted to coax the sensors into giving them some sort of signal--a location, anything. "Hmm . . . perhaps if we . . ." Grey broke off and winced, suddenly sensing a headache in his near future. "No, no, it's not going to work." He threw his hands up in the air. "I just can't--unless . . . wait, if we . . . yes."

 

He rushed over to another console. "We forgot to compensate for the extreme degradation of the signature! We just need to tweak the formulas a bit!" He began modifying the sensors to account for this discrepancy. "Try bypassing the Heisenberg generators and feeding the signature directly through the sensor array, Lieutenant."

 

A shrill whine built up near Grey's console and the science officer frowned. Several lights that should not be blinking were flashing rapidly, pulsating with a frantic urgency that made Grey take a few steps back. The console's whine reached a palpable climax before the console erupted with a discouraging shower of white sparks. Any trace of life left Grey's expression and he slumped into a chair with a defeated posture.

 

"Well . . . I . . . I guess it didn't work," he said. "I don't think the transporter systems liked being tied into the warp field generators." He looked up at T'Parek. "Vulcan Science Directorate 1, Crazy Scientist 0. I guess I'll have to send Lieutenant Westler a memo. . . ."

 

T'Parek regarded Grey with her usual calm expression. "Your disappointment is understandable, but unnecessary. You are forgetting that much of the scientific theory is based upon experimentation and testing. With the current state of our sensor development, there wasn't much hope for success. However, keep in mind that we have laid a strong, well-researched basis for further experimentation. Perhaps, if we are presented with an opportunity, we could continue with this experimentation. You have piqued my interest, Lieutenant."

 

"I intend to write a letter to a colleague of mine at the Directorate, and advise them to continue research on this matter. They do have more sophisticated equipment than Challenger, and I believe that this has promise..."

 

END LOG