"Engineering Poetry"
[ Previous post Sabrina's "Issues" ]
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"The quiet tranquility of the cosmos hides with great efficiency the
chaos the reigns within, from the sub-atomic transmutation of matter to the
biological life-forms which struggle on a daily basis to make sense of
the universe around them."
- Inscription found on a Iconian ruin
--==(/\)==--
The humanoid body is an astoundingly complex system able to ward of
some of the most dangerous attacks against itself while at the same time
presenting an unmatched layer of vulnerability. As the Oltharian Robotics Expert continued to labour over his creation Elan began to realise that the
ANUBIS' Avatar had been made to be far more human than just by appearance.
Like the members of the crew she had been constructed to help and assist Annie
had proven that despite her sturdy alloy frame her systems had been as
fragile as anyone else's.
No one would have held it against the Oltharian had he decided to
simply abandoned the project and create a second Avatar for the ANUBIS as long
as this had been done in time for their departure to IRRAJ. Given that
the Robotics Lab on NEW ALEXNADRIA had been fully stocked and equipped such
a task would have taken only hours, but Elan had refused to treat Annie
as a mere piece of equipment which could be discarded and replaced without a
second thought.
The Oltharian could easily recall how the mechanical woman had grown beyond her programming within only hours following her activation which had elevated the Avatar to being something far more than a simple collection of sophisticated electronic circuitry. As far as the Oltharian had been concerned Annie had been as *alive* as any other member of the crew and therefore deserved to have her essence protected at all costs - so the engineer continued to work, painstakingly fixing the networks which had been either damaged or destroyed during the rescue of the ANUBIS' Intelligence Liaison Officer.
While the Oltharian worked on the inanimate woman an unseen form
watched from the shadows, her arrival and continued presence never having been
detected by the Robotics Expert. Even had Elan not been so busy with
his repair efforts Enaii knew that she would have been able to remain
undetected by the Oltharian giant but her presence in the room had not been meant as a show of her stealth. In fact Enaii had on more than one occasion left the veil of secrecy that the shadows had provided to approach the
artificial woman and look upon her immobile form.
The stories of how the ANUBIS' Avatar had pushed herself beyond the
limits of her construction to save the Intel Operative had reached Enaii and
had made the woman to seek out the entity which had been at the centre of
this *miracle*. As Enaii studied Annie from both afar and up close, the
operative could not reconcile her feelings for the artificial woman
whom she despised and was eternally grateful for all at the same time.
The woman known as Annie had yanked her from a place where she had not
wanted to leave from, but in doing so the Avatar had also given the
Intelligence Operative the opportunity to be once again with the people
she cared the most for. Faced with these conflicting feelings Enaii had
decided to remain a mere observer to the work of the Oltharian and see what
would happen next.
The sound of the doors hissing open heralded the entrance of someone
new into the room, an announcement which send Enaii back into hiding and
left Elan unscathed as he continued his labour on the artificial being.
"How is it going?" the captain of the ANUBIS asked, her eyes scanning
the outer edges of the room in search for the woman she had come here to
see. At first Sabrina had expected to find Enaii standing right next to Elan
but it had not come as a complete surprise to have found no trace of the
Operative upon her arrival. Although not surprised the Captain had
felt saddened by her inability to see her wife when she had arrived.
"Slowly," the Oltharian quietly replied as he continued to work on the
inner systems of the Avatar not daring to take his eyes away for fear of
undoing what he had thus far accomplished.
The captain watched for a few moments the Oltharian work, her well
known weakness in the field of Engineering having made the motion of Elan's
hands appear to be as mysterious as ever. After the short silence Sabrina
thought about asking the Robotics Expert if he had seen Enaii who had been
reported having been in the room but the Commanding Officer of the ANUBIS
quickly reconsidered when she observed the intensity with which the giant had
been working with. Instead Sabrina scrutinized the room certain that Enaii
had been there despite what her eyes had revealed - that she and the
Oltharian had been alone in the room.
Saddened by her inability to find her wife Captain Rikar left the
Oltharian to his work with the hopes that the giant would have more success in
his quest than she had in hers.
--==(/\)==--
Lieutenant Junior Grade Elan Talak Fairborn 2006 post #168
Stardate: 61013.0530
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Robotics Lab
Francois Charette {f_charette@hotmail.com}
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
