The "Ghost" in the Machine (part 2)
Posted on Tue Jun 14th, 2016 @ 2:57pm by Commodore Samantha York & Commander Hans Munich & Lieutenant Commander Damion Wolfe & Lieutenant Illise Hale & 1st Lieutenant Leroy Mangalia & Crewman E.M.H. Galen
1,120 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission: Point of View
[CONTINUED]
[OLD]
Illise took notes about Galen's experience on her PADD. "You reported that the computer seemed to be testing the ship's systems?" She asked.
"Yes. The manner in which the computer accessed and used various systems, seemingly at random, suggested that it was testing them to see what they do. I found this very odd, as the computer is not programmed to preform such analysis'. If the database was corrupted to the point of losing the relevant data required to run a system, it would simply ignore the broken link and prompt for repairs." She seemed to consider for a moment, then continued. "Despite the random appearance of the malfunctions, there does seem to be a pattern to the computer's probing of the ship's systems. In fact... " Galen stopped talking as suddenly a large number of requests to access her program came from the Main Computer. She denied them all, but with growing difficulty, and the lapse in her focus showed as she appeared to be staring blankly at the empty space between herself and Illise.
[NEW]
Sam went to the nearest console and quickly checked the activity of the main computer. "Galen's right," she said. "There's been a sudden burst of activity from the main computer aimed at the EMH. This does not appear to be random, but rather a deliberate attempt to take over the EMH or keep her silent."
"Can we block it? Isolate her programming?" Drani asked, wishing she had a mobile emitter but with holographic projectors throughout the ship, a EMH mobile emitter wasn't necessary.
Leroy popped off the wall, moving forward gently. "Now, how long would it take to create a portable emitter," he asked as he started gently tracing the outline of the knife under his arm. "And disengage the entire ship system of projectors so that the good EMH here can keep seperate from the main computer." Squinting he then smiled, almost as if he had gained telepathic powers. "EMH, where is your control console? Is it placeable inside a shuttle or fighter? Since I keep my birds away from the main grid for any number of reasons, these intrusions wouldn't be happening anymore, because the main computer isn't hooked into my flight."
"Just because it's separate, doesn't mean it's not vulnerable." Damion said with a slightly raised voice, having stepped in just before Leroy began to speak. "Sorry I'm late." He said, looking over to Sam. "Personal business." He than looked back to Leroy and continued. "You're fighters are still vulnerable because they are still on the same network, they rely on the same type of Starfleet codes. Codes this thing has already toyed with. It's been able to get into the holosystem and access characters from the crews personal holo-programs. Knowing that, we have to proceed with the knowledge that its capable of learning, adapting, and has some means of traveling between systems. Intel. Security. Sickbay. The Holodeck. These are all systems that have their own independent codes and have all been infected." Damion walked over to Sam and handed her a PADD with Tallas's report on the systems and whats been infected. "We all know its not unheard of for our computer specialists to hack through various computer systems in order to access information or force a command, and for something that works at this speed that travels along the same system, it's not unbelievable that it wont be able to link into your fighter, or a shuttle, in order to get into the one program that it has finally been able to grab our attention with." He looked over to Drani, than to Sam. "It's been trying to contact us, Captain. The least we can do is pick up and see what it wants."
Sam took the PADD and quickly glanced through it. She had to admit, she agreed with Damion. She definitely wanted to see if they could make contact.
"I tink narrowing the places it can go vould be best." Munich said as he played with a console. "I can shut down all the access able Holographic emmitters and leave only a handfull dat vill be apart and hard to jump between." Munich thought. "I could also send a type of polarized cleaning charge to test the connections; dat might be able to herd da creature in a given direction?"
"That could also be seen as an attack from us." Damion stated, looking over to Munich. "This thing has access to our computer system, meaning things that could potentially kill us. It could screw with life controls, gravity, even life support. It doesn't need these systems to survive and it has already proven it can use these systems to its advantage." He looked to Sam. "Although, closing off its access and directing it to a specific holo-emitter is not a bad idea, unless we communicate with it our intentions we aren't sure whatever we do may not be considered hostile to it. It could be every well considered a threat to its natural environment. I still say opening some lines of communication is our best bet. We can't do anything that could be considered a threat when it can control the very things that keep us alive on board at its very fingertips. It's like a hostage situation, only we are the hostages."
"We have a large portable emitter," Sam said. "It might work. However, I would like to know what Galen thinks. She is the one who would be making first contact."
After denying the requests, Galen quickly added a few new security subroutines to the holo-core. Unfortunately at the rate which the computer was learning to bypass them, she did not hold too much confidence that they would last very long. While the discussion around her was most interesting, but she was not sure that she agreed with all that was said.
"I apologize. Maintaining the holo-core's security is getting more difficult." Galen told them. "As I was saying, the pattern of malfunctions suggests intelligence. The malfunctions have been inconvenient and perhaps dangerous in some cases, but do not appear to be conducted with malice. If the intent was to harm, there are many systems which could do so quite effectively, but most systems have only been tested briefly." Galen decided not to alarm them by describing the many ways the computer could of killed them, even without full access to the life support system. Instead she posed some theories that she had been considering.
(To be continued...)
Lieutenant Illise Hale
Chief Science Officer
Crewman Galen
EMH
Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer
Lieutenant Damion Wolfe
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
Master Sergeant Leroy Mangalia
Flight Leader
Lieutenant Commander Hans Munich
Acting XO
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