#transporter testing

Where did this last week go?  Let me explain... No, there is too much. Let me sum up. See what I did there?

So it was... 3 days after the stream, maybe 4 and I get a message from the Captain and the Commander. After reviewing the ships logs that the received in the data stream, Starfleet Command felt we needed a better way to get raw materials and foodstuffs back on board.  Apparently they’d like us to reduce our dependence on shuttle craft for routine supply missions due to safety concerns. Personally, I’m offended on behalf of every pilot on Voyager. But okay; sure. 

The Captain took a look at Starfleet’s guidance and raised concerns the annular confinement beam’s ability to keep the matter stream intact throughout transport. She really doesn’t miss a thing. Ever a practical man, the Commander had concerns about the time it takes to set up the interlock and how it might limit transport in case of a medical or other emergency.  It was a very yin and yang response.  No wonder they make such a fine command team. 

The Commander wanted a preliminary report in 48 hours and then a plan for holodeck simulations another four days later. Easy enough. Until Laethea showed up on sensors.  Now it’s straight to real world testing. Tomorrow. 

So, what did the team of crack scientists send us?  They sent us a cutting edge system interlock protocol. The mapping diagram alone made my head hurt. The protocol allows us to connect the cargo transporter with up-to two of the standard transporters. Gee Starfleet Command, why didn’t we think of that? Maybe because it is a logistical nightmare.  It took me 2 days of non-stop work to get the transporters linked and the pattern buffers aligned. The program they wrote to “flip” the transporters into those settings work well - they just didn’t get the initial configuration right.  Today’s breakthrough was getting the right timing in each transporter’s phase transition coils. The only thing that worked right out of the information from the data stream was the targeting and containment beam coordination. The personnel transporters take the lead and the cargo one just provides the added capacity. 

It’s excited stuff and it would be nice to have the option of getting the supplies up to the ship via transport instead of hauling it back out through caves but personally, I’m not sold. A single transporter can’t cut through radiation and ionic interference. Connecting the transporters will let them cut through the interference, but that doesn’t make them impervious to it. 

To: @voyagerscaptain, @firstofficerchakotay-flute

CC: @warpcorewarrior

Cause of Rock Slide

During testing at site three, the trajectory of the transporters matter stream took it through a large, dense vein of mineral 46270 (Common name tbd). Not only does this mineral emit minuscule amounts of thoron radiation, it’s structure makes it very reactive. See attached image 2.5.3. During attempt 6 at this location, we experienced an uptick in ionic radiation which was interfering with transport. When we boosted the power to the confinement beam, the additional energy traveling through a large vein of mineral 46270 caused a sympathetic vibration. This resonance was detected on Voyager as it interfered with the transport. To compensate for this interference, I increased the power of the beam and further narrowed the matter stream. These adjustments had an adverse effect. They increased the vibrations in the mineral vein - in a smaller area - exceeding the minerals tolerances. The a section of the mineral shattered, separating a section of the cave ceiling about 4 meters wide, 3 meters long and about .75 meters thick (on average).

Location - Northern Continent

**Torres to Campbell**

Campbell here.

We’ve arrived at the first testing site and are ready to begin.

We’re all set up here. The system interlock is in place and all systems report status green.

Okay. Let’s get started.

Roger that.  Initiating first transport on my mark.  3, 2, 1, mark.

Attempt 1 -  Failed; recalibrated timing on phase coils

Attempt 2 - Partial Failure; further refined phase coils

Attempt 3 - Partial Success

Attempt 4 - Partial Success; new confinement beam settings

Attempt 5 - Partial Failure; reset cargo transporter’s pattern buffer.

Attempt 6 - Partial Success; pattern degradation still outside of targeted limits

**Campbell to Torres**

Torres here

Those last two runs were successful, but I’m not happy with the amount of degradation. Can you set up the pattern enhancers?

Sure. Give us a minute.

…

Okay. The enhancers are up and running.  We’re ready to resume testing.

Thanks Lieutenant

Attempt 7 - Success

Attempt 8 -  Success; annular confinement beam needed manual adjustment

Attempt 9 -  Success

Attempt 10 - Success

**Campbell to Torres**

Torres here

Location - Southern Continent (Mineral rich geology)

*Torres to Campbell*

Campbell here.

We’re in position. How did the process to set up the system interlock go?

Smoothly.  Took about 15 mins.  How’s the Southern Continent?

You know Lyssa, all these caves look pretty much the same to me.

Shame. Geology was all excited about the proliferation of crystalline minerals. Commencing transport.

Attempt 1 - Partial Failure; New confinement beam settings

Attempt 2 - Partial Failure; Thoron radiation interference

**Campbell to Torres**

Torres here.  What’s going wrong?

The low-level radiation in this area is still disrupting transport - even with all three transporters linked.  Can you set the pattern enhancers to compensate as best they can for the radiation?

Sure.

…

Okay - I’m able to reduce the interference by 10 percent.

Thanks.  Should be enough to complete transport. Ready for attempt 3?

Yes. Energize when ready.

Attempt 3 - Partial Success; Unacceptable pattern degradation

Attempt 4 - Partial Success; Reconfigured confinement beam balance

Attempt 5 - Success

Attempt 6 - ...

Woah - I’m getting a sudden surge in ionic resonance in the matter stream. It’s dragging the matter transmission rate way out of spec. What the...  I’m increasing the power output on the cargo transporter and narrowing the confinement beam on the personnel side.   Damn it, the resonance is still rising.  What the hell is going...

Alarm starts ringing

Shit shit shit. The resonance is overloading the Heisenberg compensator. Terminating transport. Disabling the confinement beam. The compensator is totally fried. It’ll need to be manually refreshed at best; totally cleared and reset more likely.

Interlock the transporters, that way it takes 3 times as long to terminate a transport. We’re sure it’ll be fine. Good thinking Starfleet.

*Campbell to Torres*

*Campbell to Torres. Please respond.*

*Campbell to Paris*

I don’t have a signal from the canister anymore.  Or from the pattern enhancers.

*Campbell to Torres*

*Campbell to Paris.  Please respond*

Gods no...

*Campbell to Chakotay*

Chakotay here.  Problem Ensign?

Yes, something went wrong with the last transport and I’m unable to raise Lt. Torres or Lt. Paris on the comm. I’ve also lost the signal from the test canisters and the pattern boosters.

What happened?

Ionic resonance created dramatic variances in the matter stream and destabilized it. The stream variances overloaded the Heisenberg compensator.  I’ll need at least an hour to repair it. All of Voyager’s transporters are down until it’s fixed.

Location - Northern Continent; 20 km deeper

**Torres to Campbell**

Campbell here.

Tom and I are at site two and the first container is in place.  We’re ready when you are.

Sounds good.  You to get some water and catch your breath.  I’ll beam these containers aboard and lighten your load for the walk home.

Attempt 1 - Failure; interference from false alarm in the phase discriminators

Attempt 2 - Partial Failure; unable to rematerialize canister on platform

**Campbell to Torres**

Torres here.

The matter stream completely broke down on that last one.  I think we’ll need the pattern enhancers at this depth.

Attempt 3 - Partial Failure; this depth requires even narrower confinement beam settings

Attempt 4 - Partial Success; reset timing between transporters to minimize pattern degradation

Attempt 5 - Partial Success

Attempt 6 - Success

Attempt 7 - Success

Attempt 8 - Success

Attempt 9 - Success

Attempt 10 - Success

**Campbell to Torres**

Torres here. Those last few went quickly.

They did. I think we’ve got the all the pieces working together nicely. You ready for your next workout?

We are.  I’ll comm you when we get to the beam out site.

Sounds good. I’ll start converting back to regular, non-interlocked transport so we can beam you to the southern continent for the remaining tests. Should have it done by the time you get there.

Lt. Torres,

Thanks for helping out with the planetside part of this testing.  Hopefully, there won’t be much for you to do except get exercise hauling around the test canisters and pattern enhancers then waiting while I beam them aboard. I’ll be beaming the supplies down to the planet’s surface as close as I can to the test site, but obviously you’ll need to haul them a fair distance to get to the test sites. The general procedure will be as follows:

I’ll transport you, Lt. Paris and the supplies to the nearest accessible point

You’ll walk to the testing site while I set up the System Interlock for testing

Comm me when you’re in position and we’ll start testing

After all the tests in a given location are complete you’ll either a) move to the next location or b) hike back to the beam out site for transport as soon as the System Interlock is disabled

We’ll be testing both how well the system interlock works to increase our transporter’s range AND how quickly/easily we can set it up and then return to normal transporter operations.

Thanks to the geology team’s report, I know that our selected test sites should be easily accessible: no climbing, rappelling, or squeezing through narrow passages.  Please take care on the way to the testing sites.  Obviously, you’ll be outside transporter range as you move to the testing sites. Even if the testing is a smashing success, this kind of transport is only approved for non-living substances.  The few transporter chiefs who have been desperate enough to use smaller system interlocks on people usually lose them mid-transport and the crewmen dies.  The small group of people who have survived a system interlock transport report that it hurts. Apparently it feels like the worst pins and needles ever throughout your whole body. We do have one transporter excluded from testing for emergencies, but as you yourself pointed out we can’t completely separate it from the transporters involved in the testing.