ST:TTV120 | "Xe Marks the Spot Pt. II"

Stardate 93917.7

After successful negotiations with the nomadic Tiks, the Valley Forge crew have obtained a map to what they believe to be another shuttle or escape craft from the Gainsborough. However, the Tiks and their cosmozoan bioships departed with no way to contact them and a request to leave them alone. The Valley Forge now calls for the 38th's finest minds to decipher this alien map...

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Sulayman@drcrippler: "Captain." Sulayman nods Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois is pparently checking some data appearing on one of the consoles when he turns toward the door, nodding to Sulayman:"Commander, well met." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Indeed, I do not think we met last time. Alas, it was under stranger circumstances." Keliaya@anncarise taps on a panel on the main display of astrometrics. Keliaya@anncarise: "This..." the red dot to the right (under the O) "This..." the red dot to the right (under the O in the word sector) begins flashing, "is where the Valley Forge tracked down the aliens." Keliaya@anncarise: "This..." the red dot to the right (under the O in the word sector) begins flashing, "is where the Valley Forge tracked down the beings." Keliaya@anncarise: "Captain Keelah managed to negotiate with the species, apparently known as Tiks, and we obtained this, uhh...map." Keliaya@anncarise FX | The display shows a jumble of data. Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Looks at the new data appearing on the display, mumbling:"Well, that's what they call a pieace of enigma..." Keliaya@anncarise: "It was sent over radio signals, so just organizing it was...very tedious." Keliaya@anncarise: "The Valley Forge personnel have managed to plot out the data and obtain this." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Should be fun!" he says as he pulls out a date from his pocket and slowly chews it Keliaya@anncarise FX | A new image appears: https://imgur.com/YYrc1WW Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Sighs:"Possibly more enigmatic..." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Oh wow." Keliaya@anncarise: "We need to correlate this map with our own, and find out where this atmospheric similarity they found is located. Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Looks at the new data appearing on the display, mumbling:"Well, that's what they call a pieace of enigma..." Keliaya@anncarise: "It was sent over radio signals, so just organizing it was...very tedious." Keliaya@anncarise: "The Valley Forge personnel have managed to plot out the data and obtain this." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Should be fun!" he says as he pulls out a date from his pocket and slowly chews it Keliaya@anncarise FX | A new image appears: https://imgur.com/YYrc1WW Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Sighs:"Possibly more enigmatic..." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Oh wow." Keliaya@anncarise: "We need to correlate this map with our own, and find out where this atmospheric similarity they found is located. Eunha@turtles#8407 Blinks "Why did I agree to this." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Let's begin!" Sulayman grins and makes his way to a console Keliaya@anncarise steps down from the platform to examine the image better, "We're pretty sure those orbitals aren't planetary." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "It reminds me of some weird puzzle I did when I was a child...." he smiles, also nodding to Sulayman:"And looks like there's enthusiasm about it." Sulayman@drcrippler: "My first thought was electron shells. But they are not in the correct position to be so." Keliaya@anncarise: "It reminds me of those lower grade chemistry diagram- exactly!" Sulayman@drcrippler: "Great minds think alike hey!" he grins Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Well, I'm not an expert in astronomy, but indeed they don't look like planetary orbits to me neither....however, we shouldn't exclude they're still correlated to some sort of description of solar + Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: + systems." Sulayman@drcrippler: "But look, the symbols repeat themselves" Keliaya@anncarise smirks, "Let's hope these Tiks have great minds too." Keliaya@anncarise: "They do seem to repeat quite often, with a few exceptions." Keliaya@anncarise: "We think the less, or unrepeated ones likely contain the atmospheric similarity they mentioned." Keliaya@anncarise: "If it was common, it wouldn't have caught their attention." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Are they ships then?" Keliaya@anncarise: "I'm not sure you would plot ships on a map...but I suppose anything's possible." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "But they look too much....regular. Also, I see that sizes vary as well..." Keliaya@anncarise: "They seem to dislike our technology, so they could be markers of danger zones." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Hmm that's what I thought so too." Sulayman@drcrippler: Perhaps then they are locations that are known to us?" Keliaya@anncarise: "Is there anything on our map that could help?" Keliaya@anncarise: ((Relink to preventt scrolling if anyone needs it again! https://imgur.com/tMh1Xrc)) Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Uhm..." he pauses for a moment:"If they are systems, although we don't have any evidence of it, these group reminds me of something on our map...." he indicates the four group of circles just at the+ Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: + upper center of the Tik map:"They are in the same position as.." looks on Starfleet map:"..XH-002, XH-003, XH-005, XH-007, as seen from the opposite..." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Scrolls his head:"Ok, perhaps just an absurd coincidence." Keliaya@anncarise: "Actually...that's not a bad observation." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Let's overlay it and see what happens?" he suggests Keliaya@anncarise: "That could be helpful." Keliaya@anncarise taps on the console... Keliaya@anncarise FX | When overlayed, everything with the three-circle symbol (the Disney-looking ones) align with Starfleet's charted M-class planets in Alpha 7192. Sulayman@drcrippler: "Bingo" Keliaya@anncarise FX | The two right-most ones with the symbol do not align with any planets, but they also appear to have a different orbital. Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Looking at the overlayed symbols:"Interesting..." Keliaya@anncarise: "Good thinking, everyone! It seems we have a point of reference now." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Still, the true meaning of those symbols is beyond our understanding" he murmurs:"If those orbits are not referred to planets, to what they refer to?" he says, more to himself than to the others. Sulayman@drcrippler: "What do the other symbols refer too? Keliaya@anncarise: "There was one theory going around...that the little symbol in the centre is a water molecule." Keliaya@anncarise: "I think that fits pretty well if these are inhabitable worlds..." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "A water molecule? But the symbol is different...it doesn't repeat always itself..." Keliaya@anncarise: "The one in the centre repeats itself on every M-class planet, and two others, but we don't know what these are." Eunha@turtles#8407: "Some of the dots look like crabs." Eunha@turtles#8407 She finally contributes after staring blankly for awhile Keliaya@anncarise: "The ones in the middle of the circles?" Eunha@turtles#8407: "Yes." she nods Sulayman@drcrippler chuckles quietly at Eunha Eunha@turtles#8407: "I'm a counsellor this is all very confusing to me." Keliaya@anncarise chuckles, "These are the ones that are potentially water molecules." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Wait..." he turns on Keliaya:"What do you mean when you say that they repeat themselves in each M-class planet?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "I thought they looked like Mickey Mouse" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Briefly turns on Sulayman, frowning:"Mickey who?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "Mickey...have you not read Earth literature?" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Of course I did....sometimes." he clears his throat briefly Keliaya@anncarise: "The symbols align with the M-class planets our probe has picked up. The XH-systems on our map." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "All four systems have M-class planets?" Keliaya@anncarise: "All eight, as far as our data shows. We've only visited about half of them so far." Keliaya@anncarise: "Our data on this sector is very incomplete, but it still seems to be a good match." Sulayman@drcrippler: "What about the circular symbols with the two parallel lines? Could they be crudely drawn DNA? Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "So, at the end, all those...well, all those crabs, represent M-class planets?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "Life?" Keliaya@anncarise: "They kind of look like a reptillian eye..." Keliaya@anncarise: "The lines also appear to be made of the same dots as those on the circles." Keliaya@anncarise: "And they vary in number." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "There should be some kind of correlation.." Keliaya@anncarise: "It definitely means something..." Sulayman@drcrippler: "What is common in all M class planets? Sulayman@drcrippler: "And has something to do with the number 10; ten dots in each." Eunha@turtles#8407: "Oxygen." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "I would change that question in: what is common...from Tik perspective?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "Hmm, maybe I should rephrase that. What is common in M class planets, but not all?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "Since not all have the same symbols. And yes, what the Captain said too." Keliaya@anncarise: "Suitable for most life, so water and same atmospheric composition..." Keliaya@anncarise: "We know the Tiks are aquatic, and their bioships seek water." Keliaya@anncarise nods at Eunha, "Oxygen and nitrogen. M-class are all nitrogen-oxygen atmospheres." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Perhaps then those circles indicate something about the planets?" Eunha@turtles#8407: "Crabs live in water." she points out "I'm really straining my brain here." Keliaya@anncarise: "If the symbol inside is water, the circles must be something else..." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "I don't know..." turns on Eunha:"Did the Tik look like crabs?" Keliaya@anncarise: "We've never seen them. Unless they thought like crabs?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "What do crabs think like?" Eunha@turtles#8407: "No clue, can't sense them." Keliaya@anncarise: "There goes that lead then!" she chuckles. Keliaya@anncarise: "So...these circles..." Keliaya@anncarise magnifies one of them. The centre does indeed look somewhat like an H20 molecule. There are 7 dots on the outer ring, and 8 on the inner. Sulayman@drcrippler: Wait Sulayman@drcrippler: "That does look like an electron." Sulayman@drcrippler: 2,8,8,7 Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Scratches his head:"We've to penetrate the minds of people we don't know, trying to understand a culture radically different from our own...well, at least, this is true Starfleet job." he siles. Keliaya@anncarise: "2, 8, 8, 7 isn't a known electron configuration, is it?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "No it isn't. The closest is Calcium which is 2,8,8,2" Keliaya@anncarise: "I think you could be on to something...but it's definitely not as simple as just drawing an atom." Keliaya@anncarise: "Something more symbolic, perhaps?" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Also, we should still explain how an atom could represent a whole system..." Keliaya@anncarise: "Maybe it's just the M-class planet it represents." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Perhaps that's the element that the Tiks are interested in?" Keliaya@anncarise: "Or that." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Sighs:"Ok, ok. Let's collect back our thoughts: I'm sure of one thing, those strange crab-like signs are M-class planets, they correspond to out data. Still, there're two of them, the smallest one + Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: + flanking those other signs with the two lines, that we don't have on our maps, right?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "That seems right." Keliaya@anncarise: "And if the sign with the two lines at the top is where I think it is..." Keliaya@anncarise: "It could be the system where we met the Tiks." Keliaya@anncarise: "Which had a planet with ice, so water but no M-class atmosphere." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Uhm...what do we know about XH-008?" Keliaya@anncarise: "We haven't been there yet. Sulayman@drcrippler: "It looks like the Tiks know of two places we don't; the ones with the double lines." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Uhm...but they have been there." he points to the low part of the Tik map:"And they've marked two symbols with the lines..." Sulayman@drcrippler: "With the exception of XH-OO6, which has two" Keliaya@anncarise: "Maybe they're other planets, or stellar anomalies?" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Exactly. The point is: to understand what those lines mean, we should know what is at XH-006." Sulayman@drcrippler: "If the Micky Mouse ones are M class planets, then those symbols may suggest soemthing else...the two lines..." Keliaya@anncarise: "That's quite the distance from our search area, but they may be worth checking out." Sulayman@drcrippler: "I bet if we can decipher what the dots are, they can aid us?" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Nods to Sulayman:"That's the idea. They could point us to look at the right spots. Indeed, after we know what they represent, we also know what to look at when searching for the two other marks." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Maybe if we look at each ring individally rather than a whole?" Keliaya@anncarise: "Like...as a different layer of information?" Keliaya@anncarise: "So...seven dots on a circle...eight dots on a circle." Keliaya@anncarise: "I am so tempted to say they're orbitals right now..." Sulayman@drcrippler: "That's what I thought. But if they're not astronomical, perhaps they are subatomic?" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Subatomic orbitals?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "It's often amazed me how subatomic particles mirror the grander scale of space." Keliaya@anncarise: "...protons?" Sulayman@drcrippler: "I was thinking one further...quarks?" Keliaya@anncarise: "Protons make sense as well...that's how most species identify elements." Sulayman@drcrippler: "That could be. But wouldn't it make sense to go down to the fundementals?" Keliaya@anncarise nods, "But it would also be more complicated" Sulayman@drcrippler: That is clever :) Sulayman@drcrippler: I got it :D Sulayman@drcrippler: "Guys...I cracked it!" Keliaya@anncarise turns to Sulayman. Sulayman@drcrippler he bounds up, his usual "I did it" excitement appearing Keliaya@anncarise 's gaze trails Sulayman curiously. Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Turns on Sulayman, surprised by his sudden explosion of enthusiasm:"You did what?" To Sulayman@drcrippler: Let's see what you've got! Sulayman@drcrippler he bounds over to the map and points at the rings. "So we first thought that these were electrons. But there was no corresponding element labled 2,8,8,7. But when Kelly said protons, I realised + Sulayman@drcrippler: "each layer is a proton number! 2 is He, 8 is O and 7 is N." Keliaya@anncarise: "Of course! Nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere!" Sulayman@drcrippler: Please say I'm right! Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "So that each dot number represents a distinct element...." To Sulayman@drcrippler: Mhmm! Keliaya@anncarise: "Each circle does." Sulayman@drcrippler: Yes! That would have been slightly embarasssing if it wasn't! Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "And the lines...." To Sulayman@drcrippler: Yeah! Good job! Keliaya@anncarise: "We're...not quite sure aboutt that yet..." Sulayman@drcrippler: "We know that the 16 dots = Sulfur" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Sulphur?" Keliaya@anncarise: "And ten is neon..." Sulayman@drcrippler nods. "So that whatever the two lines are are to do with a sulfur compound." Sulayman@drcrippler: "The ones with 6 and 8 is probably Carbon Monoxide." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "At the end, what we need to do is look for "our" atmosphere, then..." Sulayman@drcrippler turns back to his console Keliaya@anncarise: "And no water. They specified whatever they found had our atmosphere but not enough water." Keliaya@anncarise: "So something nitrogen-oxygen, but without the water symbol." Sulayman@drcrippler he starts to add the relevent elements onto the diagram Sulayman@drcrippler: "There it is," Sulayman zooms in on the centre planet in the bottom square Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "Here!" he says, just after Sulayman:"Well, after you, Commander..." he clears his throat. Keliaya@anncarise: "I guess so." Sulayman@drcrippler: "XH-010" Keliaya@anncarise: "It's quite far, but if that's where the lead is..." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "And it's the best we have so far." Sulayman@drcrippler: "That's where our roads take us." Keliaya@anncarise nods, "Thank you all so much for your help. We were quite stumped with deciphering this." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "So our next destination.." he looks at the map, thoughtfully:"I'm afraid I didn't much to help but...at least, I'll order Keelah to move the Valley there. I'll follow with the Attar and the Lexington Sulayman@drcrippler: "Well, I can't take all the credit." Eunha@turtles#8407: "It was obviously me pointing out it looked like a crab." Keliaya@anncarise chuckles. Keliaya@anncarise: "Hey, you suggested oxygen before it came to me." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Grins at Eunha's joke, he feels almost excited at the possibility to really have a good lead; it is relaxing him:"Well, crabs are useful..." Eunha@turtles#8407: "Without me this project would have failed." Sulayman@drcrippler: "I disagree...I fail to see how that helped?" Sulayman looks quizzically Keliaya@anncarise smirks, "Everybody needs a conselor's support." Sulayman@drcrippler: "I don't!" he looks proud and eats another date Keliaya@anncarise: "He's aaaall yours, Eunha." Eunha@turtles#8407 Blinks "Maybe I could give him some lesson in sarcasm." Keliaya@anncarise: "I should report our findings to Captain Keelah." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Wait what?" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "You know, Commander. It's exaclty when someone says he doesn't need a counsellor, that he need it most...I'm sure the counsellor could confirm." he smiles again. Eunha@turtles#8407: "Confirmed." Keliaya@anncarise nods at Timo's statement, "Me too." Sulayman@drcrippler: "What? I don't! My eval was clear! I passed!" Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: "That said...well done, Commander. And to all of you. We're a step closer to rescue our friends." Eunha@turtles#8407: "Sometimes evals aren't enough." she laughs Keliaya@anncarise: "Definitely. That was a great catch there." Sulayman@drcrippler: "Wait...there's more than just evals?" Keliaya@anncarise: "Well...feel free to study the map further. It could have something to add to our knowledge of the region." Keliaya@anncarise goes to report their success to an offscreen Keelah./ Eunha@turtles#8407: "Yes. Some people come for furtherappointment and sessions." Sulayman@drcrippler: "What? People actually visit councellor's voluntarily?" Eunha@turtles#8407: "Yes they do." Andrej Timoreev@chrisdubois: Nods:"More often than you could imagine, actually." he smiles to Sulayman. Sulayman@drcrippler: "Why?" Eunha@turtles#8407: "Because they need help." Sulayman@drcrippler it then dawns upon him that he had asked Eunha if she was free once and he blushes. "Oh..."

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SUBMITTED: Stardate 93917.7 FILED BY: LCDR Keliaya SECURITY: Level 2 - Confidential

LOCATION: Alpha-7192 Sector

MISSION: Deciphering Tik map

OUTCOME: Method of understanding the Tik map was determined, though some contents of it remain in question. The location of the atmospheric similarity relative to our map has been determined, and the search and rescue efforts can now proceed.

KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Timoreev LCDR al Firawn LCDR Eunbi LCDR Keliaya

NARRATIVE: Following our acquisition of information from the Tiks, the crew of the Valley Forge attempted to decode the data retrieved. Our efforts managed to get as far as plotting the radio signal into a coherent map by the time Squadron leader Captain Timoreev came to assist our progress.

When we began analysis, Commander al Firawn instantly saw a similarity between the imagery on the map and electron orbital diagrams, an observation I had made as well when I first examined it. However, any closer look would reveal that the number of dots in the circles do not fit electron configurations. We concluded that they were not planetary orbits either, as it makes no sense to have several bodies along one orbit, and to have the same pattern repeated many times.

Captain Timoreev noticed that some of the clusters of symbols resembled the positioning of systems of interest on our own map. Re-positioning and overlaying the Tik map on top of our own revealed that all symbols with two circles and three conjoined rings in the centre matched systems with M-Class planets. I shared the theory that the science crew had about the three conjoined rings being a water molecule, and we were fairly confident we had found the symbol for an inhabitable planet.

We still had no idea what the rings were for and spent quite some time discussing the matter. We came to the conclusion that it could not represent electrons and proposed that perhaps it was something even smaller, such as protons or quarks. Lieutenant al Firawn came to the realization that the outer ring of the M-Class symbol had seven dots, and the inner eight, representing the number of protons (atomic number) of nitrogen and oxygen, the two primary components of an M-Class world's atmosphere.

From knowing the meaning of the rings, we were able to figure out what some of the other symbols represented. We were also able to locate the position of this atmospheric similarity by finding a symbol that depicted the same atmospheric composition but no water source, and only one such symbol was on the map, located below XH-004.

RECOMMENDATION: The location of the atmospheric similarity is a bit far from our designated search area based on the survivor recovered on XH-003. However, the possibility of surviving pods being spread all across space is present. All participants of the analysis today agreed that this is the best lead we have so far. With XH-004's vicinity as our next destination, I recommend deploying a vessel to continue monitoring the area around XH-003 while we investigate this lead.

Also, some of the map still remain a mystery. The meaning of one of the symbols is unclear to us, as are the numerous dots scattered around which are unaffiliated with any rings. These were called 'outlier dots' by the communications team that translated the signals and are depicted with a different colour. Further study of the map could reveal information useful to Starfleet's exploration of the sector.

//SIGNED//

Lieutenant Commander Keliaya

Chief Engineer, U.S.S. Valley Forge