Captain Samson pauses outside the briefing room, accompanied by Professor Lake. She nods to Jon, Zed, Tony and Marissa, "Lieutenants, please follow me," before proceeding in.

Inside are Cdr. Taliaferro, the Lintillas and a lieutenant in Security gold. At the foot of the table is a woman who seems identical to the Lintillas in a Starfleet Sciences uniform. Taliaferro introduces her as LCdr. Katrina Carson.


"Well, Cdr. Carson, how do you explain this amazing similarity?" asks Samson without further ado.

"It's a very long story," she says. "As you have guessed, My true name is Lintilla," says LCdr. Carson.

In reply to Capt. Delilah Samson (msg # 1):

Jon is taken aback, and is feeling a bit manipulated. "Did you know about her?" Jon asks the 3 'original' Lintillas accusingly. "Is this how you already knew all about Starfleet when we first discovered you?"

In reply to Lt (jg) Jonathan Clare (msg # 2):

OOC:  first my OOC post.  Sorry for not posting much lately.  Lot going on in my work life which now is stable so I can start focusing on other items again.

In reply to Lt Zedrick Sloane (msg # 3):

Letting Jon talk to the other Lintillas, Zed turns to Lcdr. Carson. And asks"Commander, did you know the other Lintillas had travelled here or was their presence unknown? Curious what ability we may have to detect their travel to know if others have travelled here.  And being a LCdr. You must have been here for a while,"

LCdr. Carson replies, "Honestly, I had no idea. Our connection only goes about a thousand kilometres except in exceptional dire situations. I mis-jumped in space about fifteen years ago and wound up in the Triangle. My ship only just made it to a class M planet, which happened to be New New Aberdeen. I got work with the Baker's Dozen University and restablished credentials as an anthropologist. A few years later, one of the Starfleet officers suggested I join up, so I emigrated to the Federation and signed up, using my Bakers Dozen identity. I was as surprised as anyone to find other Lintillas here!"

Cdr. Taliaferro comments, "Your mother is listed as Lintilla in your records with N/A for 'father's name'."

"Well," she replies, "Being a clone of the original Lintilla, both are true."

"We literally have no father!" break in the three Lintillas in unison.

Taliaferro grimaces, "I just thought it was a cultural thing..."

Captain Samson says, "Well, it is irregular and Starfleet Security will want to run a complete background check, but I see nothing quite illegal here... At least, on the face of it anyway. Commander, I'd like her to stay here on Dyson Base so we can straighten everything out while her sisters are still here."

In reply to LCdr. Katrina Carson (msg # 5):

After hearing LCdr. Carson's story, Jon is feeling a bit less manipulated. But he is still curious about a lot of things.

"Now that you are in a room together, are all four of you connected?" he asks. "Or do you three have a stronger connection between yourselves? And can you explain what you mean by 'dire situations'?"

Katrina replies, "Yes, the contact is active. It's not like telepathy, just... feelings. And of course a tendency toward parallel trains of thought. That's why we so often form working couples or triads like my three sisters, here. It's kind of like putting on an old comfortable jumper. The best adjective would be cozy. As for the 'exceptional circumstances, it's only happened once that we know of, when a group of us were captured and killed most cruelly by a group of mercenaries believed though not proven to have been contracted by Dolmansaxlil. All the Lintillas in the Megabrantis Cluster felt it—some went mad."

"It..." "...was..." "...terrible!" shudder the Lintillas, all the colour draining from their faces.

Captain Samson orders a pitcher of ice water anf four glasses from the replicator. "Take your time," she tells Carson and the Lintillas.

In reply to LCdr. Katrina Carson (msg # 7):

"I'm sorry I have pressed the issue," says Jon, gently taking the hand of one of the original Lintillas. Jon feels closer to the original Lintillas than to LCdr. Carson, even if the evidence indicates they are all the same.

"Is it likely that there are other Lintillas in Federation space?" Jon asks. "Perhaps it is possible to articifially boost your connections to find out. Without," he adds hastily, "causing harm to any of you."

"Well," says Lintilla 2, the one who most resembles Kat Carson, "Dahlakino seemed to be able to sense our connection." "Yes," says Lintilla 1, "Maybe..." "...She could help!" finishes Lintilla 3.

Samson looks intrigued. she taps her combadge and snaps "Dahlakino, report to the briefing room immediately!"

In reply to Relic GM (msg # 9):

Zed listen intently to the conversation, "I hate to ask, but is it fair to say the more Lintellas affected the great range you can notice it at.   For example commander Carson you could likely sense the 3 when they are together at a greater range than they coined sense you." 

"It's possible that the more of us involved, the greater the range," replies Carson. "I don't think there's been a study done."

"We're not..." "...aware of any..." "...studies, either." add the other Lintillas.

"Since our link isn't—properly speaking—telepathic in nature, there's never been a way to test it. We all test out as being about as psionic as a rock," concludes Carson.

Dahlakino enters the briefing room and is quickly brought up to date on the discussion. "Psionics is known in my galaxy, but rarely studied as it is far less prevalent than Force sensitivity. In many ways, its study has been suppressed by the Jedi as a useless fringe effect since the Force is so powerful to those of us who can manipulate it," she says. "Anything psionics can do, the Force can do better... at least from the point of view of the Council."

In reply to Lintilla (msg # 11):

"You are suggesting then," Jon says, musing, "that Lintilla is using this so-called 'force' to communicate among herselves. I wonder, then, if they have any other force-related capabilities that they are unaware of."

Dahlakino shakes her head, her lekku swaying behind her shoulders. "No, Jon, not precisely—they are not specifically using the Force, but those who are Force-sensitive can sense their connection. I can't actually hear what they are communication, I can only feel that there is an exchange of... information, whether it is feelings or whatever. It's hard to describe it to a non-Force-user..."

Samson breaks in, "We can discuss the mechanics of this Force at our leisure later. For now, the question is 'can you use the phenomenon to increase the range of their communication?'"

Dahlakino hesitates momentarily, "Though Master Yoda would chide me for saying so, I can only try. I'll need a quiet room in which to meditate, alone with the Lintillas and Cdr. Carson."

Samson nods. "You can have the use of one of the holodecks, to create the surroundings which would best facilitate your work."

In reply to Dahlakino (msg # 13):

Jon has sudden reservations about this plan. "Could there be any danger in doing this?" He asks. "Not only to the Lintillas here, but we may distract a Lintilla elsewhere in the middle of something critical."

"That's a very good question, Lt. Clare. Of course, we do not want to cause any problems along that line, under any circumstances. I'll only permit this experiment if it is as certain as possible that there will be no such problems," Samson says.

Dahlakino replies, "Yes, of course, Captain. The Force, however, is most subtle and can be used passive. The aspect to be used is called Sense, and it is most appropriately called this. Jedi are trained to control the Force precisely, and to control any emotions of thoughts which might interfere with the goals of a particular task."

Tony interjects a question, "So how does this Force of yours differ from psionics? What is the mechanism behind it. I gather from what you've mentioned before that the Jedi Order have been studying it for a great deal of time."

Dahlakino begins, "The Jedi have served as guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic for over a thousand generations. The Force is an energy field that connects everything in the galaxy. The Force is generated by all living entities; therefore, the Force resides in all lifeforms. It is especially powerful in a select group of individuals who were born with a high concentration of midi-chlorians—microscopic, sentient lifeforms that shared a symbiotic relationship with the Force—in their blood. These people are deemed Force-sensitive, making them capable of harnessing the various powers of the Force.

"The three main aspects of Force studies are referred to as <b>Control, Sense and Alter, and there exist a vast number of techniques which utilise one or more aspects of the Force. These techniques are individually known as Force Powers. In this experiment, I will restrict myself to using only the Sense Aspect of the Force.

"As for psionics, these techniques do not use the midi-clorians and so we are taught they are much less powerful."</b>

In reply to Capt. Delilah Samson (msg # 15):

Jon looks at the Lintillas. "Is all this new to you? Any idea if you have these 'midi-chlorians' in your blood?" he asks.

"Also, it's late," he continues, turning to Dahlakino. "Are you going to do your experiment now, or is it better after a good night's sleep?"

Lintilla 3 replies, "Never heard of them." She turns to Dahlakino, "What in Sheol are midi-chlorians? By extension, are the mini-chlorians or micro-chlorians; or even maxi-chlorians?"

Dahlakino explains, "As I indicated, midi-chlorians are intelligent microscopic life forms that live symbiotically inside the cells of all living things. When present in sufficient numbers, they could allow their host to detect the pervasive energy field known as the Force. Midi-chlorian counts are linked to potential in the Force, ranging from normal Human levels to the much higher levels of Jedi. The highest known midi-chlorian count belonged to Anakin Skywalker, who was believed to have been conceived by the midi-chlorians.

"Present in all life, midi-chlorians were isomorphic on every planet that supported life. Midi-chlorians, in fact, were necessary for life to exist. They also allowed for a connection with the pervasive energy field known as the Force; in sufficient numbers, midi-chlorians could allow their symbiont organism to detect the Force, and this connection could be strengthened by quieting one's mind, allowing the midi-chlorians to "speak" to their symbiont and communicate the will of the Force. Counts as low as 2,000 midi-chlorians per cell provided no sensitivity to the Force; an average Human had less than 2,500 per cell, while a mildly Force-sensitive being such as Nova Stihl had a count in excess of 5,000. According to Sith Lord Darth Tenebrous, a being born of "pure force" might have a count of 15,000 or more, implying that most Force-sensitives did not have a count that high. Jedi had especially high midi-chlorian counts, and of them Anakin Skywalker was said to have the highest ever recorded at over 20,000, even higher than the powerful Jedi Master Yoda. Midi-chlorian counts were measured through a blood test; the Jedi used this method to locate Force-sensitive children before the Jedi Order was purged by Order 66."


She takes a small device from a small pouch she wears beneath her tunic. "This is a midi-chlorian counter." She takes a tiny blood sample from one of the Lintillas. The counter projects a double holographic image above it.


"The upper image is a single midi-chlorian, while the lower shows one of Lintilla's erythrocytes, or red blood cells. This indicates a reading of 2,700 midichlorians per cell—just above average for a Human, but not enough to indicate a Force-sensitive."

Talja, who has been attached to Tony at the hip all evening, takes out her tricorder. She scans the projection and calls up an image on the wall monitor.


"Your midi-chlorian appears to be simply a mitochondrion. Mitochondria are organelles, or parts of a eukaryote cell. They are in the cytoplasm, not the nucleus.

"They make most of the cell's supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that cells use as a source of energy. Their main job is to convert energy. They oxidise glucose to provide energy for the cell. The process makes ATP, and is called cellular respiration. So, mitochondria are known as "the powerhouse of the cell".

"In addition to supplying cellular energy, mitochondria are involved in a range of other processes, such as signalling, cellular differentiation, cell death, as well as the control of the cell division cycle and cell growth.

"Mitochondria vary in number and location according to cell type. A single mitochondrion is often found in unicellular organisms. Conversely, numerous mitochondria are found in human liver cells, with about 1000–2000 mitochondria per cell, making up 1/5 of the cell volume."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:46, Thu 10 May 2018.

In reply to Lintilla (msg # 17):

Sloane is trying to follow but most of these terms and numbers are just jargon to him.  "So it sounds like the Lintillas are not force sensitive.  So the hope is that Dahlakino and CDR. Carson can find a relation between the force and PSI to determine what their connection actually represents. "

He thinks for a second "Are there any other items similar to PSI, force that the Federation understands and we should try to study at the same time.  The Borg, the Q, and others seem to have the ability to communicate over great distances."

Lt. Swann's eyes also seem to be glazing over from the deluge of data. She clearly sees her role in life as a woman of action as evidenced by her early military service and has little patience for this sort of thing.

Dahlakino regards Zed and replies, "You're correct, they seem not to be Force-sensitive. The Force can reveal their communications, but only that. They cannot manipulate the Force, clearly, and since they are genetically identical, being clones, it's a good bet this goes for all four of them or however many there are in total. It may well bear study, but seems unimportant at the moment."

Cdr. Taliaferro seems less than impressed with this conclusion. "Be that as it may, there's still the case of what to do with my First Officer. She's been a valued member of my crew and a good friend, but I'm at an impasse as to the ramifications of this discovery."

Samson interjects, "I think I may have an interim proposal. While Starfleet decides what to do about LCdr. Carson, would you be willing to detach her to Dyson Base under my supervision where she could also catch up with her sisters and Dahlakino can conduct her studies. Lt. Sloane, I'm afraid you'll have to get along without the services of Ms. Dahlakino for the immediate future as we investigate."

She stands. "And Lt. Clare is correct. It is getting late and most of us have had a bit to drink—" she winks at Tony, "—so I'm going to restrict the Lintillas, including Cdr. Carson, to Freeman's Island. And now; I have some dignitaries to attend to."

In reply to Dahlakino (msg # 19):

"May I escort you to your quarters?" Jon asks the original 3 Lintillas. "Begging your pardon LCdr.," Jon adds, turning to Carson. "Lintilla and Professor Lake already have quarters here at the base. I don't know if you want to stay with them or have your own quarters."

Carson replies, "The Captain has assigned me quarters next to my sisters, so I'll accompany you."

Prof. Lake says, "Then we're all neighbours, sweetie. Welcome aboard!"

Lintilla 1 adds, "We're all on the ground level, then. The professor and I share a room, while Lintilla and Lintilla share the room across the hall in the guest quarters. You're in the room at the end of the hall with its entrance between our rooms. Ambassador Worf and Emissary Klaang are on the other end with the Klingon Doctor, Keh'Lef."

She leads them out the door to the right, along the circular corridor to the second cross-corridor and turns left then forward to the next cross-corridor. At the T-intersection is a double door, which the group enters. A few more metres and they turn left again and come to three doors, one on each side and one at the end.

LCdr. Carson enters the door at the end of the corridor. "Just let me change, and I'll be right back," she says.

[To be continued in The Bortas]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:40, Mon 14 May 2018.