Deciphering the Signal
Posted on 07 Jun 2026 @ 10:07pm by Lieutenant Commander Steven Remington & Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
1,027 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Time After Time
Location: Science Lab
///Science Lab///
A short time later, Ryan arrived in the science lab. He took a moment to study the rebuilt science lab. The last time he had been here the place was a pile of rubble...mostly under Sorvak. "I'm looking for Lieutenant Remington," he said, and a technician pointed at the office.
“He’s in with Ens Quimby in the Zoo-lab office. Warn you, Lieutenant. It stinks in there right now. One of the triconasauruses has diarrhea. Let me call him to come out. I don’t know how those guys can stand it in there. Toxic, absolutely toxic,” she laughed.
"Noted," Ryan said, mentally glad that he didn't have to deal with that.
“Lt Remington. Lt Collingway is looking for you out here,” she comm’d the acting Science Chief.
“Be right there,” came the reply. And indeed, Remington almost immediately exited a double door, dressed in a disposable lab jacket over his uniform. He pulled it off and shoved it into a reclamation receptacle.
“Hellloo, Lieutenant. How can I be of help today?” he asked, the formality of the greeting tempered by the drawn out greeting and a bright, warm smile.
"I was just wondering if you had any luck with deciphering that signal from the anomaly," Ryan said, his tone light. "Ensign Quinn and I found these types of problems easier to figure out when engineering and science worked together, not separately. I'd like to keep that tradition going.”
“Good idea,” replied Remington. “We’ve been running and continue to run comparisons of these transmissions to every encounter the Fleet or Federation partners have had with temporal anomalies involving any era of Earth culture. That’s a lot when you get to detailed comparisons. We’ve been especially careful in our research of the year 1984, two years before what appears to be the timeline we are dealing with here. In 2286, the Enterprise 1701-A visited Earth of 1984 and actually moved two humpback whales from 1984 through time to 2286 to communicate with an alien species who was causing massive destruction of Earth because this particular species of whale had been declared extinct by the late 2000s. We have found significant similarities, many of which are based upon the journals and writings of Dr Gillian Taylor, who was an expert in humpback whales. She accompanied the Enterprise and the whales forward to 2286 and lived out her life in that era.”
Ryan nodded. He heard of that history, though not in great detail.
“The political and scientific notes do align with Earth’s history, and the details of Dr Taylor’s reports make some references to the few years leading up to and including 1986. I think we are at a point where we can say this is an authentic representation of Earth, but without an actual piece of natural, organic material, we can’t compare apples to apples,” Remington added.
"It definitely can't be ours," Ryan said. "If so, then Earth would have already lived through this event. It would already be in our historical records, including what the solution was. So, a parallel version of Earth, perhaps.”
Remington nodded in agreement. “In which case, I think we are definitely playing with matches to approach it,”
"Can I hear the signal?" Ryan asked after a moment of thinking. Remington obliged, and Ryan listened. It was a series of noises that didn't sound like speech, at least not easily. It was automated as well, repeating every fifteen seconds.
"Could the signal be distorted by the anomaly itself? Like a transmission that is underwater, for example? Maybe the temporal energy is causing it to run too fast or too slow for us to decipher?"
“Mmmmm.” Remington considered the puzzle. “If the temporal energy is sending only this small section of Earth forward in time, perhaps it is being delayed, the signal has not yet caught up with itself. Or, if it traveled too fast, it sliced through the planet and sheared off this fragment.” He swept upward across the holographic image. “Computer, reduce the speed of the signal to 1/1000th its incoming speed.”
The computer obliged. The signal sounded more like words. Remington moved the signal to 2/1000 speed, then increased it further. Finally, he found a frequency that sounded like words.
“Computer, translate to Federation Standard and extrapolate possibilities for original source language,” added Remington.
“Calculating,” replied the computer. After several moments a new playback began.
“Fragmented repeating broadcast,” the computer announced. “Approaching vessels … beware of dangerous temporal rifts. We are … attack by torrential force ... 84 blevins 2. They … stroyed half …. Approaching vessels … beware of dangerous temporal rifts. We are … attack by torrential force … 84 blevins 2. They … stroyed half … Approaching vessels.”
“Half replay,” said Remington. “What are possible original source?”
“Earth. A version of Federation Standard, but differing in language construction and …” the Computer began.
“Stop,” said Remington. 84 blevins 2? 8472?”
Ryan said nothing for a moment, thinking. "A dangerous enemy, if we are talking about the same thing. The Undine. Not even the borg could stop them."
He glanced at Remington. "A hypothesis. Could it be possible that someone transported the colony down below as some kind of...emergency evacuation? Someone is trying to save these people from something terrible on the other side?" His mind went to a whole universe being conquered by 8472.
"We should tell the Captain," he said, then added. "Obviously." His relief about being able to help with the signal was quickly being overridden by the prospect of how much they could be in danger right now. The temporal anomaly was still open, after all.
“Let’s do it.” Remington activated his comm. “Lt Remington to Captain Corbin. Are you available? There is some news about the signal. May Lt Collingway and I come to your Ready Room?”
“Of course, Lieutenant.” came the reply from the Captain.
“On our way. Remington out.” He turned to his yeoman. “Please make sure I can access this slowed down loop message to the Captain’s Ready Room.”
“Yes, Sir,” she replied.
“Let’s go.” Steve swept his arm toward the door to give Ryan the lead.
~~~
Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Arawyn
Lieutenant Steve Remington
Acting Chief Science Officer
USS Arawyn
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