MFI RP SIM/MFS Serendipity/Pegasus Mission

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Contents

Pegasus Briefing File 001 - Maquis Corps of Engineers

A briefing/feasibility file concerning the proposed recovery of USS Pegasus from the Devolin System:

Resources

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/USS_Pegasus The ship in question and mission data.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Pegasus_(episode) Detailed synopsis of followup mission.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Oberth_class Class information including Pegasus.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Devolin_system Current system location.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Asteroid_alpha_331 http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Asteroid_beta_671 Nearby asteroids.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Asteroid_gamma_601 Actual location and previous subsequent mission data.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Interphase_cloaking_device History of IPCDs and mission data related to Pegasus.

Federation_cloaking_device.jpg Photo of Federation Prototype.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Section_31 Background on Section 31.


Background Files

The Treaty of Algeron

The Treaty of Algeron was a peace treaty signed between the Federation and the RSE in 2311 on the planet Algeron IV, following the events of the Tomed Incident. The Treaty of Algeron was signed approximately 160 years after the conclusion of the Earth-Romulan War.

The treaty reinforced and redefined the Romulan Neutral Zone, and made clear that any violations of the Zone without adequate notification, by either side, would be considered an act of war. The treaty also expressly prohibited the development or use of cloaking device technology by the Federation. Pegasus Captain Pressman attempted to circumvent this clause in 2358 with the test of an interphase cloaking device developed covertly at least in some part by Starfleet Intelligence aboard the USS Pegasus.


The Devolin system

A star system in neutral territory close to both the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. The system contains a great deal of ionizing radiation and contains a large asteroid field. Of special interest is asteroid gamma 601.


Asteroid gamma 601

An asteroid in the Devolin system. The asteroid was fairly large and had several deep chasms large enough for a starship to enter. However, the internal structure was highly unstable; phaser fire within the chasms could cause collapse. The asteroid was located in the proximity of asteroid alpha 331 and asteroid beta 671.

In 2358, the USS Pegasus drifted into the system, having suffered heavy damage from a large explosion in Main Engineering. The ship had been testing an experimental interphase cloaking device. While still in a phased state, the ship passed into this large asteroid, at which point the cloak failed and the ship de-phased, with around two-thirds of the ship materializing inside solid rock partially embedded approximately two kilometers within the asteroid.. The initial explosion, along with the later hull breaches caused by the failure of the cloak, had killed everyone aboard.

In 2370, Starfleet Intelligence learned that the Romulan Star Empire had possibly found the wreck of the Pegasus in the Devolin system. The USS Enterprise-D was dispatched to investigate, joined by the former commander of the Pegasus, Admiral Erik Pressman. The Enterprise competed with the Romulan warbird Terix to locate the exact location of the Pegasus, finding it first within asteroid gamma 601 The asteroid was blanketed with high levels of ionizing radiation in order to hide the ship so it could be salvaged without Romulan interference.

The Enterprise returned one day later, but the Pegasus was too deep within the asteroid to be accessed by transporter or shuttlecraft. Against Captain Jean-Luc Picard's wishes, Pressman ordered the Enterprise to enter a chasm on the asteroid which led to the Pegasus's location, the first time a starship had been taken so deeply within a planetary body. While Pressman was able to retrieve the interphase cloaking device from the Pegasus engineering section, the Romulans used their disruptors to seal the Enterprise within the asteroid, claiming that they were conducting geological experiments. Commander William T. Riker, another former member of the Pegasus crew, defied Pressman's orders and revealed the existence of the interphase cloak to Picard. It was then installed aboard the Enterprise and used to escape the asteroid's interior.


Federation Recovery Mission – Enterprise-D

(Mission excerpts-Devolin system) The search entered grid 158 and, with the Romulans a good distance away, La Forge detects a subspace resonance signature coming from a nearby asteroid – gamma 601 – that could be from a Federation warp core. Riker orders the ship closer, as Picard and Pressman join them. Pressman recognizes some of the signature's variance patterns as being from the Pegasus. Sensors reveal that the signature is coming from within the asteroid itself – which contains deep chasms large enough for a starship to enter. Data speculates that the vessel could have been caught in the asteroid's gravitational field and pulled inside. However, before the crew can investigate further, the Terix is detected heading for them. Picard asks Data if saturating the asteroid with verterons would prevent the Romulans from detecting the Pegasus. The android replies that the strategy would work, but since verterons are artificial, that would reveal the deception to the Romulans. La Forge suggests blanketing the asteroid with ionizing radiation – since there are high levels already present in the system, it wouldn't look out of place. The Enterprise moves away as the warbird swoops in.

The plan works, and the Romulans fail to detect the Pegasus, moving back onto their original search pattern. Much later, Data has been monitoring the Pegasus' sensor readings, and concludes that the majority of the warp core is still intact. The problem is getting to the ship – transporting through the depths of solid rock involved would be unsafe, and a shuttlecraft would be susceptible to any fluctuations in magnetic or gravitational fields. Pressman thus concludes that the best way to proceed is to take the Enterprise in through one of the larger fissures.

Deep within the asteroid, the Enterprise encounters shifts in the magnetic field, and Picard warns Pressman that if the fissure narrows any further, he will abort the mission, regardless of potential insubordination charges. However, a large resonance signature appears on sensors before that happens. An Oberth-class starship appears on the main viewer, buried in a rockface: Pegasus. Pressman orders Riker to accompany him aboard, overriding Picard's request to beam a full away team aboard, citing the sensitive nature of the equipment aboard

With life support restored in the Pegasus engineering section, Pressman and Riker materialize aboard. While Riker wonders how many of the crew are buried within the rock face, Pressman is more interested in retrieving a cylindrical object connected to the main console. As the two argue, the Pegasus is rocked by a series of blasts, and Picard orders them to beam back to Enterprise, which they do – along with the object.

Worf suggests that the phasers could be used to cut through, but Data advises against it – further weapons fire could collapse the remainder of the unstable passage, destroying the Enterprise. Riker suggests – use the piece of equipment brought back from Pegasus: a prototype for a Federation cloaking device – the entire reason for the mission. Picard asks how the cloak can be used to escape the asteroid – Riker explains that the device is interphasic – a ship running it can pass through solid matter. Picard orders it to be adapted for use by the Enterprise.

In Engineering, Data and La Forge complete the final connections – La Forge notes that there is a danger of the entire plasma relay system blowing out if the intercooler levels are not closely monitored. Riker realizes that that could explain what the survivors saw happen to the Pegasus – the plasma relays blew out, and the resultant ignition of free plasma caused the explosion that Riker and the others saw. The ship drifted into the asteroid field still cloaked, the device finally failing while the ship was still inside solid rock. The device is brought online, and the Enterprise disappears as the cloak engages. Picard orders the ship out of the asteroid, and the device allows them to pass through the debris blocking their escape, and out into deep space. With the Enterprise safely clear, Picard orders the cloak disengaged.


The USS Pegasus (NCC-53847)

An Oberth-class Federation starship in operation during the 24th century. A prototype vessel, the Pegasus served as a testbed vehicle for various technologies, many of which would later be implemented on the Galaxy-class.

In 2358, the Pegasus was assigned to conduct a test of an interphase cloaking device. During the test, an explosion occurred in Main Engineering, resulting in heavy casualties. Several members of the crew, including the first officer and chief engineer, mutinied in an attempt to shut down the illegal test. Nine crewmembers fled the ship in an escape pod. Not long after departing, they witnessed a large explosion in space. No wreckage was found, and the vessel was believed to have been destroyed by a warp core breach. In fact, the Pegasus was not destroyed but rather drifted in cloaked form until it re-materialized inside asteroid gamma 601 in the Devolin system.


The Oberth class

A mid-sized Federation starship used primarily by Starfleet and civilian scientists alike, as a scout and science vessel, from the late-23rd to the late-24th century.

In 2358, the Oberth-class USS Pegasus served as a prototype for testing advanced starship technologies. The Pegasus was outfitted with an experimental engine and new weapon systems, some of which were used in the designs for Galaxy-class starships. In addition to this, the Pegasus was the prototype for an illegal Federation cloaking device.

The class would slowly be phased out of service during the 2370s, shortly after the introduction of the more advanced Nova-class science vessel.

The Oberth-class design was atypical among Federation starships of the time. The outboard plan of the Oberth's design incorporated a unique split hull design, with an upper primary hull that was composed mainly of the saucer section, which was mounted onto a rear extension that mounts the impulse drive, and warp drive nacelles to either side to the saucer. The secondary hull was connected to the primary hull at the nacelles by reinforced pylons. The secondary hull itself was oblong in shape. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, etc.) In all, the Oberth contained thirteen decks. Design features of the secondary hull included a docking port located on the port side of the hull.

The Oberth-class had an standard crew complement of eighty, but was capable of operating with a minimum crew compliment of five.

More suited for science missions than combat missions, the Oberth-class had minimal defensive systems; it was armed with at least one phaser bank for defense.

They were tactically inferior to such enemy vessels as the Klingon Bird-of-Prey and the Borg cube.

As a science vessel, the Oberth-class was designed with specialized shields, which allow them to push through gravitational wavefronts. In conjunction with this feature, the interior bulkheads were composed of victurium alloy to better facilitate shielding.

The Oberth-class was equipped with numerous science labs dedicated to scientific study. One section, located on deck 4 in the saucer section, was a corridor-like chamber that contained a couple of science consoles and adjacent monitors against the wall. Access to the computer core could be interfaced via ODN junction located below the science consoles. The computer core itself was located on deck 13, inside the secondary hull. Another section, known as science ops, contained multiple computer consoles, a transport chamber (used for collecting extravehicular objects) and a personnel transporter pad.


Key points

Mission

  • IPCD = danger of entire plasma relay system blowing out if intercooler levels are not closely monitored
  • Posible explaination of what survivors saw onPegasus – plasma relays blew out, resultant ignition of free plasma caused explosion, continued to drift with IPCD engaged until it failed
  • Bodies of original crew

Asteroid gamma 601

  • system contains great deal of ionizing radiation
  • system contains large asteroid field
  • asteroid blanketed with high levels of ionizing radiation in order to hide ship
  • verterons could prevent the hulk from being detected
  • however verterons are artificial and would reveal deception
  • subspace resonance signature of fed warp core detectable from distance
  • contains deep chasms large enough for a starship to enter
  • internal asteroid structure highly unstable
  • phaser fire within the chasms could cause collapse
  • partially embedded approximately two kilometers within asteroid
  • about two-thirds to one-half of ship materialized inside solid rock
  • majority of the warp core is still intact
  • later hull breaches caused by the failure of the cloak
  • too deep within the asteroid to be accessed by transporter or shuttlecraft
  • transporting through depths of solid rock involved would be unsafe
  • shuttlecraft susceptible to any fluctuations in magnetic or gravitational fields


Ship

  • prototype for testing advanced starship technologies
  • outfitted with experimental engine and new weapon systems, some used in designs for Galaxy-class
  • replaced by more advanced Nova-class science vessels
  • standard crew complement of eighty, capable of operating with minimum crew of five
  • minimal defensive systems; it was armed with at least one phaser bank
  • tactically inferior to such enemy vessels as Klingon Bird-of-Prey or Borg cube
  • designed with specialized shields, allows to push through gravitational wavefronts
  • interior bulkheads composed of victurium alloy to better facilitate shielding
  • computer core located on deck 13, inside secondary hull
  • secondary hull includes docking port located on port side
  • Pegasus engineering section is clear


Mission Plan Analysis

MCE analysis suggests the following: A number of considerations must be made...

  • We can presume that the ship is damaged enough to be unable to self propel itself for anything other than very short distances due to explosion damage presumed by plasma relays igniting freed plasma and subsequent hull damage resultant from materializing within the asteroid.
  • Engineering appears intact.
  • Enough impulse or at least manuvering thrusters should be available to move the ship out of the asteroid IF the IPCD can be successfully activated to free the ship from the rock.
  • Supplemental portable generators will most likely be required to power systems.
  • The plausiblity of towing the vessel while cloaked is rated as probably impossible dure to the transparence to normal matter.
    • If the towing vessel also had a similar cloak AND was calibrated to remain in-phase with the towed ship there is a small chance they could interface enough for one to tow the other.
  • A higher chance for successful salvage requires that the cloaked vessel propel itself out of the asteroid while cloaked.
  • Environmental systems are not to be trusted, in addition the possiblity of cadaver particulates in the atmosphere requires the use of space worthy environment suits at all times.
  • Once salvage is begun, the IPCD should be disabled as soon as the ship is free from obstructions.
  • Towing shall most likely be required.


<<< End report. MCE classified command level only. >>>


Further discussions - Highlights

<<< MCE classified command level only. >>>

Part One

[GP] Regarding the mission, I'd like to have Trinity and Serendipity flanking Determined. Determined will then do a 180 (stern towards Pegaus) lock tractor, and upon signal from those onboard the hulk hooking up the IPCD, commence extraction.

[10/9] I do not think towing it while it is cloaked can work. We have to figure a way for it to self-propel out of the asteroid.

Also, it is inside of 2 kilometer of rock. Both Determined and Trinity are too large to squeeze inside PLUS the passage Enterprise-D used is still sealed by collapse. We have to find a way to even get to it before we can move it. Transporters are out as well. I'm thinking we may be able to clear the way in using some borg tech tractor beams to cut and move debris. Then Serendipity could squeeze in to make contact.

[GP] Re: the cloak/phase...Pegasus was in some sort of phase state when she became embedded in the rock. I'm saying let's get the IPCD hooked up and running, and get her back to that point so she can be extracted. Otherwise, we'd have to take the asteroid along for the ride.

However, I like your idea about cutting through the rock with Borg tech. Let's do it.

Once she is free, I'll have to review the damage report. Peg could be towed. Even if we could get her powered back up, she probably couldn't manage anything over impulse.

-and- If Peg can phase/cloak, what about pushing the asteroid off and away from her? Maybe using repulse..beams? Or another technique...

My train of thought is this. Depending on Peg's condition (and I really need to review her status), if we can get life support systems working, as well as at least impulse power, lock a tractor onto her (but not pull yet), we can then phase/cloak her. She can push, while being guided and eased out by the tractor. Other vessels can use repulsors to push the asteroid away. Make sense?

Not to be dense, but what did you mean by "making contact"? If it's getting personnel onboard Peg for the IPCD and other functions, I have a thought: could we not use a Danube or the Imbri? I'm not opposed to the Serendipity; just looking at all the options.

[10/9] I was speaking of getting personnel to Pegasus. Shuttles/Runabouts are too small as noted below and in the dossier. I'm thinking that Serendipity is probably as small as might work...

Real quick points...

  • Remember that Pegasus is 2 klicks deep into the asteroid...
  • Nobody ever said she was at the CENTER of the asteroid...
  • We can't beam in from outside the asteroid...
  • Therefore we can't tractor/repulse that far either...
  • Weapons fire triggers collapses inside...
  • The asteroid is unstable and subject to quakes, collapses, magnetic anomalies and surges, & gravity fluctuations as well....
  • Asteroid is big enough that Enterprise-D was able to fly/navigate inside a CRACK/fissure in the asteroid...
  • I'd guess from those facts that the asteroid is the size of a small moon, just not in orbit around any larger planetary body and thus only an asteroid...
  • We don't have the resources to budge the asteroid and IF we did, it is so unstable that the Pegasus would probably get crushed/irrevocably damaged in the process...
  • Shuttles are too small to navigate the fissures with all of the variable stresses, magnetic fields, and gravity fluctuations...

Therefore:

  • We HAVE to get a ship inside a fissure just to reach the Pegasus hulk...
  • We have to clear the fissure (Romulan induced collapse) Enterprise used or find another way in...
  • Life support on Pegasus would be nice but we can and should use suits to be safe...
    • NOTE: one ebook about the SCE had a similar ghost ship with cadavers all over. They had deteriorated to dust in many cases and were in the atmosphere once life support was restored. Yuck...
  • We can probably re-phase the ship easily enough...
  • We HAVE to find a way to move the Pegasus out of the asteroid while phased...
  • To do that, we have to get either impulse or thrusters working (or find another way)...

Questions we don't want to ask:

  • If the ship cloaks/phases out in space, it can pass through solid matter with no problem...
  • If the ship does so while embeded/entertwined in rock, don't the sections mixed with rock phase the rock as well...?
  • So... once we get the ship free and turn off the IPCD, won't the ship still have whole sections full of rock...?

Shudder...!!!

Of course that is a nasty twist... Maybe we still could harvest/salvage systems (including experimental prototypes) that aren't all rocked up if nothing else. You think?

[GP] Points well taken. However, as far as the questions thou sayest we dare not ask, I say must be asked in order to cover. Sometimes the question not asked is the one that needed to be answered...

Part Two -- Later...

[GP continued...] IC: "10, work is going well on the Determined. We are almost done with the main refit: getting the hangar/flight deck set to receive three DANUBEs. Other refits will wait until this mission is completed.

"I agree with the suits. Thanks to the hull breach (though Riker and Pressman were able to breathe, the dust from the collapse plus decaying bodies...probably not something we want to breathe in. Once the hulk is freed, suits would become a necessity for nayone in the ex-Pegasus' main engineering space. CDR Shultz and I will see that the bodies are removed, buried properly with due ceremony, or sent back to Starfleet for the families.

"Further, Serendipity for transport. I agree. Though I must admit I thought we had shuttles or runabouts that could handle two clicks into the asteroid and back out. Either way, your call.

"Now, the one thing I am sticking to my guns on is the phasing. If the Pegasus phased in, then got stuck in the rock when she came out of phase, then it would stand to reason that the opposite is true. If phased she should be able to come free from the rock, whether undertow, or if by miracle (OOC: nudge nudge, wink wink) we got her impulse engines operational. I would still like to maintain a tractor on her as a come-along, a guide if you will. Vessel of your choosing.

"So, my questions thus far are: do we have an exact position of where Pegasus is within the 'rock'? Could we go back through the same point that the Romulans blased shut, but Enterprise phased through? And what do we do to get into the asteroid to gain access to Pegasus without damaging the ship in the process, or at least minimizing the damage?

"Permission to speak frankly, Admiral?'

"Why stop now?"

"This mission is important to myself, and my crew, and will also benefit the Maquis by bringing back a 'ghost ship,' if you will, that no one has cared about for a long time. Another ship for the fleet, and more opportunities to recruit people into the Maquis. Failure is not an option for me, Admiral. As a saying goes, 'Don't give me the labor pains; just give me the baby.' And a quote from a great Earth movie: 'Improvise, adapt and overcome.' We WILL succeed, sir. My ship is not called 'Determined' for nothing.'

"Perhaps," mused 10of9 to himself with a grin, "it should have been named 'Stubborn.' I have to give him credit: he's got fire and grit..."

[10/9] RE: Bodies of the Crew... Agreed. Continuity in filming a show is seldom complete. Same goes for physics. I'll bet that the episode convieniently ignored the problem (if it was even recognized by the tech/science advisors) in favor of being able to film without suits in the way. We could simply ignore it as well, but it is more fun to overcome adversity... doncha think?

RE: Ship requirements... You missed the point. The episode where the Enterprise recovered the cloak ESTABLISHED that anything as small as a shuttle could NOT make the trip because of the shifting magnetic fields and stresses. The distance and navigation (ignoring the fields & stresses) was never an issue. It REQUIRES a bigger ship!

RE: ReCloaking Problems... You still are not seeing the point.

EXAMPLE #1 -- Try this:

[1] Use a bowl full of water and a two inch piece of drinking straw.
[2] Cover each end tightly with your two index fingers while holding it out of the water. Make the seal air-tight. Maintain your hold as you submerge the entire piece of straw under the water. Consider this your cloak in action. The straw says dry inside.
[3] While continuing to hold the straw completely under water, remove your finger enough to allow the straw interior to flood. Consider this to represent the cloak failing while within the rock. You still have the straw, but now it has water inside.
[4] Now, while still under water, make the seal over both ends air-tight (or liquid tight) again using your fingers. Consider this as re-establishing the cloak (while it is still flooded).
[5] Remove the flooded straw from the water while maintaing the seal on each end with your fingers. This represents the cloaked ship leaving the asteroid, however it is now full of water. NOT the same as when it went in...

EXAMPLE #2 -- As an alternate visual:

[1] Imagine a half full cement truck, product inside staying fluid while the drum spins. Consider this your cloak in action.
[2] Shut off the truck while still half full. Let it sit overnight. Consider this to represent the cloak failing while within the rock. Your half load of product hardens into a stone-like mass.
[3] Restart the truck and spin the drum. If it will turn, the truck will feel VERY unstable and may try to flip sideways. This represents the re-cloaked ship leaving the asteroid, however it is now full of "rock". NOT the same as when it went in...

Part Three

I NEVER said we couldn't recloak the ship... I DID say that the recloaked ship would include the rock that occupied the same space as the ship when it decloaked. ALL of that mass will now leave the asteroid, including the interior rock (and close exterior as well dependant on the range of the cloaking field in operation). Picture an oddly shaped bubble of everything being cut out of the asteroid...

We are fortunate that the ship decloaked in an area where there was any void/caverns at all. Otherwise nothing would be saveable.

To assume that the cloaking device can discern the difference is a huge stretch. The asteroid "rock" would contain many differing minerals, metals, and trapped organics as well. Seperating that material from the various minerals, metals, and organics that belonged to the ship and crew would be a monumental task. Even by trek standards...

I did not say we couldn't do the mission. I only say that the cost is much, much higher than something that was envisioned as simple as hot wiring an abandoned car with a dead battery. <smile> If really pushed, and if you still want the whole ship as it is, we can probably arrange for some 24th century jack hammers after we tow it in to chip out the rock one flake at a time...

As I think even more... that is the best case scenario. There is a high probability that when we recloak, due to damage from explosions and hull breeches way back when, not all of the parts of the original ship/crew will recloak when we activate the device. In other words, some parts may not still be attached to the main part of the ship anymore. The parts still attached to the part that we re-cloak WILL come with us.

I expect that we can re-cloak (something) and that we can get underway enough to move free. Anything more might be more of a miracle than you think.

Couple more points:

  • The ship that enters the asteroid to ferry people/equipment for the mission MUST withdraw (from within the asteroid) BEFORE the cloak gets activated for safety.
  • Removing the ship may trigger collapses in the remaining asteroid crevases.
  • Also, someone has to go for the ride out on Pegasus. I'd guess as few as possible. Maybe as few as 1 or 2. If it fails again before getting free, whoever is aboard is probably a deader.



Cloaking vs Phasing: Is there a difference here?

[GP] It's not the cloaking part, it's the PHASING portion. It should only phase the hulk, not the rock. Cloaking shields from view. As I understand it, phasing somewhat dematerializes, but only what it is supposed to, in this case the ship, not the 'rock."

I'll look more into this later.
Later... I think my point is being misunderstood, as is perhaps my way of thinking on this, I still see it possible to phase without cloaking. Phasing and cloaking...there is a difference. I don't want to be invisible, just a change in material condition. But whatever gets this thing done.

[10/9] "...but only what it is supposed to, in this case the ship, not the rock". Greg, you are mistaken. The phase/cloak of the IPCD does not simply cloak the ship [hull]. It must also phase/cloak everything within the confines of the ships hull--ALL matter inorganic or organic. Otherwise the crew would be left behind when it phase/cloaks and moves away. The singular phasing function of the IPCD [which ALSO cloaks by doing so], has to be an AREA EFFECT.

In this case, the IPCD cloaks by phasing. It is the ONE thing that happens, not one part of a dual Interphase device and co-axial cloaking device. There is only one effect--phasing--which by its nature also serves to cloak.

We pretty much have ONE shot at making this work unless someone points out something we missed... However there are a LOT of "IFs" along the way.

We also need a defensive battle plan in case our work is contested...


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