"One Definition Of Life"
[ Con't from Serena's "Friendly Chat" ]
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"Life is defined as a material system that can acquire, store, process,
and use information to organize its activities. In this view, the essence
of life is information, but information is not synonymous with life. To be
alive, a system must not only hold information but process and use it.
It is the active use of information, and not the passive storage, that
constitutes life."
- FREEMAN DYSON, professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced
Study, EARTH
--==(/\)==--
Stardate: 60319.1900
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 6, Administrative Area
"Good evening Lieutenant," Allyson said greeting the imposing Oltharian
as he entered the Administrative Wing of the secret Intel base know to
only a hand full of people. "Admiral Koneki will be right with you. Can I
get you something while you wait? Maybe a large glass of fresh apple juice?"
To many, the receptionist's unwavering willingness to please all
visitors was a source of discomfort, others could not help but wonder how anyone could be so pleasant and happy all of the time. For Elan though,
Allyson's behaviour was something that he enjoyed observing, almost to the point of displaying awe at the woman who some believed to be far more than she
appeared. As an Oltharian, a race which believed in the protection and
admiration of life in all of its forms and shapes, Elan Talak Fairborn
possessed a somewhat unique perspective on the universe. As the base's
Robotic Engineering Officer, the once Chief Engineer who had served on
three ships and one starbase had discovered yet another unique way of looking
at things - specifically Allyson and her kind.
"Miss Allyson," the Oltharian began as he approached the desk of the
receptionist, a desk behind which the woman seemed to be on duty in
perpetuity. "It is truly an honour to once again be in your presence.
How have you been doing? Is there anything that *I* could get for you?"
The slight tilt of the receptionist's head hinted to the questions
having been received with a certain amount of surprise despite the general
knowledge that Elan Talak Fairborn was well known for being the type of
man who enjoyed making others happy. In the time span of an eternity, at
least in regards to the processing speed of the most advanced computers,
Allyson's head slowly return to a full upright position as she looked back at the Robotic Engineering Officer. "Thank you Lieutenant, it is very nice of
you to ask but I have no need at this time," the receptionist replied in a
tone that seemed almost alien to the woman before she continued in the style
that she had been renowned for. "Are you certain that I cannot offer you
anything to make your wait for the Admiral a more pleasant one. We do
have an extensive collection of technical manuals that I am sure you would
find most interesting."
Elan smiled and bowed as only a peaceful giant of his kind could.
"Thank you Allyson, but I doubt that any of them would prove to be anywhere as
interesting as you."
"Mr. Fairborn," Admiral Koneki chimed in as he stepped into the
reception area, "are you flirting with my receptionist?" Although meant as a
jovial question, the Admiral's posture pointed to the question having also
been meant with a great deal of seriousness to the point of almost being an
accusation.
"I would never assume to do such a thing to Miss Allyson," Elan quickly
said, turning to the Admiral and respectfully bowing to the NEW
ALEXANDRIA's flag officer, "I respect both you and her far too much."
"That is what I thought," the Admiral said, crossing his arms in a way
that displayed the man's interest in the Oltharian and his recent activity.
"Allyson, Mr. Fairborn and I have a great deal to talk about, so if
anyone needs to see me, inform them that I will not be available until
tomorrow morning. This of course precluding that an emergency situation should arise."
"Of course Admiral, I shall relay all minor issues to Commander Quint
or Commander O'Dell. Have a good evening Admiral. Mr. Fairborn, it was a
pleasure to see you again," Allyson said with a level of respect and
gratitude that actually took the NEW ALEXANDRIA's flag officer by
surprise.
As soon as the two men stepped into the corridor, out of the
Administrative Area and beyond the reach of Allyson's hearing, Koneki turned to the towering engineering walking next to him. "You know, I believe that it
was the first time I have ever heard Allyson be thankful for someone's
visit. If I didn't know better I might actually believe that she is developing a certain attraction for you."
The Oltharian gently shook his head, the possibility of the base's
receptionist developing any sort of attraction towards him or any other
member of the NEW ALEXANDRIA's staff having been an impossibility that
the Robotics Engineering Officer knew to be a fact beyond reproach. "She
is only responding to my repeated visits to your office over the last
several days in regards to the project that you brought me here for."
"Yes," the Admiral said with a glowing smile that could have rivalled
the brightest star visible from the secret base, "Speaking of your project,
how is Annie?"
The Oltharian replied with a smile that in many ways matched that of
the flag officer before he verbally confirmed what the Admiral had already
suspected. "I think you will be very pleased with her progress and I
am almost certain that you will be ready to sanction her joining the crew
of the ANUBIS for their upcoming mission."
"Well done Lieutenant," Koneki said tapping the giant on the back as
far up as he could reach. "Your last report to me said that the final
adjustments would likely take over a week to be processed. Looks like you have been putting in a great deal of extra work on this project, and that makes me very happy."
Again bowing with a reverence that only the Oltharian could manage,
Elan presented the Admiral with the explanation as to why the work had been
accomplished so far ahead of schedule. "With all due respect Admiral,
I cannot accept the credit for this accomplishment. The willingness of
Annie to learn and the efficiency of the staff with whom I am working with is
at the core of the project's success."
"Modest as always," the Admiral grinned having expected the engineer to
bounce the compliment away from himself and onto April and those who
had been working with him. "Let's go," the flag officer said picking up
the pace of their travel down the corridors, "I am most anxious to see just
how well she is performing."
--==(/\)==--
Lieutenant Junior Grade Elan Talak Fairborn 2005 post #153
Francois Charette {f_charette@hotmail.com}
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
