“Every step taken by science claims territory once occupied by the supernatural.”

Robert L. Park – ‘Voodoo Science’ (2000)

The scientist’s face was bathed in the promethean – glow of possibility, as the searing blue – white arc of Interphasic – energy ran from pole to pole.

“There swiftly becomes a point of intersection within deductive science where ‘what is conceivable?’ quickly becomes ‘what is possible?’, before diverging into ‘what is probable?’ – usually then giving birth to the rational imperative to research and explore the crystalline – hypothesis of ‘is it so?’.”

Dr Jin Motonobu remarked dryly as his sallow – skinned face was leant a phantom’s aspect from wavering Cherenkov radiation as he adjusted the phase modulation within the test apparatus, coaxing and cajoling the fearsome line of oscillating energy, as a Sapera would charm a snake from the basket with his Pungi – flute in a crowded Bazaar.

“You, on the other hand Captain, seemed to have eschewed this rationale and cut straight to the Nobel – prize!” Motonobu remarked dryly, displaying that eponymous gnomic – whit that the Japanese are so justifiably famed for.

Captain Monique McDowell, finally released from the sickbay and having managed to rehabilitate her proud Afro to within some semblance of presentability, stood with her arms folded and a non – committal look crowning her fine features.

Having spent hours in the water after being attacked by a mysterious energy being and capping off her day having to inform the Cetacean Chief Scientist, Dr T’krikkt and an extremely skeptical Chief of Security of Genodyne Systems that, not only was Director Delain now  in – fact deceased, but that the invisible energy – creatures that (charitably) indirectly responsible for her demise and the destruction of one of their Rigs – were in all probability lurking unseen and unchecked on their planet as they spoke, this had done nothing to improve her mood.

“Lieutenant?” Commander Kottu boomed diplomatically, “Whilst your opinion is always edifying as it is welcome, perhaps we can focus on the matter at hand? Our understanding is limited and the ‘clock-is-ticking’, so to speak?”

The compact little CSO blinked momentarily as he took onboard these implications, then nodded the dome of his shorn head quite fastidiously!

“Hai ! Owabi moushiage masu, Commander, Captain!” Jin apologized quickly, slipping in and out of his native Nipponese as he often did when flustered.

Kottu could forgive the little man a certain degree of euphoria, the opportunity to stand on the cusp of a discovery of a magnitude such as this was a potent brew for any scientist to drink from without some measure of intoxication.

However, the XO was keenly aware both of his Commanding Officer’s understandable lassitude born of her recent ordeal and the need to understand the nature of the beings that the Away Team had encountered became more than pressing with the news that more of the Genodyne Systems aquaculture rigs had been reported to have come under attack over the last 12 hours.

Jin composed himself and indicated the searing line of white/blue energy that perpetuated behind serried flimsy of veiled containment fields and hyper-reinforced transparent plasteen of the Extrapolation – chamber.

“Based upon the telemetry recovered from your Tricorder, Captain and extrapolating the readings gained by Lieutenant Aslaine’s scans of the recovery area, I have been able to simulate a simulacra of the likely Interphasic Energy frequency, within this Parallel Plate Ionization Chamber.” Dr Motonobu explained.

“The Interphasic energy sample held in the ionization current exhibits some highly novel and fluctuating variables within the circuit that measure in the region between femtoampere’s and picoampere’s that have a voltage potential that is at once quite distinct from the normative ion – pairs of the ionizing radiation typical to Encedis-#5’s storms and, concurrently, wholly different in that there is an almost constant recombination of ion – pairs that should diminish the ion – current – but in wilful defiance of established science refuse to do so entirely!”

Monique pressed her slim brown fingers into her eye sockets, willing them to wring her exhaustion and frustration away as she prompted the excited little scientist patiently.

“In plain English Doctor, what does that mean?”

Jin sighed and realized that, in his boundless enthusiasm, that he had left his audience floundering in his wake once again.

“Apologies Captain.” Jin took a breath and shifted down a gear. “It means that there is a direct and causal link between the energy – state of these beings that have been reported to be encountered and that of the energy – state homogenous to the Ion – storms of the planet. If this is a constant – state relationship, then it strongly indicates a causal link between the two and potential symbiosis.”

Monique looked at Dr Motonobu and then to the hulking frame of the giant pink Saurian that was her right hand and sighed wearily, “Didn’t I tell him to simplify things?”

Kottu nodded his impressively crenelated, scaled – head seriously and all but succeeded in keeping the amusement from his voice as he replied.

“You did.”

Jin frowned, his forehead wrinkling expansively and he waved his hands in frenetic exasperation as he struggled with the eternal challenge of CSO’s everywhere, in trying to condense the incredibly complicated into something relatively simple to explain.

“The beings and the storm are as one. They are in-phase.” He ventured lamely, spreading his hands wide in a gesture of defeat.

“Ah. There you go.” Monique smiled acerbically and nodded to the XO. “He did it.”

“He did.” Kottu rumbled and suddenly had to look away to distract himself from breaking into a wide smile.

“So, it’s reasonable to assume that these beings became apparent and discoverable when the planet’s weather – control system was damaged by the Vaaduwar?” Monique prompted, now that she had the scientist on a short leash she was disinclined to let him run again.

“Ostensibly yes, Captain, that would be a logical hypothesis.” Jin ventured carefully. “However, I hypothesize that these creatures have been present here on Encedis-#5 all along. The nature of their interphasic morphology would have been suppressed by the operation of the WCN as it suppressed the natural potential of the storms. In effect this likely had the effect of forcing the beings into some state of hibernation or stasis – only to see them resurgent as the effects of the network was compromised.”

McDowell nodded, this scenario was as feasible as any other, given what little they knew about these mysterious beings of pure energy.

“So, they have been living alongside the settlers here all along?” she mused.

“It seems likely”. Motonobu agreed tentatively. “It certainly might explain why the creatures have adopted a humanoid – morphology. After all a being made of pure energy has no demonstrable need for arms or legs, yet these creatures choose to appear in such a form. Obviously without an extensive anthropological work – through, I’m just conjecturing here, but they may have been consciously or unconsciously emulating the humanoids around them in some attempt to generate an empathic response.”

It was Commander Kottu that broke in at that point.

“But, if they have been here all along unseen and unheard, why is it that the away team was able to perceive the being that attacked them on the rig?”

On more familiar ground now, Dr Jin Motonobu smiled and said “Here. Let me demonstrate.

He adjusted the controls of the PPIC apparatus and gradually the searing – bright line of Interphasic energy began to dim to the point where it entirely disappeared from view.

Monique frowned.

“It’s gone.” She stated flatly, failing to see the relevance.

“Well, it would be.” Jin nodded. “Had I deactivated the containment unit, but as you can see from the electrometry readouts, the chamber is still functioning at peak acuity. The Interphasic energy is still there and constant!”

The Captain leaned closer to peer quizzically at the seemingly – empty tube.

“Then what did you do to change that?”

Jim smiled craftily.

“Forgive me Captain, but a small ruse to demonstrate the parameters of the phenomenon we are trying to quantify here.” The little Japanese CSO bowed slightly from the waist, but his voice held no palpable regret for this subterfuge.

“The wavelength of the Interphasic energy that the beings are made of is effectively invisible to the human eye and intrinsically undetectable for instrumentation that isn’t calibrated to differentiate it from the background electrons of the ion storm. In its ‘natural’ state the Ion pairs do not create any ‘incident radiation’ within a gaseous environment.”

Motonobu went on to manipulate the controls of the apparatus again and once more the brilliant, wavering blue/white ribbon of energy gradually returned to full luminescence within the chamber.

“Extrapolating from your own eyewitness accounts of the creature you encountered, you stated that when you discovered it – that it seemed to be interacting with the power core of the rig and some sort of energetic transfer was underway that resulted in a high – level phosphorescence effect?”

Monique’s mind was instantly cast back to the memory of that searing light and the panicked headlong rush to the shuttle in a desperate bid to escape it and the destruction it heralded.

“Yes, that’s right….”she murmured.

Jin beamed, obviously well pleased with himself and his acumen.

“I experimented with introducing an energy – phase between the anode and the cathode in the chamber to replicate the kind of gaseous ionization that would result from an energy phase akin to that of the plasma – discharge from the Genodyne reactor core.”

He indicated to the highly charged electrical field that radiated within the gas trapped in the cylinder.

“And there is your invisible attacker, the ghost made apparent!” Dr Motonobu concluded with a flourish.

Silence pervaded within the High – Energy Lab for a while and Jin began to look slightly crestfallen, obviously having pictured a more rousing response.

“Excellent work, Lieutenant.” Monique nodded, emerging from the fog of reasoning. Her mind beginning to formulate what came next.

“It was Dr Vorik’s data gathered from scans of  Lieutenant Søgaard’s optical nerves that gave me the spark of realization that led me here.” Jin smiled politely, giving credit where it was due. “That Nat was able to “see” the presumed other grouping of beings at the “Sounion’s” crash – site was due to cortical – stimulation of the same type of interphasic energy.”

Jin brought up a medical holo of a human eye and superimposed the data from the apparatus upon it. Tiny tadpoles of bright energy pulses wriggling along filigree – fine pathways.

“She was able to see the creatures where you were not. The eye is, in effect, an environment analogous to the chamber here in that it is a sealed environment and supports a gaseous – medium. There that gas is suspended in a fluid, here in free – suspension – but both are able to provide an environment to generate observable ‘incident radiation’.”

“Could that effect be replicated with technological means, Doctor?” Rumbled Commander Kottu. “The ability to actually see these creatures  and discern their presence and movements would seem an imperative of the highest order.”

Motonobu thought for a moment before nodding emphatically.

“Well, the science is reasonably sound, so I am sure that we could work with Chief Aldridge’s engineering team to fabricate something that could replicate the effect. A viewscreen certainly, maybe even a more portable device like a VISOR? Given time, I’m sure it can be done.”

Monique grimaced, time was the one luxury that they did not have.

“Seeing these beings is one thing for sure and a welcome step in the right direction.” The Captain reasoned with some trepidation.

“But until we can reason with them, find some way to establish a meaningful dialogue and understand their motivations, I fear that our efforts will be limited at best. We need to find a way to actually communicate with them?”

Dr Jin Motonobu looked levelly at the senior officers very much as a stage magician who, upon producing a rabbit with a final flourish, is mortified to find that the children at the party are demanding to see what else is in the hat.

“Well Captain, Commander.” Dr Jin Motonobu sighed. “I’ll assemble my team and see what we can do in the time we have.” He nodded as he sat back down heavily on his stool.

“I can’t promise miracles, but I can offer science.”