240011.12.0800

USS Osiris Bridge

“Captain, we have arrived at the planet and entered orbit above the site.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

Kr’antren turned slightly in his chair. “Chief, inform Lieutenant Talibah that we are back.”

Sir, she acknowledged and would like to request that Lieutenant Mathison and yourself join them planetside. She says they have found some interesting information that they would like to show you.”

“Let her know we will be down shortly. Let the lieutenant know that we will be heading planetside in one hour.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tazzeth looked up from his console with a quizzical look on his face.” sir, we broke the cipher on the device that was found on the asteroid, but something on it doesn’t add up with what we know.” He looked back at his console and then turned to talk to his deputy science officer on the bridge.

“Bring it to my ready room Lieutenant and call down to engineering and ask that Ensign Ngin join us if the chief can let him go for a few.”

Kr’antren stood “Lieutenant Darame, you have the conn.”

“Aye sir” he stood and stretched his three legs out to their full height and made his way to the captain’s chair. “ I have the conn.” he then tapped on his commbadge “Lieutenant T’ming, report to the bridge to assume helm duties.”

“On my way, Lieutenant.”

Darame nodded and sat back in the Captain’s chair. “ahhhh, I could get used to this.” the rest of the bridge staff chuckled.

Captain’s Ready Room

Lieutenant Tazzeth and the Captain were already sitting around and behind the captain’s desk when Ensign Ngin entered the captain’s ready room. “I heard through the team that we broke the cipher. Took us a bit longer than I thought it would.”

Tazzeth nodded at this. “ Yes, it was based on a strange dialect of the Ferengi language. Luckily for us, the deputy quartermaster was able to help. She was the one that first pointed out the inconsistencies within the information on the PADD.” Tazzeth stood and walked over to the Captain’s view screen on the wall. “ If I may, captain.”

Kr’antren nodded.

“Captain, as you can see on the report, as highlighted by Ensign Girapia. The report I s full of errors that someone familiar with the Ferengi language  would not make.” Tazzeth points out several issues on the view screen to highlight what he is talking about.

“I see what she means, especially with the direct translation that she was able to get the computer to give us. What else is on the PADD?”

“That sir is where things get interesting. According to the data on the PADD, they were running some sort of tests with a stolen schematic of an earlier version of the subspace trumpet.” He pulled up the two schematics side by side. 

Ensign Ngin stood and walked over to the screen to take a closer look. “Yes sir, they’re close but as you can see here and here, the folks on the discovery made some changes to these two parts and added this one. Explains why the device they had built burned out the way it did.”

The ensign returned to his seat.

“Ensign, do you think they could figure out what caused the failure and make the appropriate corrections to the device?”

“Yes, sir. That schematic was from a couple of days before Discovery tested the device. So yeah they could figure out what went wrong using the data they got. They won’t have the added piece but they could fix the other two.”

“So it would be safe to say that whoever they are would have a fully functioning subspace trumpet by now.”

“Yes sir. I would think so.” 

Kr’antren nodded. “I’ll add that to my report.”

Tazzeth retook his seat. “ Captain, that’s not all though. As we have already figured out, it looks like someone in the Ferengi operation has sold the Devore Imperium several small craft identification transmitters.”

“They knew sooner or later we would come knocking on the door, so to speak. As we know Ferengi have no issue with playing both sides if it means them making more profit. I’m surprised we haven’t gotten more reports on this type of thing happening around the belt.”

“That is odd, sir.” Ensign Ngin said from behind his PADD.

“However, that is not what I wanted to bring to your attention, captain. What I find most disturbing is what they are trying to do. Looking at the data on the PADD, though I am suspicious about some of what they claim, it looks like the Imperium may be trying to figure out a way to form some sort of telepathic shield using Ferengi.”

Kr’antren dropped his PADD on the desk. “ hold on, run that by me again. I want to make sure I heard you correctly.”

“You heard correctly, sir. The imperium is testing some sort of device that if it works, which they say it did in the report, would shield their minds from telepathic evilness. Their words, not mine.”

“How would that even work? I mean would it even be possible?”

“Theoretically, yes. Though in practice.” Tazzeth shrugged his shoulders. “According to the information on the PADD. The Devore with Ferengi’s help, again someone supplying them with expertise in the area, have figured out a way to implant a device into the part of the Ferengi brain structure that shields their minds from telepaths.”

Kr’Antren sat back in his chair. “ I’ll be damned, could you imagine what this would mean for the Delta Quadrant.”

“Sir, think bigger. What would it mean if the Ferengi could sell a telepathic shield in any quadrant?”

Kr’antren shot up to his feet. “Hold on, I’m guessing that would require Blood Dilithium in some capacity. Am I right?”

Ensign Ngin looked up from his PADD. “I was just looking at the data, captain. It would not take as much as you would think. If I am reading this correctly it is only needed to activate the connection between the shield and the person they’re trying to shield.”

Tazzeth stood and went to the viewscreen .”According to this sir, it is an integral part. However, exactly what part or how it works was left out of the data on the PADD. According to this.  The five deceased female Ferengi that we found were the test subjects for the first of such devices. The devices were already implanted before they were delivered to the dome. Of the five, two died immediately upon contact with a telepathic prisoner and the subspace trumpet they had built. The third subject was able to make a connection with a Devore engineer before falling into madness and having to be put down. The last two were tested after some adjustments to their implants were made, these two were able to make and hold a connection with an assigned Devore engineer.” He went over and grabbed his PADD. “ Here sir, this may explain things better. They recorded the next test.”

The view screen showed a camera angle from one of the upper corners of one of the labs or office spaces within the dome area. 

We see battered and beaten male humanoids in torn and dirty clothing handcuffed and legs changed together, barely able to stand in the middle of the room. A female Ferengi walked in followed by an officer in the typical imperium black uniform. Both the Devore officer and the Ferengi are wearing a sort of circlet device. 

“Sir, according to the report the telepath is a brenari who has been captive for about three years.”  

“Hmmmmm”

The video restarts. The female Ferengi left the room after a short discussion with the Devore officer. The officer and the Brenari prisoner go through a series of tests, common telepathic ability tests such as what color the card I’m looking at, and what I see on my card. The Ferengi and the Devore officer switch places and the tests are reruns. 

“That was obviously to set a baseline and to prove that the Brenari could read the mind of the Devore officer and that he could not read the mind of the Ferengi,” Tazzeth stated from his chair.

“I’m surprised that the Brenari could do anything in that state, especially with all the Blood Dilithium nearby..” Kr’Antren said as he continued to watch.

Ensign Ngin paused the video.” sir, that leads me to another question. Could it be possible to know what we do now that the Brenari are not affected by the Blood Dilithium? I mean that wouldn’t make much sense would it, to cause more pain to those that are still being held as prisoners.”

Both Kr’Antren and Tazzeth look at each other with weird looks on their face, like why hadn’t we thought of that? “Ensign you might have just may have brought up something that may completely change how the fleet proceeds. That will be on the top of my list of questions when I send in my report and I will make sure that you receive the recognition for the question.”

 Ensign Ngin restarted the video feed.

When those tests were complete the Ferengi left the room, and after a short period, the Devore and the Ferengi entered the room. The Devore officer sat down while the Ferengi stood to one side.

“Sir for the next couple hours they run through the same sort of tests as before, but you can see that the Brenari starts to get agitated as he knows he should be able to read the Devor’s mind and each time he gets it wrong the Devore officer reaches across the small table and slaps him across the face.”

They fast forward through the next hour or so till Tazzeth finds a certain time code that he had noted on his PADD.

“This is where things get interesting sir, as we watch the next 30 minutes or so watch the Ferengi. You will notice something starts to happen to her, while she still holds onto the shield you will notice that she starts to show signs of exhaustion, then her nose starts to bleed, Then she starts becoming agitated and finally argumentative with both the Devore officer and the prisoner.”

They watch the scene unfold much as Lieutenant Tazzeth described.

“As this continues for a bit sir, I’ll give you the notes. They continue the testing but now the officer is paying as close attention to the Ferengi as he is to the prisoner. Once she nearly faints and then tries to rip off the device the video feed ends. The second video is much the same as this one, with a different officer and Ferengi. The tests start pretty much the same though she does last longer than the first Ferengi. They also start testing how far she can be from the officer before the shield loses its strength. ”

“I don’t think we need to watch the second one, Lieutenant. I believe I get the point of what was going on in the dome. Any ideas on why the second Ferengi lasts longer?”

“After watching the video feeds sir, I can only theorize. But I think it may have to do with her age as she visibly looks younger than the first Ferengi. If I was to put an age to the two of them I would guess that Ferengi number one was maybe, earth equivalent, to be in her thirties while the second one is maybe in her early twenties.”

“Put a shot of the three of them in the room from the two tests on the screen, please.”

   Kr’Antren stood and approached the view screen frozen on a picture of the two tests, studying the scene and the people on the screen. “The two female Ferengi are part of the group that we brought on board for autopsies?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any signs of these devices?”

“No, sir. Nor did the tricorders pick up anything in the brain cavity. Though with the after-effects of the device burning out I’m not sure what we would be looking for. Hopefully, Doc can find something when she performs the autopsies.”

“I’ll have her return with the shuttle when I go down, speaking of which. Gentlemen, I’m running late. I will make sure that number one, Skagath, Doc, and the Counsellor get copies of this report and the videos along with the questions and ideas that we raised while going over the data.  I’ll have them forward their thoughts to you two.”

“Sir, you may want to talk to them to make sure that no one is around when they watch those videos,” Tazzeth said as he got up from his seat and took his cup to the replicator to be recycled.

“Noted, lieutenant.”

Lieutenant Tazzeth and Ensign Ngin made their way out of the captain’s ready room as the Kr’antren went to the cabinets under the shelving unit and pulled out a small rucksack, opened it to make sure it was packed with what he would need in case he had to stay overnight or spend a couple of days on the surface. Satisfied he went back to his desk, grabbed his PADD, and made his way to the bridge and then to the turbo-lift.