Al-Khaled frowned. “You’re suggesting this material is sentient?”
“Not at all,” Xiong replied. “Only that it possesses some degree of biological components, though of course it would have to be a form of life we’ve not yet encountered. Perhaps a biomechanical combination? Living cells fused within a crystalline structure?” Releasing a frustrated sigh, the lieutenant added, “Of course, it’s just a theory.”
“Well,” al-Khaled said as he shook his head, “it’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before, believe me.”
Of course you haven’t,Xiong thought, just as you’ve probably never taken a xenobiology course to study Tholians. If you only knew what I knew…
Once again, Xiong felt the weight of secrecy pressing down upon his shoulders, the supposed need for security preventing him from sharing all of his knowledge with al-Khaled. As always, he was baffled by Starfleet’s reluctance to engage its brightest minds—such as those belonging to al-Khaled here as well as to any number of scientists and engineers scattered throughout the Federation—in a bid to piece together the puzzle harbored by this region of the galaxy.
Instead, he could only sit and hold his tongue, listening as al-Khaled spoke aloud many of the same thoughts, ideas, and theories Xiong himself had put forth during the first days of his investigation, hoping that even without the assistance and information Starfleet already had accumulated here, the engineer might through his own skill and perspective provide some fresh avenue of insight, a new way of approaching the seemingly inexhaustible list of questions Xiong’s own efforts continued to accumulate.
“So,” Xiong said after a moment, “any ideas on how to interface our equipment?” He suspected he might be able to anticipate al-Khaled’s answer, given his team’s previous attempts.
Confirming his suspicions, the engineer replied, “We might try fitting a portable generator with a dynamic mode converter. Adjusting the converter’s polarity to account for the lack of a physical conduit with which to connect might give us an idea of how power flows through these circuits.” Frowning, he added, “If that’s what you want to call them, that is.”
Xiong nodded, pretending he was hearing the notion for the first time instead of already having seen the idea tested and proven successful several times. “Worth a shot, I suppose, though I have to wonder how effective it would be. We might be able to stimulate some of these…circuits…but I can’t see how that would give us any real interface to the technology.”
“It won’t,” al-Khaled replied as he moved back to the table where he had been working alongside Xiong. “It’d be like pressing our foreheads to a console aboard ship and trying to access the library computer through the electrical impulses in our minds. We’re not compatible.” He tapped his fingers atop the table, considering the problem for a moment. “What we’re missing is a piece of connective technology to bridge the gap between equipment and user.”
Xiong found himself impressed with the engineer’s capacity for deductive reasoning. For the past several days he had deliberated the theory that a form of biometric “key” might be required in order to gain access to the storehouse of ancient technology. Considering the sensor readings recorded by the Endeavourduring the previous incident here and factoring those readings in with the remarkable discovery made by Dr. Fisher during his examination of Xiong’s ill-fated friend Bohanon, the lieutenant now believed that the meta-genome almost certainly had to be a crucial component of such an interface.
Bioneural impulses channeled through a complex polycrystalline lattice,he mused. Makes the Tholian connection all that much more interesting, doesn’t it?
The discovery by Dr. Gek and his team that the subterranean power signatures detected both on Erilon and Palgrenax bore a distant and all-but-indistinguishable similarity to Tholian technology had thrown a spanner into the research data collected by Xiong and the Erilon research team. Such a parallel, no matter how superficial, brought with it the potential for a staggering change in the way he—and Starfleet—viewed their approach to learning the truth about the Taurus Reach.
That the enigma of the genome might somehow play a part in acquiring the means to understand this place and all it harbored was a hypothesis Xiong had shared with no one. Listening to al-Khaled begin to formulate a similar theory—a task he could never complete without possession of the knowledge he was denied thanks to the secrecy enveloping the meta-genome’s very existence—only added credence to his belief that there must be some substance to his own conjecture.
“Mahmud,” Xiong said, choosing his words with care, “we know it’s possible for a living organism to generate neural impulses that an artificial construct can interpret and react to. We have prosthetic limbs, devices to aid with visual impairments, and so on.” He indicated the row of inert control consoles along the chamber’s far wall. “What kind of connection would be required in order to tie into equipment like this?”
Al-Khaled rubbed his chin as he pondered the question. “Something akin to a keypad or even a fingerprint or retinal scan. A bioneural interface of some sort.”
“What if the artificial and biological components were bonded at the genetic level?” Xiong suggested.
“That’d be a neat trick,” al-Khaled replied. “Biology was one of those subjects I skipped in order to spend more time taking things apart and figuring out why they work. I’m an engineer, though, so that means I’m not above the occasional juicy rationalization.” Moving from the worktable, he crossed the chamber until he was able to run his hand across the surface of the dormant control consoles. “Still, it’s not hard to figure out that if we’re really looking at the kind of biomechanical fusion you’re talking about, it would be genetic engineering on a scale that’s way, way beyond anything we understand. Forget all about bionic prosthetics and the Eugenics Wars and cloning. This is a whole new ball game, Ming.”
Xiong nodded in approval at the engineer’s reasoning. Everything they had discussed fit with his theory as well as matched up with what he knew must have happened here during the incident with the Endeavour. According to what he and his team had learned to this point and in order for the power generators and other systems tied into the weapons unleashed against the starship to have been activated, an interface such as the one he and al-Khaled were theorizing would have to be involved.
The thing that attacked us— it must have contained the meta-genome. Thathas to be the answer.The more Xiong thought about it, the more excited he became at the notion. He was here, on the cusp of grasping a fundamental thread that weaved through the very fabric of the Taurus Reach mystery.
All that was needed was a substantive sample of the creature’s DNA.
Not the easiest task to complete,he mused with no small amount of frustration.
Feeling confined inside his insulated parka, Xiong unzipped the garment and allowed some of the chilled air permeating the chamber to cool him. “So,” he said, fighting to keep his mounting excitement in check, “how do we rig an interface for us, without subjecting ourselves to some bizarre and as yet incomprehensible form of genetic manipulation?”
Al-Khaled chuckled. “Off the top of my head? Develop something like a universal translator, though one capable of transmitting signals or impulses through an organic means.” Frowning, he added, “We’d have to devise a method to regulate the power flow—enough to communicate basic commands until we get a better grasp of whatever it uses for software, and not so much that we overload the control panel’s lattice the first time we use it.”
Xiong nodded as he considered the engineer’s off-the-cuff concept. Listening to it laid out in such straightforward terms lent all sorts of credence to his own theory about the meta-genome’s involvement in the use of the technology around them.