Chevrons Locked

Posted on Thu Aug 28th, 2025 @ 4:14pm by The Commander & Commander Alex Flynn & Lieutenant Commander Intharia T'Zor & Lieutenant Commander S'Lace & Lieutenant Rune Thul & SubCommander Saa & Lieutenant Commander Raul Saez & Master Chief Petty Officer Gaz

1,525 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave [3-4]
Location: USS Excalibur Shuttlebay, Dreizhen System
Timeline: Morning - MD08

The entire senior staff had been ushered aboard the Excalibur when the final confirmations came through for the test. They were going to dial the Stargate at the Daystrom Lab on Mars to the Dreizhen system. The majority of projections were positive. Everyone was gathered in the shuttlebay, where the bay doors were open, but a forcefield kept the atmosphere trapped. A holographic screen displayed the magnified view of the nearby Stargate, still in interplanetary space.

“Today we will demonstrate the function of the Stargate. While I understand objections have been raised on the grounds of safety and potential cataclysm through subspace instability, I would remind those who doubt our projections that the Stargate has already functioned correctly both in receiving a dial-in from E-5, as well as channelling that signal through a supergate, and dialing back to E-5 once again.” Tyr explained to those assembled in the Excalibur’s observation deck.

“That aside, there are several examples of instant subspace transmission on Federation record, artificial wormholes are not beyond the realms of possibility.” Tyr countered. He wasn’t looking at him, but Doctor Enu’Tha considered that to be a personal response to him.

Holorecorders and every other sensor focused intently on the Stargate, which floated 5km away from the Excalibur’s shuttlebay door that it had been flung from by a worker bee. It had been caught by a tractor beam and held in place.

“Normally the dialling device must be closer, but fortunately your subspace communications can be used to trigger the dialing system if required and increase the range of a dialing device.” Tyr explained.

“Furthering the risk of subspace rupture between power source and gate. My simulations prove this.” Doctor Enu’Tha, the consulting scientist aboard the Challenger had joined them at Flynn’s request. He was not a fan of using the gate.

“I would also note that our mutual friend the Commander has reviewed my reports, and concurs with them.” Tyr said with a nod towards the holographic projection that was standing in the shuttlebay.

“Dial-in from Mars scheduled in T-minus two minutes.” Tyr announced.

“Oh god. Here we go.” Enu’Tha said, his antennae twisting with frustration.

Beside him, Saa was finding herself quietly spooked by the Andorian's continued doomsaying. It was true, the Challenger's simulations had identified a potential for interaction between the 'stargate' device's dimensional aperture and the subspace carrier waves used in their communications. But after a week of preparation, Saa was satisfied by the mitigation procedures they'd put in place. She wondered why the admittedly genius Andorian was still on that hill. Was it really just the standard ego bruising that always followed in Atna's wake?

Rune watched with a new curiosity at this Stargate, he'd heard about it from his friend Akaar.

Intharia wasn't sure if she was more nervous about the Stargate going wrong, or seeing Atna again. She hadn't received a response to any of her messages.

Gaz wasn't too keen on this whole idea, he tended to skew more towards the side of Enu'Tha, that the risk of accidentally blowing up space itself probably wasn't worth it. But, this was for eggier heads than his to figure out, and it was happening, so he might as well have a front row seat.

Raul tried to keep his face professional, but he felt a child-like excitement to see and witness this device. He knew his assignment to the Chief role might only be temporary, but the giddy thrill of strange beings and multiversal technology was something that would stay with him.

The countdown got to one minute, thirty seconds, 20, ten, three, two, one.

Sensors indicated a sudden upsurge of verterons and other particles. The gate filled with the plasmic liquid of the wormhole’s event horizon after an initial geyser. Through it slipped something oblate, a Starfleet probe. It floated out into the void with the momentum it brought with it through the gate.

“Beaming in the probe.” The Commander announced, and the probe was beamed in front of them. Everyone who had a tricorder proceeded immediately towards it, scanning every surface, looking for even the most minor atomic imperfection.

A few minutes later, they all concurred. The transition was perfect. No isotopal leakage. No cellular irregularities. Flawless wormhole travel, from Sol to Dreizhen in less than 30 seconds.

The face of the leading officer on Mars appeared in a communique, it was Commander Atna.

“Atna to DS13. Please report probe status.” She asked, businesslike.

“Probe is looking rather perfect, Commander. All samples show green and thriving. Not an atom out of place.” The Commander told her.

“Good. Please begin reciprocal dialing.” Atna said, and her link ended. As the signal dissipated, so the stargate’s connection closed, and the liquid wormhole disappeared back into the edges of the gate with a sudden gurgle.

“Commander Flynn, would you like to do the honour?” Tyr asked the woman who presently commanded the station. He gestured to the large circular grey device covered in glyphs, with a large red sphere in its centre. Known to the Tau'ri as the DHD, or 'dial-home-device'. He had the sequence of glyphs on a pad in his other hand.

S'Lace watched the demonstration with interest. She wondered if anyone had pondered the political implications of this technology. The Iconians had ruled the galaxy some two hundred thousand years ago due in large part to their gateway technology, they had been destroyed by envious rival powers. What would happen once intelligence of these experiments 'leaked'? Would Federation allies become enemies? Would old enemies unite in an attempt to gain this technology?

But was truly gave her pause was the possibility of how damaging this technology might be to the Federation in another way. If hypothetically, someone contracted an illness on another world and used this gateway technology to inadvertently spread it, a pandemic could spread with improbable speed across the Federation. She frowned; perhaps she needed to write a report about her concerns...

"Me? Sure. What do I, uh.. do?" Alex asked, looking at the large dialing device in the center of the deck.

"Simply place your palm in the center to begin, on the red sphere." Tyr said, and Alex did so.

There was a sudden glow from the sphere Alex touched, and the device began to glow from within. The glyphs on the surface of the button seemed to shrink down into the surface until they were gone, and new, different glyphs took their place.

"Was it meant to do that?" Alex asked, concerned she might have broken it.

"The dialing device has recalibrated. The glyphs are based on constellations as seen from the central star." Tyr said, tapping at his padd, and turning it around to show Alex. "Please input the symbols in this order."

Alex did so, and after some hesitation and confusion about what she was looking at, she eventually input all seven.

"Now press in the central sphere. This will dial the gate." Tyr explained.

Alex did it, and on the magnification of the gate out in space, she saw it activate. "Groovy." She said as it settled into a puddle.

"Wormhole established, Excalibur. Send through your probe when ready." Atna instructed, her voice channelled instantly between quadrants by the gate.

"Commander to the bridge, please launch the probe." The Commander instructed, though he probably could have done it himself, his presence in the shuttlebay was only a holographic conceit. He was quietly impressed by the technological industry of this latest universe, and the fact that it all worked properly.

Another probe launched from the rear of the Excalibur, and slid through the exact centre of the wormhole once it crossed the distance.

There was silence on the other end for a few minutes. Only the rippling light of the gate's event horizon showed that they were still connected. "Probe received. Scans confirm that it has arrived unchanged. I estimate that this test has been a success. We will make another attempt and coordinate further in six hours. Mars out." Atna said decisively, and the channel closed before anyone could respond. With that, the gate closed.

"It may still be fresh to me, but I don't think I'll ever tire of Vulcan enthusiasm." The Commander said with a tone that made it difficult to tell if it was a sarcastic or genuine remark.

"I hope you're not waiting for me to raise an eyebrow," replied Saa as she scanned for Enu'tha.

Rune smiled, though he felt an odd feeling. "What now?"

"We should be getting back." Alex said. "Anyone who wants to come back for the next show, feel free. But everyone remember, this is all classified for now, even if everyone alive managed to see the supergate do its thing. As far as they're aware, it disappeared. I'm sure our friends and our not-friends are very interested in what we're doing out here, so keep the old axiom in mind; loose lips sink ships."

S'Lace decided she did not have enough time to watch the next 'show'...but she would have enough time to research the Iconians and write that paper...

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