Post # 48 - Following orders

Posted on Wed Apr 20th, 2022 @ 3:31pm by Lieutenant James McTavish
Edited on on Wed Apr 20th, 2022 @ 6:04pm

Mission: Weapon Investigating
Location: Amandora
Timeline: Concurrent

::ON::

[Snip]

Lieutenant McTavish:

This weapon cannot be permitted to become operational. It must be stopped at all costs. This could be a matter for diplomacy. Good work to you and your department. Slip Stream drive was not always able to hold up and the field collapses without warning. It’s possible Benamite Crystals might just be what is needed to hold that drive. I’ve never studied them. Find a way to get a sample of them and carefully bring them aboard in a containment field where they can be studied and find a good way to use them. And not to power that weapon.

Commodore Song

[End Snip]

{Deck 5 - Main Science Lab}

After reading the Commodore's order, James had made arrangements to procure a sample of the Crystals which arrived in a containment fielded container.

James grabbed the container and left his Office for the Lab. Upon entering he walked over to the other Lieutenant McTavish "Hey, you busy....I could use another pair of hands analyzing these Benamite Crystals."

"Sure thing Boss, I'm not doing much anyway" Heather stated with a grin loving having a chance to call James Boss "But isn't this more up you alley and not mine."

"Yes I suppose so but two pairs of eyes are better than one....besides you said yourself your not really busy" he replied with a grin.

James placed the container in a force field chamber then remotely opened the container and placed the Crystals on the bottom of the chamber. Heather was right...this definitely was in his wheel house.

The McTavish Lieutenants started to analyze the Crystals and James keyed in on the structural integrity to see just how stable they actually were.

After a couple of hours James found out that they were quite unstable and could be dangerous causing an explosion. Knowing that Benamite was much more powerful than Dilithium; the stability issue didn't come as a big surprise.

A few more tests were run until James was satisfied with his findings. The last test run involved taking a very small amount of the Benamite and put it under extreme pressure.....caused an explosion which shook the containment chamber. This would be the same pressure that a Slip Stream Drive would force upon the Crystals. Looking at Heather, who had instinctively jumped back after the explosion, James stated "OK, I don't think we want to use this stuff anytime soon" knowing that it could take years if not decades to figure out how to use this substance safely.

"Ya that's some nasty stuff alright" Heather commented being glad the Benamite was in the chamber and not in the open Lab.

James remembered learning at the Academy how the Vouyager had used these Crystals in a Slip Stream Drive to get from the Delta Quadrant back to the Alpha Quadrant in their lifetime. It was alien tech and they barely made it home in one piece. Since then research had been done on this type of drive; but the stability was still an issue and of great concern.

Turning to Heather "I have all the answers I need.....thanks for you're help Lieutenant, now I'll need to send a report to Song" James said with a smile.

"Anytime Boss....anytime" she replied with a giggle as she returned to what she had been working on previously.

James returned to his Office to file the following report to Cyndi.

-------------------------------------------------------

To: Commodore Song
Lieutenant Commander Kelliza Kahn

Subject: Benemite Crystals

Commodore Song, following your orders I procured a sample of the Benamite Crystals and ran several diagnostic tests. The findings were not at all surprising. The Benamite is quite unstable and explosive if put under extreme pressure; much like a Slip Stream Drive would provide.

In order to find a usefulness from this material it would take years if not decades of research in order to come up with a viable solution to deal with the stability aspect.

With the current Technology known, any attempt to use this material to power a torpedo or Ship would more than likely prove to be disastrous.

Respectfully,

Lieutenant James McTavish
Chief Science Officer
USS Amandora

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