[V-CRR] Dr. Timothy Alentonis: Recaps and Findings

[Chythar Skyfire]

(( Bridge / Captain’s Ready Room, USS Veritas ))

 

:: It had been a very long few days for Tim. Since he boarded, he had been up to his neck in Romulans. Well, metaphorically speaking. They were decrypting logs, they were analyzing the weird metal box, they were analyzing artifacts, and now, he had received a communique from the ship’s captain, of all people. Receiving a comm badge from the quartermaster so he could at least be tracked on the ship didn’t seem so weird as there were obviously places he wasn’t allowed to go. However, socializing with ship captains wasn’t something he did every day. Nervously, he ran a hand through his hair and pressed the chime. ::

 

::The door chime interrupted the conversation, and in walked their visiting archaeologist.::

 

Rahman: Ah, Dr. Alentonis. Please come in.

 

Alentonis: Thank you, captain. :: He gave a nod of greeting toward the Caitian. :: Commander. :: Then took up the unoccupied chair opposite the captain’s desk. :: You wanted to see me?

 

Rahman: Commander Mei’konda and I were just discussing the recent excitement we’ve had during the discovery of this lost Romulan colony. Speaking of which, we could use your expertise on cataloging the structures and other artifacts that remain on the planet.

 

:: Granted, this still seemed a bit odd. Not only because he was socializing for the second time in a month aboard a starship (of which, he still wasn’t fond of starships) but specifically with the captain and first officer of the vessel. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what it was about, but still, he wasn’t entirely sure. ::

 

Alentonis: Of course, captain. My services are at your disposal for as long as you need them.

 

::She placed down her coffee mug and interlocked her fingers as she rested the base of her palms on the desk.::

 

Rahman: Would you be interested in staying aboard for a bit?

 

:: Unexpected, but only a little. He knew where this was going, or at least...he thought he did. Perhaps he should leave fortune telling to the Chinese cookies he enjoyed so much. The thought blindsighted him for a moment. oO It’s a starship, Tim. You hate starships. Oo He blanked the negative thought from his mind and took a breath, wanting to ask a single question before he agreed. ::

 

Alentonis: In a civilian capacity, or a science recruit? Granted, I have no idea how Starfleet handles their enlisted personnel...but I would like to help.

 

Mei’konda: Well, as I’m sure you know, all civiilians who are to be on assignment aboard a starship for longer than a few weeks need to go through emergency traiining, so you know what to do when certain alerts are called, if we’re at general quaarters, that sort of thing.  I’ll maake sure you have that training, but you’ll still be a civiilian.

 

Rahman: Response

 

Alentonis: Of course. :: He paused thoughtfully. :: Water will be fine.  I can start by telling you a bit about my progress, since I haven’t had a chance to fully brief the commander since then.

 

:: Tipping his head slightly and raising his ears, Mei’konda listened attentively. :: 

 

Mei’konda: Please do.

 

Rahman: Response

 

:: This had the makings of a long day written all over it, and he thought it best to get some water before he began. Then again, he wasn’t feeling as queasy about this being a starship assignment as he had when he first boarded, as he didn’t really notice the vibrations beneath his feet due to being absorbed in his work. ::

 

Alentonis: Well, I’ll begin with the box. Due to my background in metallurgy, I was able to determine it is called reskariaehhrr, a rare Romulan type element. The name translates to “metal knife” in Standard, but that’s not nearly as interesting as the metallurgic properties. Due to the natural thickness of the metal, it is tetryon proof. Commander Blair walked inside the box and didn’t find any radiation messing with his gadget. In addition, the metal itself has a very high melting point. I am still working my way through the science logs to see if I can find anything else about it.

 

Rahman: Response

 

Mei’konda: Hm.  It must be somethiing more than the density of the metal, though.  Because tetryons are naative to subspaace, they move through such thiings easily.  The element must interaact with subspaace somehow.

 

:: Tim had a sip of his water and continued without missing a beat, fully into the details of the strange and unusual box. ::

 

Alentonis: If there is a party destined for the planet, it may be important for you to know I could only find records of its existence only on the northern hemisphere of Romulus. I’m not sure if it is actually present on the surface below. I also explained the prevailing theory to the commander earlier, but to recap…

 

(( Flashback -- Geosciences Lab, Deck 4, USS Veritas -- SD 239505.14 ))

 

:: The differences in dialect were enough to cause the professor’s interest to pique for a moment before he returned his gaze to the monitors he had and the database of similar artifacts recovered by the Federation’s archaeological experts. ::

 

Alentonis: Clay, kingswood, emeralds, and a green glaze made of ash. There doesn’t appear to be any writing on the staff itself. As I explained earlier, this particular weapon appears to be purely ceremonial in origin. As you can see, the headpiece is circular with a raptor design in the center, representing the Romulan Star Empire. The eyes appear ornamental in nature possibly, acting as a conduit for some sort of energy. Many of my peers hold that the eyes on such a piece are a window into the heart of subspace, which...with enough energy could open a portal to unleash creatures believed to be divine in nature. 

 

Rosek: ::shakes her head:: The only divine creature I believe in is God.  

 

:: As Lael engaged Tim in conversation, Mei’konda and the one named Mint were off in another part of the room conferring quietly. Meanwhile, the gold-shirted commander was making a pass of the containment unit with one of the spiffy Starfleet toys. ::

 

:: It wasn’t much of a laughing matter, he supposed; but he felt that the humor of his target practice being rusty would add to the humor of the moment. At least some humor in the room was a good idea, right? ::

 

Alentonis: Just don’t ask me to try and open a portal. My knowledge of Romulan religious practices is rustier than my shooting.

 

Rosek: ::grins wryly:: I’m not sure we even want to consider that until we know more about what will happen if we do. ::pauses:: I can get some equipment set up in the Engineering workshop. I’d like to have them take a look at this, too.

 

:: Tim’s brow furrowed at the suggestion. He didn’t have the mental acuity to determine conductive properties of such things, so perhaps it was just as well that someone from engineering had brought it up. It was only a theory, and he wasn’t entirely sure if the perspective adopted by some of his colleagues was one he shared. He was of the opinion that it was purely ornamental, used in religious functions or rituals. ::

 

Alentonis: I don’t think it would be a bad thing if they took a look at it. I might be able to have a go at some of these other artifacts. Or the science logs. 

 

(( End Flashback ))

 

Mei’konda / Rahman: Response

 

Alentonis: It’s the only one I have that makes any amount of sense how it interacts with subspace. The metal itself is also used as a phosphorescent. :: He sipped his water and changed topics slightly. :: Now, as to what we found on the warbird, the science logs showed that there was an unusually high amount of power being drawn to the lab we examined. Over half the logs were in an obscure Remen dialect, the other half being in one of the more elegant forms of Romulan. 

 

Mei’konda / Rahman: Response

 

Alentonis: Your guess is as good as mine. I’m still looking through them, but if I could be allowed to accompany whomever is going down, I can look for it. Commander Rosek wanted a sample of it for testing.

 

Mei’konda / Rahman: Response

===

​Professor Timothy Alentonis, PhD

​Archaeologist​

USS Veritas NCC-95035

O239002CS0