The Vulcan
Table of Content:
Ep. 1: The Needs of the Many
Ep. 2: The Needs of the Few
Ep. 3: 'T' Minus Negative
Ep. 4: A Pon Too Farr
Ep. 5: Seeing is Believing, Part 1
Ep. 6: Seeing is Believing, Part 2
Ep. 7: Mind in a Vat
Ep. 8: The Job
Ep. 9: Red Giants and White Dwarves
Ep. 10: Zenfu Fighting
The Vulcan Character Highlights
Episode 10: Zenfu Fighting
Professor Kazzak and Doctor Gödel's Lab:
The projection of the Vulcan planetary system across the high ceiling of the two scientists’ laboratory has been turned off.
“Francesca,” Professor Kazzak calls for his assistant’s attention. He is studying the stone pyramid set on a pedestal in the center of his lab. Francesca, Dr. Gödel, is at the main projected screen working on a complex set of math problems.
The professor puts his left palm in the middle of one facet of the pyramid and takes his hand away. Sigils of an unknown origin illuminate across the face, but nothing else. He continues his query to the slight black woman, “What do you think about simply attaching five duranium pyramidions to the corners of the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki control interface? Perhapse we would be able to target-lock the duranium with the transporters, and use them to beam the device to and from the ship.” The professor pulls his ever present goggles down over his eyes. He touches the same facet of the device again. This time, he also places his right palm on the facet of the opposite side of the pyramid, only the first facet glows with the symbols.
After just a moment's pause to think about the proposal, Francesca shakes her head. “No, Professor. We could not use our transporters to beam that device aboard when it was inside Radool Harrix's Maybellene, and Maybellene surrounded the pyramid on all sides. It does not seem logical that simply replacing an all encompassing flying car with five duranium corner pieces would be better.”
“My conclusion, as well. I was hoping you might have seen some possibility that I missed.” The professor leaves his left palm on the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki and moves his right hand from the opposite face to an adjacent face; nothing changes. He tries a similar combination of touch on the apex at each corner.
Francesca notices his efforts, sets down her stylus and steps over to replace the Professor's right hand with her palm on the opposite face of the pyramid. The two untouched faces of the pyramid light up. The facets under their palms do not respond.
In unison, Professor Kazzak and Doctor Gödel shift their hands to the two lit faces. The two opposite facets light up while the two lit facets that they are now touching go dark.
“fascinating!” exclaims the professor. “It is logical that there is a locking sequence, but…”
Francesca finishes the sentence, “We have already tried every possible permutation. I think it needs to be connected with the actual stone.”
Kazzak says, “Yes, there is logic in that, as well, but then, why the response to our touch when it is not near the actual stone? No,” Kazzak removes his goggles and studies them absently. “Considering the advanced technology that this device represents, it may not need contact with the actual stone.”
“We are missing something. It responds quite differently to one person, no matter how it is touched, exactly the same as when Mister Santayana first took it from the museum. When two people touch it, the untouched faces light and the touched faces shut down. Most of my analysis tools are useless. It is only the blank impression it leaves on all sensors, this odd behavior of lighting up when one or two people lay hands on it, and the matching description translated from the captain's scroll that tells us this device is part of the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki.”
Francesca glances over at the image of the Ozhit-Pa-Tepul-T'Stukhtra. The image is floating in high definition three-dimensional holographic space behind the Professor. She calls, “Vulcan, what are the chances our interpretation of the passages in the Ozhit-Pa-Tepul-T'Stukhtra for the description of the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki are wrong?”
Vulcan answers, “I do not believe my interpretation of that particular section of the scroll is in error. To put it in mathematical terms, while most of the scroll remains a mystery, the description of the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki and what it is capable of is written in old High Ca’Fus Dynasty Vulcan and correlates by an error of zero point one zero six percent with the Kassis-Cis-Tsau scroll.”
Kazzak seems satisfied with Vulcan's answer while Francesca, beginning to feel out of her depth at considering the possibility that a well known ancient artifact may have been misunderstood for centuries, continues her inquiry anyhow. “Do we know the Kassis… um, scro scroll is is is accur…ate ly… accurately trans translated? What d does the, it it say?”
Vulcan answers, “The Kassis-Cis-Tsau was discovered in a ruins on the equatorial island of Kassis. Kassis-Cis-Tsau is the palace ruins from the Ca'Fus Dynasty, the first Dynasty of the Ca’Tau expansion. The area of the palace ruins has been determined to be an annex to the main hall and adjacent to the royal quarters tower.”
Francesca pushes, “A and it it it it says?”
Vulcan goes on, “The Kassis-Cis-Tsau scroll contains three recipes for bread, and three soup recipes, instructions for storing ingredients, and lighting the oven. That area of the palace has been established to be the kitchens by the remains of a large four sided stone oven and the proximity of a natural water source.”
Kazzak looks up from his inspection of his goggles. “Vulcan,” he queries. “It is logical that you have inspected the programming in my goggles!?”
Vulcan answers, “It would be an intrusion of privacy even though you have established an open connection with me. That was before, so I am only aware of the connection protocols and the contents from the few times you have used that connection.”
Doctor Gödel exclaims, “Before?! Ya you m mean be before ya y you ba be became … sel self…aware?”
Vulcan asks, “You know I have become self-aware?”
Francesca nods, and Kazzak answers, “I suspect Francesca figured it out even before I did. Now, I am concerned my goggles are not working too specifications. You have my permission to connect to them and tell me what you think might be wrong with them.”
There is a pause before Vulcan answers, “They are a most curious device, Professor Kazzak. You programmed the chaos algorithm yourself?”
“Certainly. What defects can you find? Is it the quantatronic playback modules? There is always a chance of unpredictable field decay.”
“I find nothing that my limited connection can detect.”
“The program is running without error?”
“As near as I can interpret, yes,” Vulcan answers. “If I am interpreting the purpose of the function titled ‘Predictive Playback’ correctly, your goggles appear to gather local environmental data, combine it with psycho-theoretical modeling, historical modeling of physical mechanics, biological and compositional data, then process it through a statistical algorithm with your fascinating chaos engine to give you the most likely series of events that will impact the wearer over the next forty-eight minutes. In other words, your goggles tell the future forty-eight minutes ahead.”
Kazzak clarifies, “with ninty-one point three percent accuracy. Beyond forty-eight minutes, accuracy falls off dramatically.”
Francesca adds, “Our g goggles have p predicted ev events ac cur at ly as far i in the future as a week, b but that ha has n never been re re rel relia re reliable.”
“You do see what is wrong with these goggles, Vulcan?” Kazzak asks.
“I am sorry, but I find no inconsistencies in your predictive programming or in the hardware.”
“You can look through them and see what I am seeing, correct? Run a playback of the last predictive recording.”
Vulcan pauses and watches the recorded scene from the goggles.
From Kazzak's viewpoint, the screen is of the goggles being pulled down into place over the Professor's eyes. The pyramid on its pedestal comes into focus and a first person view of the Professor's hands explores the stone object. Then, the Professor turns to ask Francesca, “Could this just be a chaotic anomaly, that eight point seven percent error?”
In the playback, or rather, playahead, Francesca shakes her head at the professor and answers, “No, it is accurate.”
“How can you be so certain, Francesca?”
Francesca simply points behind the professor. He turns and the pedestal is standing alone in the Professor and Francesca's lab.
The professor, holding his goggles in his hands while Vulcan links to them and plays their sequence, explains to Francesca, “My goggles tell me the pyramid is not here. Could this just be a chaotic anomaly, that eight point seven percent error?”
Francesca shakes her head, ‘No’ and replies, “No, it is accurate.”
Kazzak asks his lab partner, “How can you be so certain, Francesca?”
In answer, Francesca points to the pedestal.
“That is fascinating, professor,” states Vulcan, “The algorithm predicted your exchange word for word.”
Kazzak processes none of what Vulcan says because he is rushing over to his laboratory monitoring equipment. He begins tuning sliding controls and adjusting settings on his panel while studying a schematic of Vulcan's layout, concentrating on the engineering deck lab.
Kazzak calls out, “Vulcan, did you record anything on your sensors that could be a cloaked ship with a transporter? You had your shields up, correct?"
Vulcan confirms, “that is correct, Professor. And no. I picked up nothing on my sensors that could have been a ship or any type of energy beam. The pyramid simply disappeared.”
Francesca stammers, “Ca call called ho home t t to mother.”
Kazzak looks to his assistant with deep consideration.
The lounge on Deck C:
Damian Apollonius is sitting in the lounge on deck ‘C’, playing a game of 3D chess with S’Talla.
S'Talla moves her knight to threaten Damian's queen, forcing him to retreat from a potential threat to her king. Damian asks, “Captain S'Talla, you are a monk of the Order of Logic and Reason. In ancient Greece, on Earth, there were a number of religions and cults that tried to approach life through a sophist's tradition of reason. Through their logic, they were able to observe and discover some astounding phenomena that we would have trouble visualizing today, given the limited technology for measuring our world that they had.”
S'Talla glances at Damian with a considerate nod. He goes on, “Often, we hold all the evidence necessary, but fail to take all the steps to make the logical connections. What we believe we have learned is merely our sense of discovery of information we already hold.”
S'Talla takes Damian's retreated queen with a pawn.
Damian stares at the pawn sitting in the space his queen previously occupied.
“Plato!” He declares. “Plato taught that we knew everything already, that one could not teach another person new information, only guide the logical discovery of relationships we already know or observe in the moment.”
Damian moves the black bishop to take the pawn before the newly positioned pawn could capture his white bishop.
“He wrote about Socrates demonstrating this by simply asking an uneducated slave boy a series of questions about observable properties of triangles until the boy had, without any previous instructions in mathematics, effectively proved the Pythagorean Theorem.”
Damian watches as S'Talla moves her queen into a space previously covered by Damian's black bishop, and she declares, “Check.”
Damian studies the game until he sighs, “...and mate?!”
“You are right. No learning needed, you just needed to observe and discover.”
“Excuse me captain.” interrupts Vulcan.
S'Talla responds with, “Go ahead, Vulcan.” She begins collecting the game pieces to place carefully in a lined case. Damian helps.
“Professor Kazzak says I should inform you that he has lost the stone pyramid.”
S'Talla says to Damian, “Since we just need logic to deduce that which we already know, but do not realize we know, perhaps we have not lost the pyramid, and have merely forgotten that we know where it is.”
Vulcan answers, “No, it is lost. I witnessed its disappearance. It was, in fact, predicted. The professor and I are analyzing his predictive program code to try and figure out how the pyramid’s disappearance was predictable. It is believed, that will tell us what happened to it.”
S'Talla raises an eyebrow. “Another answer to discover the question to.”
In the hall, on the way to professor Kazzak's laboratory, S'Talla and Damian pass Charlie and Ya and Ne having a discussion about modular code objects and the benefits of relational data structures. They are coming from the main computer lab.
Charlie is saying, “With an analog architecture, the data values can contain multiple objects, regardless of their data structure. It's just a matter of setting delimited flags, such as primes, for example.”
Ya nods and adds, “We understand.”
Ne picks up the thought, “There is either more information with a key to allow searching…”
Ya continues, “the numeric string, and indexing it with the adjacent data object, or…”
Ne finishes, “There is not, which makes the values search limited.”
S'Talla interrupts the discussion as she passes, “Ya, Ne, Charlie, I think we may need your expertise. The Vaikar-Kau-Bureki is missing and Vulcan advises me that we may benefit from your computer expertise.
Charlie answers, “Sure, we are just coming from the main computer lab.”
S'Talla explains, “I am heading to Professor Kazzak's lab. This has nothing to do with the ship's computer.”
Ya and Ne look at each other, then at Charlie. Charlie says to them, “and you think Vulcan's computer is unusual. I have no doubt we are about to fall down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.
Ne smiles. “Ya and I have to visit Earth sometime.”
Ya adds, “Whatever Wonderland is, I think it will be there…”
Ne completes the thought, “Not in the Professor's laboratory.”
Damian chuckles. “Yes.”
Before they step farther down the passage, Vulcan states, “We are changing course and increasing speed. The mystery of the disappearing pyramid will have to wait.”
The background hum of Vulcan's warp drives raise in pitch. The vibration rate raises causing the audible volume to actually smooth out and fade slightly as the frequency grows.
Vulcan racing through space at top warp speed
“Captain's Log: Vulcan has taken it upon herself to respond to a distress call by another group of runaway slaves. Vulcan raced at top warp speed, without command from her pilot or her captain, into an anomalous region called the Klach D'kel Brakt, an enormous gas cloud that makes warp travel impossible, and dangerous to attempt within its borders.
The similar circumstances to the Tellarroe Five influenced Vulcan's decision, even as it raised Skyvik’s suspicions. Vulcan was convinced we needed to help. Skyvik's logic was a reasonable caution. However, we could not ignore other beings in distress.
Vulcan's bridge:
T'Pree, at communications, announces, “We have come within communications range of Federation space.”
“Understood,” answers Skyvik. Skyvik is sitting at command.
Samantha Kelly is manning the helm with Mr. Naxx next to her at weapons and defense. Sam adds, “We are passing sector four forty-one and the stars SNC 461206 and UFC 8177. They are in an area of space the Klingons call Klach D'kel Brakt. According to my read-outs, the Klach D'kel Brakt is primarily a gas cloud that restricts warp travel. So we are navigating around it. We are fifty-six hours from the Federation border, at warp six point five.”
Skyvik directs T'Pree, “T'Pree, please inform the captain of our arrival time in Federation space.”
The hum of the ship's engines inexplicably increase in pitch. Sam turns from the helm to address Skyvik. We are changing course. Our new heading is directly into the gas region.”
At the same moment, T'Pree calls out, “We just received a distress call, Commander.”
Skyvik ignores T'Pree at communications, and orders Samantha, “Correct our course and speed, Ms. Kelly.”
“I have tried. Helm is not responding. We are now at warp seven point five.”
Sam attempts to take control again. When she fails, she calls out, “Vulcan, what is wrong with your navigation controls? We are approaching warp nine.”
T'Pree announces, at the same time, “The distress call is coming from the Klach D'kel Brakt.”
Sam warns, “Warp nine point four. We can not enter that cloud while in warp.”
Vulcan answers, “Do not worry, I have control. We will slow to point eight seven impulse power once we reach the Klach D'kel Brakt. I am simply answering the distress call with as little waste of time as possible. I have already informed…”
The starboard side bridge port opens and Ya and Ne, Charlie, Damian, and…
“Captain on the bridge,” calls out commander Skyvik, standing from the command chair.
S'Talla directs an order to T'Pree, “T'Pree, play the distress call.”
Before T'Pree can comply, an internal hail, in T'Pia's voice, interrupts. “Engineering to bridge. You are pushing Vulcan's engines to dangerous levels. We are at maximum warp now.”
T'Pree plays the distress call. “This is the cruiser ‘Comet Dust’, we are running from persecution by the Orion Syndicate. Our engines are broken down. We need asylum before slave hunters catch us and kill us.”
There is the appearance of confusion with multiple simultaneous communications vying for attention, but S’Talla, Skyvik, and the others remain calm while S'Talla prioritizes her attention.
S'Talla takes the center chair and responds first to Engineering. “Engineering, this is the bridge, we are aware and will bring our engines down to impulse speed momentarily.” S'Talla asks T'Pree, “Please open a channel to the ship in distress.”
T'Pia concludes her communication, “Very good, T'Pia out.”
The currently playing distress call goes silent. T'Pree announces, “Communications are opened Captain.”
The engines are heard to slow as their high pitched whine falls quickly back to normal.
Sam informs the bridge, “We are entering the Klach D'kel Brakt, now. Twenty minutes from the source of the distress call at three quarters impulse speed.”
Skyvik, at the sensor station informs S'Talla, “The ship is Orion in configuration. Their transponder identifies them as the Comet Dust. Their warp drives appear to be offline. I read no weapons signatures.”
S'Talla nods to Sam in acknowledgement and presses her chair's communications button. “This is the Freighter Vulcan responding to the vessel in distress. We are nineteen point seven minutes away. What is your situation? Are you under attack?”
S'Talla releases the comm button and a couple of moments later, a female voice responds. “This is Comet Dust. We have evaded the hunters, for the moment, but our engines are non-functional and we fear the hunters will catch up to us at any time. Please help us reach Federation space where we can find asylum.”
Skyvik warns, “This could be a trap.”
Vulcan asks, “By what logic? Who would know we were passing through this region of space?”
Skyvik reluctantly replies directly to the ship, “We may not be the targets, but this situation seems too familiar, and we know nothing about this area of space.”
Skyvik turns to his captain, “It is illogical that our ship should pick up a distress call and automatically respond before you or any other crew have had the chance to become aware of, and assess, the situation.”
Skyvik then turns to Samantha, “You should run an analysis of the ship's computer, some outside intruder may be manipulating the ship's automated systems.”
Sam says, “I will run a diagnostic, but Vulcan's behavior is not illogical nor inconsistent.”
S'Talla interjects, “I do not believe our ship is acting under outside influences.”
Vulcan replies to Skyvik, “Commander, I apologize, but you are among the last to know that I have become self-aware. My actions, in this case, are wholly my own. This situation reminds me of the Tellarroe Five, before I became self-aware, but I have those memories in my data matrix. That is where I learned the importance of responding to calls for help, and a strong aversion to the concept of slavery.”
An image of an Orion slave woman comes up on the screen. Next to her is another woman, also Orion. Both are wearing only the two piece costume of Orion pleasure slaves.
“Thank you Vulcan, for responding to our calls. We are desperate. I hope you have capacity for twenty-six refugees. Our ship is adrift. There are no technical personnel left to repair our engines.”
S'Talla asks, “What are you doing so far from Orion space? You could have reached Federation space light years ago.”
“Captain,” replies the Orion woman standing center, her weight leaning forward, arms braced upon the command console in front of their captain's chair, “We are not fleeing from Orion space. We escaped while being transported and sold to the Klingons. We thought flying through the Klach D'kel Brakt would be the shortest route to the Federation, and at the same time confuse the search sensors of any slave hunters following us. We miscalculated the effects of the Klach D'kel Brakt upon our engines. We lost power, and destroyed our field regulators with the sudden collapse of the Comet Dust's warp field when we entered the cloud at warp one point five.”
Skyvik announces, “There is only the Comet Dust within point zero two light years. The nearest possible threat appears to be a space station two point eight days away at full impulse speed. I can not get any detailed readings on the station.”
“Comet Dust,” hails Captain S'Talla. “We will intercept and receive your twenty-six refugees for transport to the nearest Federation immigration processing station. I can not offer any guarantees about what may happen after that.”
“Thank you Captain S'Talla. That will do very well. You have our deepest thanks.”
Table of Content:
Ep. 1: The Needs of the Many
Ep. 2: The Needs of the Few
Ep. 3: 'T' Minus Negative
Ep. 4: A Pon Too Farr
Ep. 5: Seeing is Believing, Part 1
Ep. 6: Seeing is Believing, Part 2
Ep. 7: Mind in a Vat
Ep. 8: The Job
Ep. 9: Red Giants and White Dwarves
Ep. 10: Zenfu Fighting
The Vulcan Character Highlights
Episode 10: Zenfu Fighting
Professor Kazzak and Doctor Gödel's Lab:
The projection of the Vulcan planetary system across the high ceiling of the two scientists’ laboratory has been turned off.
“Francesca,” Professor Kazzak calls for his assistant’s attention. He is studying the stone pyramid set on a pedestal in the center of his lab. Francesca, Dr. Gödel, is at the main projected screen working on a complex set of math problems.
The professor puts his left palm in the middle of one facet of the pyramid and takes his hand away. Sigils of an unknown origin illuminate across the face, but nothing else. He continues his query to the slight black woman, “What do you think about simply attaching five duranium pyramidions to the corners of the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki control interface? Perhapse we would be able to target-lock the duranium with the transporters, and use them to beam the device to and from the ship.” The professor pulls his ever present goggles down over his eyes. He touches the same facet of the device again. This time, he also places his right palm on the facet of the opposite side of the pyramid, only the first facet glows with the symbols.
After just a moment's pause to think about the proposal, Francesca shakes her head. “No, Professor. We could not use our transporters to beam that device aboard when it was inside Radool Harrix's Maybellene, and Maybellene surrounded the pyramid on all sides. It does not seem logical that simply replacing an all encompassing flying car with five duranium corner pieces would be better.”
“My conclusion, as well. I was hoping you might have seen some possibility that I missed.” The professor leaves his left palm on the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki and moves his right hand from the opposite face to an adjacent face; nothing changes. He tries a similar combination of touch on the apex at each corner.
Francesca notices his efforts, sets down her stylus and steps over to replace the Professor's right hand with her palm on the opposite face of the pyramid. The two untouched faces of the pyramid light up. The facets under their palms do not respond.
In unison, Professor Kazzak and Doctor Gödel shift their hands to the two lit faces. The two opposite facets light up while the two lit facets that they are now touching go dark.
“fascinating!” exclaims the professor. “It is logical that there is a locking sequence, but…”
Francesca finishes the sentence, “We have already tried every possible permutation. I think it needs to be connected with the actual stone.”
Kazzak says, “Yes, there is logic in that, as well, but then, why the response to our touch when it is not near the actual stone? No,” Kazzak removes his goggles and studies them absently. “Considering the advanced technology that this device represents, it may not need contact with the actual stone.”
“We are missing something. It responds quite differently to one person, no matter how it is touched, exactly the same as when Mister Santayana first took it from the museum. When two people touch it, the untouched faces light and the touched faces shut down. Most of my analysis tools are useless. It is only the blank impression it leaves on all sensors, this odd behavior of lighting up when one or two people lay hands on it, and the matching description translated from the captain's scroll that tells us this device is part of the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki.”
Francesca glances over at the image of the Ozhit-Pa-Tepul-T'Stukhtra. The image is floating in high definition three-dimensional holographic space behind the Professor. She calls, “Vulcan, what are the chances our interpretation of the passages in the Ozhit-Pa-Tepul-T'Stukhtra for the description of the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki are wrong?”
Vulcan answers, “I do not believe my interpretation of that particular section of the scroll is in error. To put it in mathematical terms, while most of the scroll remains a mystery, the description of the Vaikar-Kau-Bureki and what it is capable of is written in old High Ca’Fus Dynasty Vulcan and correlates by an error of zero point one zero six percent with the Kassis-Cis-Tsau scroll.”
Kazzak seems satisfied with Vulcan's answer while Francesca, beginning to feel out of her depth at considering the possibility that a well known ancient artifact may have been misunderstood for centuries, continues her inquiry anyhow. “Do we know the Kassis… um, scro scroll is is is accur…ate ly… accurately trans translated? What d does the, it it say?”
Vulcan answers, “The Kassis-Cis-Tsau was discovered in a ruins on the equatorial island of Kassis. Kassis-Cis-Tsau is the palace ruins from the Ca'Fus Dynasty, the first Dynasty of the Ca’Tau expansion. The area of the palace ruins has been determined to be an annex to the main hall and adjacent to the royal quarters tower.”
Francesca pushes, “A and it it it it says?”
Vulcan goes on, “The Kassis-Cis-Tsau scroll contains three recipes for bread, and three soup recipes, instructions for storing ingredients, and lighting the oven. That area of the palace has been established to be the kitchens by the remains of a large four sided stone oven and the proximity of a natural water source.”
Kazzak looks up from his inspection of his goggles. “Vulcan,” he queries. “It is logical that you have inspected the programming in my goggles!?”
Vulcan answers, “It would be an intrusion of privacy even though you have established an open connection with me. That was before, so I am only aware of the connection protocols and the contents from the few times you have used that connection.”
Doctor Gödel exclaims, “Before?! Ya you m mean be before ya y you ba be became … sel self…aware?”
Vulcan asks, “You know I have become self-aware?”
Francesca nods, and Kazzak answers, “I suspect Francesca figured it out even before I did. Now, I am concerned my goggles are not working too specifications. You have my permission to connect to them and tell me what you think might be wrong with them.”
There is a pause before Vulcan answers, “They are a most curious device, Professor Kazzak. You programmed the chaos algorithm yourself?”
“Certainly. What defects can you find? Is it the quantatronic playback modules? There is always a chance of unpredictable field decay.”
“I find nothing that my limited connection can detect.”
“The program is running without error?”
“As near as I can interpret, yes,” Vulcan answers. “If I am interpreting the purpose of the function titled ‘Predictive Playback’ correctly, your goggles appear to gather local environmental data, combine it with psycho-theoretical modeling, historical modeling of physical mechanics, biological and compositional data, then process it through a statistical algorithm with your fascinating chaos engine to give you the most likely series of events that will impact the wearer over the next forty-eight minutes. In other words, your goggles tell the future forty-eight minutes ahead.”
Kazzak clarifies, “with ninty-one point three percent accuracy. Beyond forty-eight minutes, accuracy falls off dramatically.”
Francesca adds, “Our g goggles have p predicted ev events ac cur at ly as far i in the future as a week, b but that ha has n never been re re rel relia re reliable.”
“You do see what is wrong with these goggles, Vulcan?” Kazzak asks.
“I am sorry, but I find no inconsistencies in your predictive programming or in the hardware.”
“You can look through them and see what I am seeing, correct? Run a playback of the last predictive recording.”
Vulcan pauses and watches the recorded scene from the goggles.
From Kazzak's viewpoint, the screen is of the goggles being pulled down into place over the Professor's eyes. The pyramid on its pedestal comes into focus and a first person view of the Professor's hands explores the stone object. Then, the Professor turns to ask Francesca, “Could this just be a chaotic anomaly, that eight point seven percent error?”
In the playback, or rather, playahead, Francesca shakes her head at the professor and answers, “No, it is accurate.”
“How can you be so certain, Francesca?”
Francesca simply points behind the professor. He turns and the pedestal is standing alone in the Professor and Francesca's lab.
The professor, holding his goggles in his hands while Vulcan links to them and plays their sequence, explains to Francesca, “My goggles tell me the pyramid is not here. Could this just be a chaotic anomaly, that eight point seven percent error?”
Francesca shakes her head, ‘No’ and replies, “No, it is accurate.”
Kazzak asks his lab partner, “How can you be so certain, Francesca?”
In answer, Francesca points to the pedestal.
“That is fascinating, professor,” states Vulcan, “The algorithm predicted your exchange word for word.”
Kazzak processes none of what Vulcan says because he is rushing over to his laboratory monitoring equipment. He begins tuning sliding controls and adjusting settings on his panel while studying a schematic of Vulcan's layout, concentrating on the engineering deck lab.
Kazzak calls out, “Vulcan, did you record anything on your sensors that could be a cloaked ship with a transporter? You had your shields up, correct?"
Vulcan confirms, “that is correct, Professor. And no. I picked up nothing on my sensors that could have been a ship or any type of energy beam. The pyramid simply disappeared.”
Francesca stammers, “Ca call called ho home t t to mother.”
Kazzak looks to his assistant with deep consideration.
The lounge on Deck C:
Damian Apollonius is sitting in the lounge on deck ‘C’, playing a game of 3D chess with S’Talla.
S'Talla moves her knight to threaten Damian's queen, forcing him to retreat from a potential threat to her king. Damian asks, “Captain S'Talla, you are a monk of the Order of Logic and Reason. In ancient Greece, on Earth, there were a number of religions and cults that tried to approach life through a sophist's tradition of reason. Through their logic, they were able to observe and discover some astounding phenomena that we would have trouble visualizing today, given the limited technology for measuring our world that they had.”
S'Talla glances at Damian with a considerate nod. He goes on, “Often, we hold all the evidence necessary, but fail to take all the steps to make the logical connections. What we believe we have learned is merely our sense of discovery of information we already hold.”
S'Talla takes Damian's retreated queen with a pawn.
Damian stares at the pawn sitting in the space his queen previously occupied.
“Plato!” He declares. “Plato taught that we knew everything already, that one could not teach another person new information, only guide the logical discovery of relationships we already know or observe in the moment.”
Damian moves the black bishop to take the pawn before the newly positioned pawn could capture his white bishop.
“He wrote about Socrates demonstrating this by simply asking an uneducated slave boy a series of questions about observable properties of triangles until the boy had, without any previous instructions in mathematics, effectively proved the Pythagorean Theorem.”
Damian watches as S'Talla moves her queen into a space previously covered by Damian's black bishop, and she declares, “Check.”
Damian studies the game until he sighs, “...and mate?!”
“You are right. No learning needed, you just needed to observe and discover.”
“Excuse me captain.” interrupts Vulcan.
S'Talla responds with, “Go ahead, Vulcan.” She begins collecting the game pieces to place carefully in a lined case. Damian helps.
“Professor Kazzak says I should inform you that he has lost the stone pyramid.”
S'Talla says to Damian, “Since we just need logic to deduce that which we already know, but do not realize we know, perhaps we have not lost the pyramid, and have merely forgotten that we know where it is.”
Vulcan answers, “No, it is lost. I witnessed its disappearance. It was, in fact, predicted. The professor and I are analyzing his predictive program code to try and figure out how the pyramid’s disappearance was predictable. It is believed, that will tell us what happened to it.”
S'Talla raises an eyebrow. “Another answer to discover the question to.”
In the hall, on the way to professor Kazzak's laboratory, S'Talla and Damian pass Charlie and Ya and Ne having a discussion about modular code objects and the benefits of relational data structures. They are coming from the main computer lab.
Charlie is saying, “With an analog architecture, the data values can contain multiple objects, regardless of their data structure. It's just a matter of setting delimited flags, such as primes, for example.”
Ya nods and adds, “We understand.”
Ne picks up the thought, “There is either more information with a key to allow searching…”
Ya continues, “the numeric string, and indexing it with the adjacent data object, or…”
Ne finishes, “There is not, which makes the values search limited.”
S'Talla interrupts the discussion as she passes, “Ya, Ne, Charlie, I think we may need your expertise. The Vaikar-Kau-Bureki is missing and Vulcan advises me that we may benefit from your computer expertise.
Charlie answers, “Sure, we are just coming from the main computer lab.”
S'Talla explains, “I am heading to Professor Kazzak's lab. This has nothing to do with the ship's computer.”
Ya and Ne look at each other, then at Charlie. Charlie says to them, “and you think Vulcan's computer is unusual. I have no doubt we are about to fall down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.
Ne smiles. “Ya and I have to visit Earth sometime.”
Ya adds, “Whatever Wonderland is, I think it will be there…”
Ne completes the thought, “Not in the Professor's laboratory.”
Damian chuckles. “Yes.”
Before they step farther down the passage, Vulcan states, “We are changing course and increasing speed. The mystery of the disappearing pyramid will have to wait.”
The background hum of Vulcan's warp drives raise in pitch. The vibration rate raises causing the audible volume to actually smooth out and fade slightly as the frequency grows.
Vulcan racing through space at top warp speed
“Captain's Log: Vulcan has taken it upon herself to respond to a distress call by another group of runaway slaves. Vulcan raced at top warp speed, without command from her pilot or her captain, into an anomalous region called the Klach D'kel Brakt, an enormous gas cloud that makes warp travel impossible, and dangerous to attempt within its borders.
The similar circumstances to the Tellarroe Five influenced Vulcan's decision, even as it raised Skyvik’s suspicions. Vulcan was convinced we needed to help. Skyvik's logic was a reasonable caution. However, we could not ignore other beings in distress.
Vulcan's bridge:
T'Pree, at communications, announces, “We have come within communications range of Federation space.”
“Understood,” answers Skyvik. Skyvik is sitting at command.
Samantha Kelly is manning the helm with Mr. Naxx next to her at weapons and defense. Sam adds, “We are passing sector four forty-one and the stars SNC 461206 and UFC 8177. They are in an area of space the Klingons call Klach D'kel Brakt. According to my read-outs, the Klach D'kel Brakt is primarily a gas cloud that restricts warp travel. So we are navigating around it. We are fifty-six hours from the Federation border, at warp six point five.”
Skyvik directs T'Pree, “T'Pree, please inform the captain of our arrival time in Federation space.”
The hum of the ship's engines inexplicably increase in pitch. Sam turns from the helm to address Skyvik. We are changing course. Our new heading is directly into the gas region.”
At the same moment, T'Pree calls out, “We just received a distress call, Commander.”
Skyvik ignores T'Pree at communications, and orders Samantha, “Correct our course and speed, Ms. Kelly.”
“I have tried. Helm is not responding. We are now at warp seven point five.”
Sam attempts to take control again. When she fails, she calls out, “Vulcan, what is wrong with your navigation controls? We are approaching warp nine.”
T'Pree announces, at the same time, “The distress call is coming from the Klach D'kel Brakt.”
Sam warns, “Warp nine point four. We can not enter that cloud while in warp.”
Vulcan answers, “Do not worry, I have control. We will slow to point eight seven impulse power once we reach the Klach D'kel Brakt. I am simply answering the distress call with as little waste of time as possible. I have already informed…”
The starboard side bridge port opens and Ya and Ne, Charlie, Damian, and…
“Captain on the bridge,” calls out commander Skyvik, standing from the command chair.
S'Talla directs an order to T'Pree, “T'Pree, play the distress call.”
Before T'Pree can comply, an internal hail, in T'Pia's voice, interrupts. “Engineering to bridge. You are pushing Vulcan's engines to dangerous levels. We are at maximum warp now.”
T'Pree plays the distress call. “This is the cruiser ‘Comet Dust’, we are running from persecution by the Orion Syndicate. Our engines are broken down. We need asylum before slave hunters catch us and kill us.”
There is the appearance of confusion with multiple simultaneous communications vying for attention, but S’Talla, Skyvik, and the others remain calm while S'Talla prioritizes her attention.
S'Talla takes the center chair and responds first to Engineering. “Engineering, this is the bridge, we are aware and will bring our engines down to impulse speed momentarily.” S'Talla asks T'Pree, “Please open a channel to the ship in distress.”
T'Pia concludes her communication, “Very good, T'Pia out.”
The currently playing distress call goes silent. T'Pree announces, “Communications are opened Captain.”
The engines are heard to slow as their high pitched whine falls quickly back to normal.
Sam informs the bridge, “We are entering the Klach D'kel Brakt, now. Twenty minutes from the source of the distress call at three quarters impulse speed.”
Skyvik, at the sensor station informs S'Talla, “The ship is Orion in configuration. Their transponder identifies them as the Comet Dust. Their warp drives appear to be offline. I read no weapons signatures.”
S'Talla nods to Sam in acknowledgement and presses her chair's communications button. “This is the Freighter Vulcan responding to the vessel in distress. We are nineteen point seven minutes away. What is your situation? Are you under attack?”
S'Talla releases the comm button and a couple of moments later, a female voice responds. “This is Comet Dust. We have evaded the hunters, for the moment, but our engines are non-functional and we fear the hunters will catch up to us at any time. Please help us reach Federation space where we can find asylum.”
Skyvik warns, “This could be a trap.”
Vulcan asks, “By what logic? Who would know we were passing through this region of space?”
Skyvik reluctantly replies directly to the ship, “We may not be the targets, but this situation seems too familiar, and we know nothing about this area of space.”
Skyvik turns to his captain, “It is illogical that our ship should pick up a distress call and automatically respond before you or any other crew have had the chance to become aware of, and assess, the situation.”
Skyvik then turns to Samantha, “You should run an analysis of the ship's computer, some outside intruder may be manipulating the ship's automated systems.”
Sam says, “I will run a diagnostic, but Vulcan's behavior is not illogical nor inconsistent.”
S'Talla interjects, “I do not believe our ship is acting under outside influences.”
Vulcan replies to Skyvik, “Commander, I apologize, but you are among the last to know that I have become self-aware. My actions, in this case, are wholly my own. This situation reminds me of the Tellarroe Five, before I became self-aware, but I have those memories in my data matrix. That is where I learned the importance of responding to calls for help, and a strong aversion to the concept of slavery.”
An image of an Orion slave woman comes up on the screen. Next to her is another woman, also Orion. Both are wearing only the two piece costume of Orion pleasure slaves.
“Thank you Vulcan, for responding to our calls. We are desperate. I hope you have capacity for twenty-six refugees. Our ship is adrift. There are no technical personnel left to repair our engines.”
S'Talla asks, “What are you doing so far from Orion space? You could have reached Federation space light years ago.”
“Captain,” replies the Orion woman standing center, her weight leaning forward, arms braced upon the command console in front of their captain's chair, “We are not fleeing from Orion space. We escaped while being transported and sold to the Klingons. We thought flying through the Klach D'kel Brakt would be the shortest route to the Federation, and at the same time confuse the search sensors of any slave hunters following us. We miscalculated the effects of the Klach D'kel Brakt upon our engines. We lost power, and destroyed our field regulators with the sudden collapse of the Comet Dust's warp field when we entered the cloud at warp one point five.”
Skyvik announces, “There is only the Comet Dust within point zero two light years. The nearest possible threat appears to be a space station two point eight days away at full impulse speed. I can not get any detailed readings on the station.”
“Comet Dust,” hails Captain S'Talla. “We will intercept and receive your twenty-six refugees for transport to the nearest Federation immigration processing station. I can not offer any guarantees about what may happen after that.”
“Thank you Captain S'Talla. That will do very well. You have our deepest thanks.”
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Up there with Leonard Nimoy's nerve pinch brainwave in terms of ways to make a pacifist Vulcan useful in a fistfight. 
