Jhalib Ekal, "Can't you see the iorny?" (REPOST DX )

[Deliera Jay]

((OOC: So it turns out that I may have missed some tags. This post includes those tags. (I'M SORRY, TELLER)))

((Shuttlebay))

Kelrod: How much time do we have for you to be able to restart and began getting our people to normal time?

Teller: Sooner the better, the cold start procedure still takes a few minutes and we'll need to stabilize our orbit before we can do anything else for the crew. For the record, I am not going back down to that mudball.

::Understandable.::

Ekal: If we time this right, we won’t have to.

Delano: Good luck, gentlemen.

Kelrod: To success!

::The fleet captain-ranked officer gave a firm nod, and the two disappeared into workbees.::

Delano: How are we doing, Lieutenant?

Teller: Not bad sir, injectors are accepting the manual fueling without a hitch.  Batteries are still on the high side of 96%, even with the extra systems we've thrown at them.  I need to remember to send the guys at Utopia Planetia a case of Romulan ale. ::Teller looked around the Engine bay fondly, taking in the whole of the ship::  They did a damn fine job putting her together.  We've still got enough to charge and fire the deflector once our team gets it disengaged and back under our control. 

Delano: Let me know if anything changes. ::beat:: Mr. Ekal, can you write a program to make the alignment changes to the deflector?

::He blinked, eyes owlish as he glanced between Delano and the computer terminal.

::When he joined the Temporal Integrity Commission, Constable Narm’ei thought his “experience” aboard the ship during his youth would prove instrumental, but the thing was . . . he was *five years old* when he was on the Veritas. And he spent just a few months on it before being whisked away - he barely remembered it. He remembered more about the Montreal, to be perfectly honest, and even then, it was minute flickers of colours and frantic walking. Nothing to do with *operating sub systems*.::

::If his mother *allowed* him to operate sub-systems, he’d be extremely concerned. This was a military vessel, for Noree’s sakes.::

::”But he studied temporal mechanics and the Veritas before he arrived on the Veritas” yes he studied the Veritas and he studied temporal mechanics, but suggesting he be able to operate the Veritas’s computer like he would one of his own after that study was akin to suggesting that a 21st century Terran who studied submarines and their activities in the 1970s be able to *work* one of them.::

Ekal: I . . .

oO Think that’s a dumb idea? Oo

oO Think this might not end well? Oo

oO Think that’s a little too complicated? Oo

oO Think I’m under-qualified for that? Oo

Ekal: . . . can try?

Delano: I think that will be best.

::He could practically *feel* the older version of Delano, *his* Delano, giving him silent look of judgement at his hesitation, but he approached the terminal and began a program that he knew would work for his more advanced computers back in his home period, but would have to be immensely modified for the much older, less advanced yet more needlessly complicated Veritas.::

Delano: I'd like to end the dilation effect as soon as possible so we can get back in contact with the rest of the crew. I'm worried about what's happened to them while we've been up here.

Teller:  It's funny - based on the way the time is flowing, we're about...oh...15 minutes or so, our time, from coming up with the idea that got us up here. The one Wil and I pitched to you two and the Captain almost a month ago.

::That was also one of the many things the TIC explicitly taught him *not* to do - ie, thinking about how in the future you're coming up with the idea that you also came . . . up with . . . in the past-

::Look, it's all very complicated and there's certain language used to avoid massive confusion and headaches. "Eyes forward", Scientia had said. "Fair enough, my bad," Jhalib replied.::

Teller: Alright, I'm going to finish our prep.  Good luck, Ekal.  And you, Commander.  Lets bring our friends back home. 

::The Terran made his way back to the jury-rigged control system. Jhalib turned back to Delano.::

Ekal: Worst case scenario, the town floods.

::That was a bit bleak, but his tone was one of clear skepticism. His mother was known for expressing her idea of various “worst case scenarios” and it was, unfortunately, a trait that rubbed off on him. It had to - back in the day, with Tholians and Sphere Builders, there wasn’t really a lot of room for overall optimism. He really only learned positivity when Merce began hammering it into him.::

::He was honestly surprised they’d managed to make it this far. The whole point of him coming back to this time wasn’t to save the crew - he’d had no intention of that. It was a happy accident - happy for the crew, at least, not so much for Jhalib. He knew nothing about Limbo, knew nothing about what the road ahead for the crew was as it is now. He only knew about the fixed events, and even those were up for debate.::

Ekal: The crew’s a good one. I’m sure they’ll have been fine.

::It was a lie. And a lie from a half-Vulcan, at that. But before Delano could comment, they were privy to an echo that bounced through the very empty Engineering.::

Teller: ...weigh hey, roll and go...the anchor's on board and the cable's all stored To be rollicking Randy Dandy'O......

::His eyes widened again at the sound of the nonsense song that did not really complement his prior statement. Eventually, once the song had echoed out, his teeth bit his bottom lip, cheeks tightening with a clear skepticism that he had tried (and failed) to hide.::

Ekal: I mean, you got past the Tholians, right?

::Well. Technically *no*. But also, technically *yes*.::

Delano: Response?

((Later...))

Kelrod:  =/\= Kelrod to Commander Delano. We're ready =/\=

Delano: =/\= Response? =/\=

::He gave him an uneasy glance but shrugged to himself, as if trying to make himself feel a little better.::

::It’ll be fine. It’ll be 100% fine. The Veritas computer would absolutely know the jargon he’d just spout into it.::

Ekal: =/\= I’m not sure- =/\=

::Actually no. Screw it. If he was going to die in a ball of flames because his program wasn’t accurate, he wanted to be confident in his poor choices.::

Ekal: =/\= This program code is ready to go and will definitely work when implemented. =/\=

::Translation: This program code is possibly going to corrupt and may only partially work when implemented but hey, no take-backs now!::

Teller: =/\= Response? =/\=

Ekal: =/\= Yep. =/\=

:: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ::

Ekal: Okay, Delano. We’re set here.

Delano: Response?

Teller: =/\= Response? =/\=

Tbc . . .

Jhalib Ekal

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