Protracted Man

A transwarp experiment goes horribly wrong and it is up to the Bretagne to find out what happened to the test pilot, before he destroys the ship!Story By Paul Jacoby (Based on a TOS premise by David Gerrold)

GM Narration By Paul Jacoby

Stardate: 2502.6 (2268)

Summary

Teaser

The USS Bretagne has been assigned to the outer rim of Alpha Centauri to assist in an ambitious experiment in space--based on what is known as “transwarp theory,” currently a controversial and heavily debated topic.

The Bretagne is scheduled to rendezvous with the USS Andromeda and her Captain Bruce Van Tassel. Captain Van Tassel is currently the Starfleet liason to “Project: Alpha Centauri Transwarp Study” (PACTS) which is considered an upstart rival to the Transwarp Development Project on Earth.

Captain Van Tassel beams over with the project VIPs: Sir Richard McDonnell, his wife Joan, his son Steven (the test pilot for the project), and Drs. Hugh Krauss, Louis Goethal and Philip Hyde.

The Bretagne senior officers host a semi-formal gathering in the briefing room, during which Captain Van Tassel takes the opportunity to visit with and dote upon his daughter, Lieutenant Katerina Van Tassel. Tension builds between the three project scientists and Lieutenant Commander T'Val, as her presence sparks concern that the rival Transwarp Development Project may be spying on their work.

Later, Captain Van Tassel gives his daughter a tour of the Andromeda. Lt. Peterson is interested in meeting Steven McDonnell and getting a chance to look at his custom shuttlecraft, the Icarus, but is instead called away to manually synchronize the navigation systems on XTC 2.

At the designated time, the Andromeda takes Steven McDonnell and the Icarus to the Sol system, which is the entry point (XTC 1) to the transwarp conduit in order to prepare for the test run. Sir Richard, Joan, and the project scientists stay aboard the Bretagne, which is waiting at the exit point (XTC2) to monitor the results. The Bretagne is poised to establish a transporter lock on Steven in case something should go wrong.After the Icarus passes into the conduit, something goes terribly wrong. The shuttlecraft is caught in mid-transition, like a fly caught in a cosmic web. T'Val attempts to beam Steven to safety, but the transporter is registering multiple passengers (the numbers vary from moment-to-moment).

The tunnel begins to collapse, and a field of intense subspace gravity forms; sucking the conduit into itself on both ends. The Bretagne is pulled in by the gravimetric shear, but Lieutenant Peterson skillfully maneuvers away before the ship is crushed. The last communication from the Andromeda suggests they are struggling to break away from the same gravitational pull, but their signal is suddenly cut off.Act I

Following the collapse, space returns to normal. The experiment is a failure.

With effort, Steven is beamed back successfully, but doing so causes the transporters to short out. Richard’s father is there to greet his son. After a hug, Richard slaps his son on the back and Steve suddenly begins to shimmer--and then separate into 3 distinct monochromatic colors (red, yellow, and blue). Just as instantly, he reverts back to normal and then falls to the floor unconscious.

Steve is taken to sickbay and examined by Dr. Warrix, while the pilot’s family is waiting outside. The doctor is puzzled, because the instruments examine a normal human being one moment, and several the next. The condition could be temporary, permanent, or even contagious. He just doesn’t know. Otherwise, Steve appears awake and alert with normal vital signs. The pilot speaks with an echo, as if 3 men are speaking in unison.

Dr. Warrix reports his findings to the patient's family, as well as Captain Harper. Richard and Joan demand that Harper find a way to “cure” their son of his condition. Harper attempts to reassure the family and has Dr. Warrix continue to work on a solution.

Meanwhile, Chief Engineer Schrödinger begins repairs on the Bretagne and Lieutenant Commander T'Val attempts to examine the transporter in hopes of finding some clue to Steven's condition. The project scientists Krauss, Goethal, and Hyde appear unwilling to assist, and Harper becomes suspicious of their motives. He has them confined to quarters and encourages Steve's parents to stay in their quarters and allow the crew to work on the problem.

Back on the bridge, attempts to contact the Andromeda fail and Lieutenant Van Tassel is worried about her father.

T’Val realizes that this man’s current state might have an effect on the timespace continuum if they go to warp. However, she is still unsure as to the exact nature of this man’s condition, much less how to reverse it.

Dr. Warrix hails the bridge from sickbay; reporting to Captain Harper that Steven has somehow escaped and is currently loose on the ship! Directly after, Schrödinger reports that the ship is losing power. He estimates all power will be lost within 24 hours.

Act II

While security is searching the ship for Steve, T'val reports on the results of the accident. The experimental warp involved a fourth dimensional energy field: Time. Because Steven was extracted from the warp prematurely, he has been s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d along this time dimension. He manifests as multiple copies of himself; following behind at fractions of a second. He has become a new creature. . .unlike anything ever encountered. He is a living manifestation of the timespace continuum-- a “protracted man.” Due to the fact that Steven is a manifestation of warp-space, he is now siphoning off power from the ship.

The senior staff meets in the briefing room to work on a solution. It is conjectured that it may be possible to modify the transporters to realign Steven's multiple copies, but repairs and modifications are going to take approximately 12 hours.

Back on the bridge, Lieutenant Van Tassel begins receiving reports of system failures all over the ship. Comparing the reports, she notices that they appear to form a trail leading back toward engineering. She reports the results to Commander Harper, just as he receives a hail from the captain's chair. Steve(s) has been spotted in Main Engineering. He is still in his protracted state, and appears quite agitated. As Schrödinger is reporting this, Steven bumps into a member of the crew and separates into more copies! All of Main Engineering is being overwhelmed by copies of Steven McDonnell.

Act III

T'Val estimates that at this rate, the multiplicity of Steves will completely fill the ship in less than 4 hours. If they can't round them all up in time, they may have to transport him into space before he exceeds the capacity of the Bretagne, but only as a last resort.

Commander Harper orders Chief Ch'od to flood Main Engineering with anesthizine gas. While Steven is subdued, T'Val finishes modifying the transporter and they are able to get a lock on all the different "Steves."

Taking the transporter controls, T'Val successfully recombines Steven, and he is reunited with his anxious parents in the Transporter Room.

The Bretagne heads to Sol to report back to Starfleet and for repairs. They find that the Andromeda and all hands are okay (much to Lt. Van Tassel's relief), but the ship was severely damaged by the gravitational well, and will need extensive repairs.

Memorable Quotes

Background Information

Icarus design courtesy of RAF-MX and Matt Daniel.

Links and References

• • "The Protracted Man" at Orion Press

  • "The Trouble With Tribbles" (nonfiction) Ballantine 1973, third entry down