Scientific Investigation

Posted on Tue Mar 17th, 2026 @ 6:26pm by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Lieutenant Inara Senn & Lieutenant Ashlynn Regan & Lieutenant Phlox Ph.D.

1,704 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Not All Orders Are Easy
Location: USS Washington/Runabout

Lt Phlox sat in the geology lab looking over the sensor readings they were getting from the asteroid belt. He was fascinated by the dominance of so many radioactive elements in the field, including a couple that were rarely seen naturally occurring. The order had come down from Lt Senn to study the asteroid field, and he was happy to do so, but he very much wished to be able to take a closer look, not just view things through scanners. The door to the lab opened and he turned to see Lt Regan walking towards him. He was in a cheerful mood, as most Denobulans tended to be. "Ah, lieutenant, how can I assist you?"

"Doctor" Ash greeted the Denobulan with a professional nod. "The skipper wants us to take a runabout to the asteroid belt to take samples to compare it with the radiation on the planet."

The Denobulan tried to contain his enthusiasm. "I very much would enjoy taking a closer look at the asteroids. I suspect we'll need to visit sickbay before we leave. Well, whatever is necessary to go on this mission, I will accommodate" he concluded, giving a smile only a Denobulan can give.

Ash gave a light smile. "Thank you."

Shon injected the officers. "You'll have 73 minutes of protection, except for you Phlox. Your species is more resistant to radiation; you'll have 96 minutes of protection."

Phlox smiled that Denobulan smile. "I thank you doctor."

Inara was busy preparing a core sampler, and she was already in the under garment of an EVA suit. She was going to spacewalk to a rock.

"Several of the asteroids are more than large enough to accommodate us landing if you wish, or we could just transport samples aboard in the standard containers. I have several ready" Phlox noted. "Transport might be more advisable, from a medical perspective."

"This is how we sample cores. We're going to need a clean sample because with the experiments we're going to do, we can't afford the tiny subatomic drift a transporter leaves behind." And since the two of you might be a little squeamish about being in an EVA suit. I'll volunteer to go get the sample."

"Not at all lieutenant. I am fully versed in this procedure. Done it many times. And the EVA suit is of no concern to me. I am the resident geologist. It is my duty to get the core sample. Just tell me which of these fascinating asteroids you wish to get a sample from" Phlox said cheerfully.

Ash decided to remain quiet and let Phlox and Inara settle this. She wasn't squeamish by any means; she had spent 353 years frozen in a small metal tube floating adrift, albeit she was in a deep coma the entire time. However, she also knew to let Inara do her thing.

"Alrighty. Ash, take us out. I'll hang back and do some calibrations." Inara went to work.

Phlox happily began to gear up as the runabout powered up and exited the Washington, heading out into the vastness of space towards the destination. Phlox was eager to take a closer look at the geology of these asteroids. He had been given the hyronaline for protection by Shon, but he also was the most resistant to the radiation as a Denobulan. An amusing thought crossed his mind. The runabout was called the Tiamat, the name of some sort of famous mythological creature from Earth history, a dragon of all things. Dragons were believed to covet things of great value, and might what they are were going to investigate be of significant value? It was certainly an exciting consideration.

Ash plotted a course to the asteroid field after she cleared the shuttle bay. "Course laid in for the asteroid field. ETA two minutes."

Phlox was monitoring the journey to the asteroid field. "This asteroid field is a veritable cornucopia of scientific anomaly. Lt Senn, I think you will find that the radiation that interests you is in large amounts around that surround several of the larger asteroids. I'd like to set down on one to take the core samples, if you agree."

Inara smirked. "Finally, someone in my department that understands something. I was just thinking that myself. How could I ever survive without the abundance of opinions around me. Ms. Regan set us down, and keep an eye on the sensors, It would be unfortunate if we were all pulverized by some rocks."

"Setting us down" Ashlynn reported as she adjusted the runabout's trajectory to the closest asteroid.

"Well lieutenant, it appears you'll have the chance to don that suit and take a closer look at things after all. If you require Lt. Regan's assistance I understand, but if not, I'd like her to assist me with the core samples" Phlox said to Inara in that cheerful Denobulan way.

"Well now, you don't lack for enthusiasm. Good for you. When we get home lieutenant, I'm going to put you in for a promotion to Fleet Admiral and name my pet after you. Now let's get this over with." Inara activated the force field in the shuttle and opened its hatch.

"While I sense your sarcasm lieutenant, I will nonetheless express zero desire for promotion or acclaim. I'm a scientist, a geologist, and just doing my duty same as you. I seek only to study these asteroids in an attempt to understand them for their unique attributes, nothing more. Now, if I happen to discover something worthwhile, we can revisit the idea of fanfare, but for now I simply look forward to this fascinating diversion from my normal routine" Phlox replied in that even tone that always had hints of joviality.

Phlox stepped out onto the asteroid, the black void of space encompassing much of everything else. The asteroid they had landed on had a small but measurable magnetic field, enough to allow him to activate his gravity boots to avoid any sort of accidents during his walk. "Very well lieutenant, enjoy your survey. I'll get to taking these core samples."

Seeing as Phlox had requested her, Ashlynn made sure her own EV suit was in working order before following Phlox out to aide him with the samples. She followed the Denobulan once she was ready.

Phlox led the way, scanning the asteroid with his tricorder to locate good spots. They traversed 100 ft. from the runabout when he stopped and looked back at Ashlynn, "This will be a good spot for our first sample. Let's setup the drill and get the sample. We shouldn't stay here too long though. The radiation in this area will likely become toxic for you quickly. The tricorder indicates uranium and plutonium here. I am eager to determine how that is happening."

"Copy" she said as she knelt down to begin assembling the drill components together. "Just a little bit of uranium in my diet can't hurt" Ash quipped with a 21st century style of sarcasm.

"Plutonium?!?!" Inara noted. "That is not a natural isotope, even under natural conditions. It's a byproduct of nuclear reactions, and not the natural kind." Inara mentioned. "This would mean.... I think these asteroids were once part of a planetary core that began nuclear reactions at its very core, we are standing on a destroyed planet, one with large amounts of heavy metals. Extract the core. I'm wondering about what kind of exotic nuclear materials these asteroids were once a part of. Possibly metaphasic, depending on the Quantum level."

They drilled the first core and pulled it up. Phlox looked at it closely. "This is interesting. Evidence of pitchblende, but not enough to explain the plutonium in these amounts. Just a cursory review of course, we have significant amounts of uranium, plutonium, iron, thorium, copper, hematite, and fragments of several gemstones, notably a variety of quartz, amethyst, emerald, and topaz. We'll need closer analysis, but the presence of the pitchblende would indicate both uranium and radium, which should be quite a high quantum level" Phlox said in an enthusiastic manner. "Shall we move on to the next site?"

Ash nodded before setting the drill into a travel mode and picking it up. "Ready" she said, indicating that she was ready to move on to the next site.

They travelled to the next site and set up and begun digging the core. When the core came out Phlox once again took a cursory look at it, "This asteroid is fascinating. We again have evidence of pitchblende, but not enough to explain the amount of plutonium present. Significant amounts of uranium, radium, thorium, osmium, gold, silver, copper, iron, hematite. I am beginning to come to the belief that your premise is correct lieutenant; this asteroid belt may have once been a planet or some other celestial object."

Ash looked up at Phlox as they were waiting for Inara's response. "When we get back I'd like to cross-reference the data with existing systems in the region. I may be able to find the location of the cause if it wasn't already in this system" she reported before looking back down at her own readouts.

Phlox looked up to Ash, "Interesting idea lieutenant. I would suggest however, that with the radiation levels we have here and the unique combination of elements that Lt Senn is likely correct, and this asteroid belt was likely at one time a celestial body of significant size, probably a planetoid that collided with something similar or larger. The planet on the other side of this asteroid belt is Class L as I understand it, so I wouldn't think that it was a moon from that planet. My best guess from the data we have thus far is that this was once a planet and it was struck by something significant, or perhaps the planet itself was unstable in its core, and it broke up millennia ago."

"That is a fair assessment" Ashlynn said simply.

They moved on and took several additional samples before returning to the runabout. Phlox stored the samples after getting out of the EV suit, while Ashlynn and Inara focused on returning them to the ship. These cores were geologic treasure troves, and Phlox looked forward to studying them in detail.

 

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