A.I. #12A00
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ASSIGNMENT: AREA OBSERVATION
Area: Command and Control - Long Range Sensors
Date Assigned: 1/1/2250
Monitoring Period: INDEFINITE.
Transcript ref number:003MIL-0000HFG-000034.1
Date: 11/03/2358 Time: 06:32
VISUAL SCAN - Corporal Maria Rivera trades typing between a computer console and the control console for the aft sensor array. She is obviously confused by what she is looking at. After a few seconds duty officer Lieutenant Huang Wei Wu and Ensign Lyle Anderson join the young woman at the console.
ENSIGN ANDERSON
Show the Lieutenant what you showed me Corporal.
Corporal Rivera
Yes, Sir.
Corporal Rivera brings up a star map on the large computer screen in front
of her. A simulated picture of the aft end of Genesis is displayed on the
left side of the screen. A red blip is displayed on the right side of the screen. The Corporal points at the screen.
CORPORAL RIVERA
This is from three days ago. Notice this object.
The Corporal points to a cross mark on the sensor display.
LIEUTENANT
Yeah. A piece of cosmic debris. So?
CORPORAL RIVERA
That's what I thought. If you follow it's trajectory
it could be a comet fragment or mass of stellar
dust that Genesis picked up in it's gravity well.
The Corporal punches a few keys.
CORPORAL RIVERA
This is todays scan.
LIEUTENANT
It's gone!?
CORPORAL RIVERA
It should be on our aft sensors for another week.
LIEUTENANT
Did you check the equipment.
CORPORAL RIVERA
Ten times. I've crossed verified with scans off of
the aft outrider satellites. It was there and now it's not.
LIEUTENANT
That's impossible. Are you sure it didn't collide with
something? Maybe one of the fighter pilots used it
for target practise.
CORPORAL RIVERA
I checked all those possibilities, Sir. It's just gone.
ENSIGN ANDERSON
Tell him the rest.
CORPORAL RIVERA
I couldn't get a spectral analysis on it. It's like it was
masked.
LIEUTENANT
How big was this thing?
CORPORAL RIVERA
About three meters long by one and a half wide. It
was cylindrical.
LIEUTENANT
It's too small to be a fighter.
ENSIGN ANDERSON
Any kind of fighter we know about.
LIEUTENANT
What's that supposed to mean Ensign?
ENSIGN ANDERSON
What if it were an alien craft?
The Lieutenant shoots the Ensign a disgusted look.
LIEUTENANT
You aught to stay away from the netloids, Ensign.
I want this kept under wraps. You are to tell no one
about this, both of you. Is that understood?
ENSIGN & CORPORAL
Yes sir.
LIEUTENANT
I want you to concentrate on the aft scans Corporal.
If another object shows up figure out a way to get
a lock on it. I also want you to go back through the
logs and see if there are any other of these...
anomalies.
CORPORAL
Yes, Sir.
The Lieutenant gives the screen a look one more time, shakes his head
and leaves.
Date: 11/04/2358 Time: 10:32
VISUAL SCAN - Corporal Maria Rivera stands at parade rest in front of Ms. Cannon and duty officer Lieutenant Huang Wei Wu.
MS. CANNON
Your absolutely positive this isn't some kind
of stray electronic anomaly Corporal?
Corporal Rivera
Yes, Mam. I've gone over these systems ten
times since yesterday. There is just no way
they could be wrong.
LIEUTENANT
How about the old logs? Was there anything in
them that mirrors your findings?
Corporal Rivera
I've only been able to go back a month, Sir. I haven't
found anything yet.
MS. CANNON
How about a hacker? Could someone be playing
a prank.
Corporal Rivera
No Mam. These systems are isolated from the net
and I've check for any bogus hard links.
Ms. Cannon rolls this over in her mind. The two navy personnel study
her as she thinks.
MS. CANNON
What's your gut feeling Lieutenant? What do you
think's going on?
The Lieutenant is hesitant. He turns to the Corporal.
LIEUTENANT
You're dismissed Corporal you can go back to
your post.
Corporal Rivera
Yes Sir!
Corporal Rivera salutes her superior and marches off to her station.
LIEUTENANT
Gut feeling Ms. Cannon? I've been through these
systems myself. They've been debugged for over
two hundred years now. In the last fifty no one's
reported anything like this. If there have been
anomalies they've always been explained after
going through the logs or by double checking
other systems or cooberating evidence with the pilots.
MS. CANNON
So your telling me you believe the scans.
The Lieutenant stares intently at Ms. Cannon.
LIEUTENANT
I'm telling you I think something landed on Genesis.
Ms. Cannon's normal poker face is broken by surprise.
MS. CANNON
Why didn't you report this to the Admiral?
LIEUTENANT
I owed Mr. Stryker a favor. He's asked me to
report this kind of... activity to him first.
Ms. Cannon mulls this over for a second.
MS. CANNON
Report it. I want the Admiral to do a search
of the surface. Suggest it to him.
LIEUTENANT
He'll probably laugh me out of the room.
MS. CANNON
Tell him it would be a good exercise for the
Marines.
The Lieutenant brightens at that idea.
LIEUTENANT
Hey, that's a good idea. He might go for
that.
MS. CANNON
If you register any more of these anomalies
call me on my locater immediately.
LIEUTENANT
Yes, Mam.
Ms. Cannon spins on a heel and disappears from the control room.
The Lieutenant watches her go with an appreciative look. Here is a
woman with brains and looks, someone to be careful around.
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