"Things Are Never As Easy As We Want Them To Be"
(Previous Post: "Minor Obstacles")
---
Stardate: 60325.1700
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
The Shillian scientist had been relieved that Lt. Dawson had not been onboard the SPHINX when it had returned the second time but instead of having to deal with an irate and possibly irrational engineer the Chief Science Officer had been force to deal with a non-talkative Marine First Lieutenant. Actually it had not been the Shillian woman who had dealt with the unhappy Marine upon his return but one of the Medical officers which had permitted the head of the science department to watch without needing to be involved. Part of Maya had wanted to reach out and welcome Pravat back but his reaction to the Ensign who had wanted him to report to Sickbay had made it clear to everyone that the Marine had not been in the mood for anything other than what he had in mind.
Following that incident the Shillian scientist had returned to the bridge and reported on the situation before resuming her work with the Intelligence Liaison Operative who had remained behind to come up with a way for the ANUBIS to reach the surface of the planet below using their transporters. The more the Chief Science Officer worked on this problem the more she came to realise how perfect SURIAL III had been for the establishing of a prison, the natural atmospheric interference of the planet making it nearly impossible for anyone to scan or beam to the planet. Luckily for Captain Rikar and the rest of the crew of the ANUBIS the shape-shifting scientist had never been one to believe that anything was impossible, all that it meant was that the technology and way of thinking to make whatever had been needed or required had simply not been developed as of that precise moment in time.
While researching the possibility of using a quantum fluctuation to allow the targeting sensors and transporter beams to penetrate the interference of the planet the Shillian woman noticed that the blonde haired woman by her side had been working on an entirely different process, one that seemed to be heading in the opposite direction of their intended objective. "Commander," the Chief Science Officer asked, "can I ask as to why you are working on a dispersion patter for the transporter signal? It would seem to be counterproductive as we are trying to penetrate the interference surrounding the planet which would in theory require us to find a way to further *narrow* the beam to make it able to penetrate the natural barrier around the planet."
The Intel Operative only glared at the scientist, maybe because she had dared to question her motives of because the Shillian had done so in such an unnecessary lengthy way, either way the look had been more than enough to make the Chief Science Officer stop her questioning without leaving any hint of further curiosity behind.
Enaii seemed reluctant to reveal the reason for her research but after a few moment the Intelligence Liaison Officer motioned the Chief Science Officer to come closer something that the Shillian woman had not dare refuse regardless of how unsure she had been considering the glare that she had been the target of only seconds before. As the Shillian scientist looked at the console that the Intel Operative had been working on, the scientist saw a theoretical analysis of what the blonde haired woman had been working on.
While the Shillian woman had been working on various ways to pierce the interference the Intelligence Officer had been working on a way to use the orbital defence platforms to scatter the transporter signal as much as possible allowing it, in theory of course, to seep through the interference surrounding the planet like countless droplets of water passing through a sieve. The one and most difficult problem of using this process immediately jumped up at the scientist who looked at the Intel Operative with wide opened eyes. "How are you planning on reassembling the transporter signals after they have been so widely dispersed? Even with all of our systems perfectly intact and the absence of the field around the planet we would have a hard time to insure that *all* of the signals would be reintegrated into a single coherent beam for re-materialisation. I mean I can see that according to your calculations the process would likely be successful in penetrating the interference but what would be the use of being able to send anyone down to the planet if we are incapable of making them whole once they are there?"
Although the discussion between the Chief Science Officer and Intelligence Officer had been whispered for the most part, the senior most officer present on the bridge had been able to pick up enough of the conversation to have her curiosity peeked. "Making progress?" Lieutenant Commander Serenna asked as she came to stand on the other side of the science station located at the back of the bridge of the bridge.
"No," the Shillian replied placing her inability to see a solution to the problem unearthed by the Intel Operative above the fact that the work done by the other woman had achieved in theory more than anything the scientist had been able to do. "I mean yes," the Chief Science Officer said after a few seconds, "Lieutenant Commander Enaii has come up with a possible way for us to penetrate the interference field surrounding the planet but unfortunately the solution may prove to be as if not more dangerous than the problem itself."
The Executive Officer had been on the verge of asking the Shillian to explain what she had meant when the hybrid realised just what she had been about to do. Asking the Chief Science Officer to *explain* anything would have been a very long-term commitment, one that the First Officer of the ANUBIS silently conceded to not having neither the time or inclination for. Suspecting that the Intel Operative would not have pursued this research if she had not had some trick up her sleeves to resolve the problem the scientist had mentioned Serenna turned to Enaii.
As different as the two women were they obviously shared a great many character similarities, this became all too evident to the Shillian woman as she watched the two of them looking at one other and exchanging what seemed to be a very complex discussion without either one of them speaking a single word. Eventually the Intelligence Operative handed over a PADD to the Executive Officer who took it and began to read its content.
"Who did you have in mind for this?" The First Officer asked making the Shillian woman wonder as to what had been on the PADD. Had the Intelligence Liaison Officer been in possession of a solution all this time, and if so why had she not let the scientist know about it? Had Enaii wanted to see how Maya would react to the work that had been done or had the Intel Officer wished to see if the Shillian scientist would come up with another, maybe less dangerous solution? Curious as to the answer to the question presented by the Executive Officer and a great many more things, the head of the Science Department remained perfectly silent waiting for Enaii to actually speak.
"Me," the Intel Operative replied without any sort of hesitation as if the answer had been the only possible one. The Executive Officer nodded and turned in the direction of the office of the Commanding Officer whom she had apparently wanted to inform about the breakthrough made in the quest for reaching the surface of the planet by using their transporter systems.
---
Jessica Solarik { maya_992003@yahoo.com }
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
"To see the world in a grain of sand, 2005 post #368
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
