The Tungsten Factor
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Table Of Contents


Mission 30: THE TUNGSTEN FACTOR

 

The contents of the Ship Logs are considered to be a "compilation" under the provisions of Title 17, U.S. Code (known as the Copyright Act): that is, "A work formed by the collection and assembling of preexisting materials or of data that is selected, coordinated or arranged in such a way that the resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of authorship." As such, it is the property of the ship’s Captain; however, automatic transfer of ownership to STARSHIPS OF THE THIRD FLEET is effected upon publication of this mission by the ship’s Captain ipso facto.

As outlined in Circular 1 (Copyrighted Basics, Library of Congress, Washington DC, USGPO 1989-262-309/12), "copyrighted in each separate contribution to a periodical or other collective work is distinct from the copyright in the collective work as a whole and vests initially with the author of the contribution."

This mission may not be reproduced in any form without the express, written authorization of STARSHIPS OF THE THIRD FLEET.

Prologue

Lieutenant JG Marcus Jinkson, Science Officer, failed to make Officer’s call at 0800. Initial inquiries through the Science Department were not successful. A search of the ship by security personnel was ordered by Lieutenant Commander Soen Mon’ Teith, Chief Security Officer of the Phoenix with the help of the Marines. At 1300 LT Sean Michaels found the body of Jinkson in an escape pod on Deck 4. Though there were no apparent signs, foul play was immediately suspected. Not only the location of the body, pointed to this conclusion, but the fact that Jinkson was not very well liked by his peers. There had been several flare-ups involving him with others in the past.

Later that day Chief Medical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Kora Natevera, notified Captain Lawrence the results of her autopsy. Medical’s ultra-rapid cell sorter procedure completed on blood and tissue samples indicates death was due to massive tungsten poisoning. In a separate procedure, Lieutenant Dylan Macinis noted the DNA in all samples taken was malformed. The samples have been transported to the science lab for further processing.

Lieutenant Commander T’Prel, Chief of Science, ordered her team to process the samples immediately. Lieutenant Debbie Wilson was quick to recognize the blood and tissue samples exhibited changes quite similar to alien vegetation samples currently undergoing generic manipulation in the lab. The lab team informed the Captain that the manipulation of the DNA is accomplished by literally shooting microscopic tungsten spears coated with DNA into vegetation by the use of a biolistic apparatus known as a Bioblaster. The opening created is less than a millimeter in diameter. The Bioblaster and its DNA ammunition was missing from the lab.

Further medical examination of the deceased body showed that Jinkson had been shot ten times with the blaster loaded with tungsten spears coated with DNA.

……..The search is on.