Without the resources of a starport, removing the sensor array will be a long and drawn out process (Perhaps taking days, even longer if working cautiously) for Ajit requiring him to spend time both inside the ship as well as the exterior dismantling and disconnecting components and then transferring them over to the Wildcard but doing so will remove the penalties associated with the current sensor system. However, if Ajit is only savaging parts with the goal of reducing the penalty this could probably be accomplished within eight hours or so though working cautiously will increase this time.
At one point, several hours into his work on the bridge, Ajit is working underneath the sensor console disconnecting various wires when he thinks he sees something move quickly through a bundle of wires. A moment later he sees it again, a small bug perhaps a cockroach, skittering between wires and disappearing into the console.
Ajit works along in the peace and quiet of space, only occasionally interrupted by the comms as various people check in and report their findings. However when something suddenly runs across his vision, he stops and stares. Then he sees it again and almost jumps. He quickly calls out through the comms "We have some kind of bugs crawling through the wires. What kind of bugs can survive the vacuum of space for this long? Everyone needs to be alert, these critters may be related to whatever happened here."
Gaden and Krakrefr conduct an initial sweep of the Elena, clearing rooms and ensuring there are no obvious threats or hazards; something they are able to accomplish in a half hour to forty-five minutes. Some of the hatches and irises are harder to pry open then others but the team manages to gain access to every part of the ship.
The crew staterooms are first to be cleared and searched more thoroughly. In the room where the body was seen another audio recorder is found, this one on the floor. When played it comes back to the ships steward, who identifies himself as Gregory Yates
"OK. Ship made a huge misjump. Seems like the problem came from an asteroid belt. If there really are bugs they seem at home in hard vacuum, makes sense for an asteroid critter. The ship has vented its gases as far as possible and powered down. Perhaps that's home environment for the infestation. Maybe we should get her back in running order. First let's see if we can confirm bugs. Someone else needs to see them, preferably on camera, or they may just be a symptom - like the guy seeing emotional tone as colour. I'll get the droid looking in the conduits where Ajit saw them."
Edited: Bindoner on 16th Dec, 2016 - 12:55am
In Character: : Maiokus keys over to the doctor, "Shuth, you picking this up? Any thing in the ship's library that could be causing this? Is it the bugs or is it spread by the bugs?"
"I will take a look. I would advise not sending the droid over as we do not want to bring any of the bugs over here. I will do some more research but it sounds like this could be bad if we are not careful. Keep a eye out for any bugs and do not let them got on you or in your suits."
Shuth heads over to his computer and inputs a search on possible vacuum living bugs. And cross references it with hallucinations and mental stress.
Unfortunately the ship's library is somewhat limited in that it does not have regular access to something akin to internet access where it is constantly updated. When the Wildcard enters a system with a starport of class C or better there generally is an exchange of information but often the amount of information that pours in from across the Imperium is so vast that common servers found on civilian ships like an independent free trader are not going to accommodate all that information. That being the case I would say that the information that Shuth would want to cross reference is not likely to be available in the ship's library.
Shuth would probably have access to some medical encyclopedias and journals in digital form but these would probably not include such specializations and would be more limited to general medical information. In the end Shuth would probably have some knowledge that a phenomenon such as psionic bugs, or various other psionic creatures likely exists somewhere in the Imperium, but it is unlikely he has more specific information. He would also know that there are various diseases, spread by vermin and/or insects, whose symptoms do include hallucinations, erratic behavior, and general psychosis. Again, what Shuth would probably have reference to in terms of mental health issues would be data similar to having a DSM-V or similar psychological reference as well as some psychiatric references regarding various medications that are commonly used to treat certain mental illnesses.
Shuth would need to essentially conduct an autopsy on one of the bodies to gather more information as to whether what their dealing with is in fact a disease or some form of psionic attack.