Activation Energy

(The energy that must be put into a system to start a chemical reaction)

I actually had this idea a short while ago, but the idea for Paris's 'activation energy' speech and the consequent naming of the group came during a Chemistry test on energetics yesterday. I was staring at the question that asked be to define what activation energy was and, lo and behold, the speech just floated to me. Magic! So now that I've finally found the point of taking A-Level Chemistry, I'll have to finish writing this story so that I can do my homework.

Warning: I don't see myself finishing this story anytime in the near future! If you want to add a 'section', then e-mail it to me, or send me the link, and I'll add it with appropriate kudos given!!

Disclaimer: The idea is mine, but the characters aren't. Unless I decide to write in a cameo.

This one's for my Chem. Teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Petrus, and JetC22.

PART 1: Standard Enthalpy of Formation.

"Upside, inside out! Livin' the Vida Loca!!" Neelix sang out as he served up Tom Paris's pleebebebebebebebebeema casserole with a flourish. Neelix was very proud of this creation, which may have explained his extra exuberance today.

"See you at the Holodeck at 1400!" Neelix said with a jaunty wink.

"Just make sure you bring everything on that PADD or else!" Paris said in a low voice, taking the casserole and heading off to sit with B'Elanna.

 

Later that day the crew began to converge secretly on the holodeck. Neelix quietly let them in, keeping a watchful eye out for any of the ship's commanding trio as he did so.

Finally all invited guests had arrived, and Neelix stood in front of them and said,

"I'm sure most of you are wondering why you're all here, so, without further ado, I will hand you over to Ensign Thomas Eugene Paris, co-ordinator, who will enlighten us all."

Neelix sat back down and Paris took his place. "Before I begin, may I check that you all have a PADD with you?" he said. A chorus of 'yes'es arose, so Paris continued. "I'm sending some questions to your PADDs, which I want you to answer as truthfully as possible, and then send the answers back to my PADD. Understood?" Another yes-chorus greeted him, and they all got to work.

Harry activated his PADD and looked down at the first question:

Who on Voyager would you most like to see get together?

  1. Janeway and Chakotay
  2. Kathryn and Chakotay
  3. The Captain and the First Officer
  4. The Cute Redhead and the Big Indian
  5. All of the above
  6. Tuvok and the Captain.

B'Elanna hm'ed and ha'ed over options 'e' and 'f' for a few minutes before realising that 'f' was a trick question. Selecting 'e', she moved onto the second question in the questionnaire:

Do you have any brilliant ideas for getting them together?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Maybe
  4. Possibly
  5. No, but I have some bad ones
  6. My ideas are secrets
  7. Shut up!

B'Elanna had to think about that one too. She finally decided on 'c' as the most truthful answer, and moved onto the third question that awaited her:

Do you like Leola Root?

  1. No
  2. No
  3. My name is Neelix
  4. No
  5. No
  6. No
  7. No

She wasn't sure if this was a trick question, so she keyed in 'b' to be on the safe side and moved onto the fourth and final question:

Please complete this tiebreaker:

If the couple in Q1 got married, I would wear….

Harry had to think hard for this one. He had never been very good at writing tie-breakers, so he went for something simple and practical and wrote, 'I would wear my dress uniform.'

The only Betazoid in the room had just finished writing 'nothing' when Tom called, "Alright, time's up! Send the answers to my PADD and we'll get down to business."

Tom looked at the tabulation of the results on his PADD's display screen and smiled. Everything was going just as he had thought it would be.

"Now, delete the questionnaires from your PADD's."

Most people had done so when Naomi burst in in a Catwoman costume.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" everyone screamed as Naomi started running around crying, "The Captain's coming! The Captain's Coming!"

One person kept her cool in the midst of all this madness. B'Elanna quickly shouted to the computer, "Activate transport program Delta 9-1." Instantly, everyone in the holodeck was transported to the mess hall. And just in time, because, at that moment, the holodeck doors slid open to admit Kathryn Janeway. She shook her head at the deserted room, saying to herself as she did so, "I'm sure I heard a noise coming from here…" She broke off as she noticed a discarded PADD lying on the floor. Bending down she picked it up. "That's interesting. I wonder what it is?" She pressed the PADD's activation button and found herself staring at a large word.

"Questionnaire," she read aloud. "'Question 1. Who on Voyager would you most like to see get together? A) Janeway and -' What on Earth?!" Quickly she scrolled down the list of answers, blushing furiously at 'd' and 'f'. Noting that the person whose PADD it was had chosen 'e', she moved onto the second question…

 

"Let's just continue with the meeting," Neelix suggested, handing out choc-chip cookies, and they all sat down.

"As I was saying," Paris continued, "Would anyone who selected 'f' in the first question please leave." No one moved. "Great!" Paris exclaimed happily. "Then let's get down to business, shall we?" he looked down at his PADD. "It looks as if everyone here wants to see a certain two CO's together - and I'm not talking about Chakotay and Tuvok." He paused and let the assembly laugh at his ultra-unfunny statement. "Unfortunately, said officers never seem able to make a move. In Chemistry, before a reaction occurs, a small amount of energy, known as 'activation energy' is required. Between those two, as in a potential chemical reaction, the chemistry is there but the activation energy is not! I propose that we become that activation energy!"

A large cheer greeted this speech. When the crows calmed down, Paris continued. "Starting from now, we are going to admit their feelings for each other. Any ideas are welcomed. Collect your daily info from me at the beginning of the alpha shift each morning. I know I have your support in this matter - and, remember, not a word to the triumvirate."

There were nods of acknowledgement all round the room and Paris dismissed the meeting. They had just started to break up when Chakotay walked in.

Everyone stopped dead.

"What is going on here?" Chakotay snapped. He'd had a bad day today, having woken up late and, as a result, been 10 minutes late for bridge duty. The Captain had given him one of her sternest lectures and deathglares - and in front of the whole bridge crew, too. Since then, he'd been acting like a bear with a sore paw.

"Um, nothing?" Paris asked hesitantly, not wanting to disclose the point of the meeting to one of the key subjects,.

"Does this look like nothing to you, Paris?" Chakotay growled.

"Okay then, it is a communal gathering of a lot of people," Paris replied smartly.

"Stow it Paris. I don't have the time for your wisecracks."

Paris thought quickly. This hole he was in was going to require a very long ladder to get out of it.

"Commander, promise not to tell the Captain and Tuvok, but we were going to host you a… a surprise Christmas party," Paris improvised wildly. "As a thank you for being such good friends and CO's. We didn't want you to know about it." Paris thanked his lucky stars that it was December, not June.

Chakotay cheered up slightly. He loved parties, especially surprise ones… "I'll pretend we never had this conversation, Paris," Chakotay winked, and walked out of the mess hall with the beginnings of a smile on his face.

Paris, on the other hand, sank into the nearest chair with a look of despair on his face. B'Elanna eyed him. "It looks like we have a semi-surprise Christmas party to plan for certain CO's," she said.

"What a setback," Paris said.

"Maybe we shouldn't waster this opportunity," Megan Delaney said, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Paris asked, a bewildered feeling coming over him.

"Mistletoe…"

 

Kathryn deactivated the PADD and placed it back on the floor, wondering what was going on here. She toyed with the idea of showing the PADD to Chakotay, but decided not to. She would just keep an eye on Paris and Company for a few weeks…

 

END of Part 1!

Part2 Not Up Yet

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