[Science lab 3, USS Charon]
He mumbled to himself something about science not stopping for anyone, he punched a few numbers into the PADD and leaned back on his chair. He had a few tests he wanted to run before heading to lunch, unfortunately he noted to himself, no matter how far we progress in technology, a scan will always take however long a scan wants to take. He chuckled.
The screen in front of him showed rows of data being processed. He wondered how long this scan would take. His mind began to wander...
The screen in front of him showed rows of data being processed. He wondered how long this scan would take. His mind began to wander...
The door opened to the Science lab, the noise it made startling Nathanial and making him nearly topple backwards off his chair. He quickly regained composure and turned around, in the doorway stood Sakarra.
She had of course expected for someone to be in the lab even with the current power problems and the fact that Betty was serving another variation of food from her native continent at this moment. What she had not anticipated was that the 'someone' would be young Mr Doyle - who nearly fell out of his chair at her approach. The young half-Vulcan briefly quirked a brow as he regained his balance and then nodded a polite greeting.
"My apologies, Ensign. It was not my intention to startle you."
He did not look quite as tired and overwrought as he had the last time they'd come across each other, but his hair was just as disheveled and Sakarra began to wonder whether this was a type of default state for this particular human.
She walked over to the consoles displaying output from Charon's powerful sensors and identified the one relevant to the changes that dropping a planet into this system by… well, unconventional means, had produced in local space. Not that she was too worried about the few bumps that the inertia dampeners had been compensating for quite nicely, but she preferred to keep informed. Otherwise someone else might 'end up with coffee in their lap'.
The scans looked rather more detailed than regulations required and if that was due to modifications by the young human, it certainly was more proof of his resourcefulness.
She debated whether to even mention the matter of the one time his resourcefulness had not quite produced the desired results and decided for the moment to focus on the issue that had brought her here.
She debated whether to even mention the matter of the one time his resourcefulness had not quite produced the desired results and decided for the moment to focus on the issue that had brought her here.
"Mr Doyle, I had hoped it may be possible to route those readings to the helm, circumventing our power fluctuation by bypassing the affected areas. In your assessment, might that be possible?"
"Miss Sakarra, anything is possible with the right mindset and tools" He responded with a cheery tone. Her presence seemed to make him feel slightly... lighter. He also found that looking at her had an averse effect of upturning the left side of his mouth into a smile. He put his mind back to the task at hand and spun to face the console that he figured she was implying, it contained several different sets of scans, including the spatial effects due to the changes caused by the new planet, as well as scans of the star in the system, and a scan on a small vial of air from the planet, taken after the relocation was complete.
He spun back to face Sakarra "Now before we find a way to circumvent the power issues, which readings exactly are you after? I do have the latest scans on Betty's latest delight." He comically added in.
He spun back to face Sakarra "Now before we find a way to circumvent the power issues, which readings exactly are you after? I do have the latest scans on Betty's latest delight." He comically added in.
It took the young woman a moment to identify the last comment for what it was and her brow climbed by a full centimeter.
"Indeed the latter should make for a fascinating study, however the readings concerning those spatial disturbances shall suffice."
"Indeed the latter should make for a fascinating study, however the readings concerning those spatial disturbances shall suffice."
The young human's astonishingly blue eyes sparkled with a rather endearing cheerfulness, but Sakarra wasn't quite sure whether he was simply delighted to have company in the otherwise empty lab or if this was another of his 'default' states.
She tried to sidestep the chair he was sitting in to indicate precisely which scans would be useful to the helm officer on duty but found her way blocked by another chair.
"The subspace readings here should not present a problem unless we find ourselves in a situation that requires emergency warp."
Logic dictated that if she rose on her toes and leaned over his shoulder just a little, her arm would just about reach… yes. Touching the panel just so with her outstretched finger, she caused the display to highlight the pockets of dissipating disturbances. But some of them seemed to cause 'ripple effects'. Fascinating.
"Those, however…" she trailed off and tilted her head for a second.
"Hm."
Nathanial looked at the scans that Sakarra was pointing at. She spoke and he turned his head to face her, his eyes caught the tip of her finger, from there his gaze worked its way over her hand and up her arm.
He tilted his head around to face hers, and it took him a few seconds to realize that their faces were just millimeters apart.
She tried to sidestep the chair he was sitting in to indicate precisely which scans would be useful to the helm officer on duty but found her way blocked by another chair.
"The subspace readings here should not present a problem unless we find ourselves in a situation that requires emergency warp."
Logic dictated that if she rose on her toes and leaned over his shoulder just a little, her arm would just about reach… yes. Touching the panel just so with her outstretched finger, she caused the display to highlight the pockets of dissipating disturbances. But some of them seemed to cause 'ripple effects'. Fascinating.
"Those, however…" she trailed off and tilted her head for a second.
"Hm."
Nathanial looked at the scans that Sakarra was pointing at. She spoke and he turned his head to face her, his eyes caught the tip of her finger, from there his gaze worked its way over her hand and up her arm.
He tilted his head around to face hers, and it took him a few seconds to realize that their faces were just millimeters apart.
"...those are of interest indeed, it seems that when we brought the planet to this region of space that..." He paused, she had not moved, it was then that he noticed her eyes. He wondered why he had not noticed them before, black on black, it reminded him of a singularity, and believed that just like a singularity, if he looked into them for too long he would get lost in its mysteries.
"...that it has caused a few small fluctuations to local space, nothing to be really worried about, its like relocating a plant, the soil and surroundings initially give the plant a hard time, but over time if the plant is strong enough, the surroundings will come to accept and work with it and even grow to depend on it..."
"...that it has caused a few small fluctuations to local space, nothing to be really worried about, its like relocating a plant, the soil and surroundings initially give the plant a hard time, but over time if the plant is strong enough, the surroundings will come to accept and work with it and even grow to depend on it..."
"An interesting metaphor," she replied levelly "and I am inclined to concur."
He seemed rather interested in the coloring of her eyes, something Sakarra was familiar with to an extent but few people reacted the way this young human did.
Most people who were unfamiliar with her heritage tended to question the automatic information "Betazoid" on account of her distinctly Vulcan ears and features before coming to the conclusion "unusual hybrid" or "simply very dark eyed Vulcan". Those who knew would usually either display curiosity or signs of being uncomfortable near what they perceived as an empath and telepath.
This one however seemed positively fascinated by what was in a strict sense no more than an indication of Betazoid DNA in her genetic makeup.
He seemed rather interested in the coloring of her eyes, something Sakarra was familiar with to an extent but few people reacted the way this young human did.
Most people who were unfamiliar with her heritage tended to question the automatic information "Betazoid" on account of her distinctly Vulcan ears and features before coming to the conclusion "unusual hybrid" or "simply very dark eyed Vulcan". Those who knew would usually either display curiosity or signs of being uncomfortable near what they perceived as an empath and telepath.
This one however seemed positively fascinated by what was in a strict sense no more than an indication of Betazoid DNA in her genetic makeup.
But maybe it was simply the close proximity that was unsettling to him, it had been pointed out repeatedly to Sakarra that the heat radiating off a Vulcan's skin could catch other species somewhat by surprise.
In either case, she decided to return to her former pose, standing behind his chair with hands loosely clasped behind her back.
"Until the surroundings have settled however, the ground is still unstable enough to create minor shifts in the soil. Shifts which could possibly cause something as comparably small as Charon to get caught in them and cause a great amount of coffee to land in numerous people's laps."
In either case, she decided to return to her former pose, standing behind his chair with hands loosely clasped behind her back.
"Until the surroundings have settled however, the ground is still unstable enough to create minor shifts in the soil. Shifts which could possibly cause something as comparably small as Charon to get caught in them and cause a great amount of coffee to land in numerous people's laps."
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[to be continued]
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Lieutenant Sakarra Tyrax
Chief Helmsman
Chief Helmsman
&
Ensign Nathanial Doyle
Assistant Science Officer
USS Charon
Assistant Science Officer
USS Charon
