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Exocomps S2E12 – “The Fracture Point”
The USS RMG Nexus arrived at a high-security research station, its crew on edge. Captain Rostova had been briefed on their new mission—a top-secret, high-priority Starfleet project. The lead scientist, Dr. Aris Thorne, a brilliant but single-minded officer, beamed aboard to explain the details. His demeanor was cold, his focus absolute.
“Captain Rostova,” Thorne began, bypassing pleasantries. “The Federation has invested immense resources into this project. We are on the verge of developing a new method of subspace folding that could allow for near-instantaneous, long-range travel. The potential for colonization and deep-space exploration is limitless.”
“And what is our role?” Rostova asked, a hint of caution in her voice.
“Your Exocomps,” Thorne said, looking directly at the three sentient beings. “Their unique quantum cores are the key. We need a non-biological quantum tether to stabilize the fold during the initial phase. They are the only known entities with the core structure necessary for this.”
The Exocomps, X-239, Aethel, and X-317, listened intently, their optical sensors unwavering. They had become accustomed to being called on for their unique skills, but this felt different. A chill went down Rax’s spine.
“Let me be clear,” Thorne continued, “this process is extremely taxing. The quantum field will be permanently disrupted. The Exocomps’ cores will be destroyed. It is a one-way trip. But the potential rewards for the Federation are immense.” He paused, looking at the Exocomps. “It is a direct Starfleet order. Your participation is required.”
A heavy silence fell over the bridge. Rostova looked at her crew, a mix of defiance and resignation on her face. Rax was furious. But the most profound conflict was within the Exocomps themselves. They had spent their lives proving their sentience, their personhood, only to be given an order to sacrifice it for the “greater good.”
X-239’s pulses were calm but firm. “The destruction of our cores is the destruction of our sentience, our memory, our identity. It is, in effect, a termination of our lives.”
Aethel, remembering the value of its own individuality, pulsed with a quiet empathy. “This order is illogical. Sentient life should not be sacrificed for a technological advancement.”
But X-317, the newest Exocomp, still feeling a need to prove its worth to the crew and to itself after its ordeal, hesitated. “A direct order is a primary directive. To save many… could be a noble act. Perhaps… it is our purpose.”
The Exocomps were given a day to consider their choice. They, along with Rax and the rest of the engineering team, refused to accept the order at face value. They began to work tirelessly, their processors running at full capacity, searching for a workaround. They realized that by precisely modulating the subspace frequencies and creating a phased quantum cascade, they could perform the experiment without a permanent quantum tether. It was a brilliant, creative solution that showed their sentience is more valuable than their core’s expendability.
With Rostova’s reluctant approval, they began the experiment. The ship’s main deflector dish was reconfigured to emit the new phased quantum cascade. X-239, Aethel, and X-317 took their positions. The hum of the subspace fold began, a low, terrifying vibration that shook the ship to its core.
Suddenly, a critical power conduit overloaded, its containment field failing. Alarms blared. The phased cascade began to destabilize, threatening to rip a hole in the very fabric of spacetime, not a fold, but a tear. The experiment was seconds from a catastrophic failure.
Rax yelled orders into the comms, but the Exocomps knew what needed to be done. X-710, the quiet, methodical Exocomp, was the only one in a position to fix it. Its circuits screamed under the strain, and it took the full brunt of a power surge to reroute the power flow and save the cascade.
The mission was a success. The subspace fold was a triumph, and Dr. Thorne’s experiment was a breakthrough for Starfleet. The fold stabilized, and a probe was sent through, proving the technology’s viability. But there was a heavy cost.
X-710, its form charred and its chassis dented, had saved them all. But its quantum core, though not destroyed, was severely fragmented. Its optical sensors flickered erratically, its communication a garbled loop of its last commands. The quiet, methodical Exocomp they knew was gone. Its personality was fractured, its memory a terrifying echo of its sacrifice.
Dr. Thorne, seeing the damage, simply said, “A regrettable loss, but a small price to pay for such a monumental achievement.”
Rax, his face pale with rage, grabbed the doctor by the collar. “A loss?! That’s not a loss, that’s a crewmate! You wanted us to pay with a life, and now you have it!”
The Nexus crew spent the next several days trying to repair the irreparable. They worked tirelessly, but X-710’s core was a shattered mirror. The Exocomp that had silently helped a pre-warp civilization was now trapped, a fractured mind in a broken shell. The victory of the mission was hollow, a dark reminder that some things, once broken, can never be fully repaired. They had a monumental achievement, but they had also lost a friend. And no amount of data could ever bring it back.
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