 | Stardate: 93408.2 | AAR: Prototype Testing | Report Submitted: LT Keliaya | Level 2: Confidential |  |
On stardate 93405.7, the crew of the U.S.S. Gainsborough was selected for the testing of a prototype deflector modification, due to my involvement in the project that developed it. Headed by Athena Ved of the Trill Science Academy, the project, and our testing, seeks to eliminate the dangers of quantum filaments. Instead of detecting a quantum filament, which is very difficult due to its almost non-existent mass, the deflector modification is designed to read the resonance frequency of a filament and automatically adjust a starship's shields to counter and minimize the damage caused.
The Aquarius escort Fearless was taken to conduct the experiment on my suggestion, in order to limit losses as much as possible should something go wrong. The Fearless was staffed by a small crew, headed by Captain Lazard, while Commander Leveson-Scott took command of the Gainsborough in the commanding officer's absence.
Our destination was a region in the Alpha-7190 sector known as the Great Black Hole. Most of the sector is currently unexplored, but reports claim that the region is untraversable due to mass occurrences of quantum filaments, originally speculated to be a giant black hole when ships entering the area never returned, hence the name. As detecting filaments is difficult even when close, this region was the best way to locate one for testing.
Upon arrival, the Fearless scanned the area in order to find as many filaments as possible so we could maneuver around some of them instead of charging headlong into all of them, which increases the risk. Thanks to the Lt. Caelia's sensor work and Lt. Sh'Vethit's piloting skills, we were able to avoid several of the anomalies and our deflector modification kept the Fearless intact as we passed them by.
The quantum filaments ceased once we had cleared the thin band of them; they appeared to encircle the region, forming a barrier around it. However, once we were in, three ships approached from inside the anomalous region on an intercept course. We tried to communicate them, but neither our messages nor Lt Cmd. Eunbi's telepathic attempts proved fruitful.
The unidentified starships possessed an avian aesthetic, similar to the birds of prey employed by Klingons and Romulans, but visibly different in design. They had shielding that was slightly stronger than those used on Klingon or Romulan birds of prey and were equipped with phaser banks, albeit ones that were at least a century behind that of Starfleet's phaser technology. Their deflector array, however, appeared to be extremely powerful and their warp cores were capable of at least warp nine. Both the Fearless sensors and Lt Cmd. Eunbi's abilities confirmed that there were lifesigns on board; though details on them could not be distinguished, they did not match any known species.
Despite our best efforts to avoid conflict, the alien vessels attacked us, using their combined deflector power to seemingly generate a quantum filament. One of the ships tried to tractor the Fearless into the filament, and when we attempted to break free, a second joined in and our efforts only delayed the inevitable. Captain Lazard gave the command to retaliate, and the deflector modifications held the Fearless intact long enough for Lt. Zecou to open fire and damage one of the alien ships.
The conflict ended there as the alien vessels stopped attacking. We once again attempted to communicate with them and after several failures, we were able to find a common language in an archaic backwater dialect of Cardassian. The aliens simply prompted us to leave and we did as asked, receiving another message warning us not to return as we began to exit the region and made our way back through the filaments without incident.
The mission was a success as the experiment performed well. There are still a few improvements to be made, and it did not act as absolute protection against a quantum filament, but it is a step closer towards it and a layer of protection that may save many lives. However, Dr. Athena Ved was injured during the unidentified aliens' attack and her condition is uncertain as of the date of this report.
The unidentified aliens discovered inside the Great Black Hole possess rather advanced technology. Though their weaponry is outdated in comparison with Starfleet's, their ability to create quantum filaments and other potential methods of weaponizing their deflectors can make them dangerous. It is believed that the reason for the existence of filaments in the region is to create a protective barrier around what is supposedly their space, a minefield of anomalies. Their actions against the Fearless appear to be nothing more than defending their home, and they should not pose further danger to Starfleet or the Federation if we remain out their space. For that reason, I suggest that the region remain flagged as unsuitable for travel.
//SIGNED//
Lt. Keliaya