LtCmdr Salkath - It's Alive!!
Salkath
((Main Engineering, Deck 15 - USS Artemis))
The quest to complete a new suit for Gnai was nearly complete. There was only one last, albeit crucial, component missing, and though the Galadoran scientist despaired, the Vulcan engineer smirked. Who said his kind couldn't be sneaky?
Salkath presented the reclaimed and repurposed transparent aluminum dome that would serve as the main holding tank for the scientist within the suit, and was slightly taken back by the wave of telepathic emotion despite inuring himself against it during this process.
Salkath: When I was tasked with repairing the captain's ready room, there was still some warped portions of the viewport attached to the outer hull. Though it had suffered explosive decompression and embedded wooden shards, I was able to salvage enough to cast into the shape and quality of containment vessel you require.
Gnai: ~ Thank you again, Commander. ::pause:: I ::partial:: can’t believe it’s done! ~
Salkath: Allow me to complete the final assembly, and then we will be done.
Both had been meticulous; all the components were organized for easy and orderly retrieval and installation. Compared to earlier grunt work, this was relatively easy and soothing. Before long, the entire suit was completed, and with Gnai's nonverbal guidance, the heuristic controls were brought online. Salkath positioned the suit so that the port to enter it was next to the recreated one in the alcove's tank, and he made the final interlock connection.
The ensign swam over into the new suit, and Salkath shut down the holographic interface that had been Gnai's workshop-within-a-workshop for the past several hours. He then stood back to regard their handiwork.
Gnai: Thank you, sir. This is extremely grateful…
The synthesized cadence of Gnai's speech was a relief in several ways for Salkath. First, it signified that the components and their connections were successful within the vessel. Secondly, it meant that they could revert to a more comfortable form of communication (for the Vulcan). With a nearly audible sigh, Salkath placed his mental guards back into place and withdrew into his normal emotionally stunted mindset.
Salkath: ::with a satisfied nod:: All that is left to do is take it for a 'test drive'. ::with a shrug:: Do not ask, it is a human term, and we all know how irrational they are with their abuse of Federation Standard.
Gnai: Sounds like a plan, sir.
Salkath: Easy movements at first. Despite our best efforts, the haptic and photonic feedback systems are likely not precisely calibrated to what you are used to.
It was doubtful that Salkath had to remind Gnai of this, since it had been present for the construction of both its original suit and for this replacement, and was intimately aware of the limitations in replication they had faced together. Still, like any consummate engineer, he wanted to ensure that expectations were sufficiently tempered. Underpromise, overdeliver. There should be a course on that in the Academy for any prospective tinkerer.
Gnai: It’s working!
By the moment, Gnai's ambulatory attempts were becoming more fluid and controlled. Salkath had gone from closely shadowing the suit, prepared to cushion its topple should Gnai lose control, to standing apart and observing with satisfaction.
Salkath: As before, we need to test the parameters of this new iteration of your suit. It would not do for you to expect a certain level of performance from it just to find in the moment that it falls short of the previous model.
He watched as Gnai bobbed and striated its color ever so slightly. Salkath would once again need to depend on interpreting visual cues from his Galadoran colleague rather than 'sensing' its feelings, and that realization came with a muted sense of disappointment. Yet, one did not need the distractions of others' emotional states discoloring his logic, so he rightfully discarded that momentary pang of regret.
Gnai: If it’s suitable for you, this would prefer to come back for further testing later during leave. The suit functions adequately for now, and this is eager to take it on even more of a ::jerky air quotes:: “test drive”.
Salkath: That is acceptable. ::sanguine motion:: Go forth, explore the particulars of this new suit. You have earned respite after today's intense efforts. As long as you promise to 'take it easy', and return at a reasonable time for those tests and potential alterations.
Gnai: Thank you again, sir. You’ve given this back its freedom.
Salkath: It has been a positive experience for me as well, Ensign.
This was an understatement. As Gnai waved and exited Main Engineering, he was relieved that he had terminated their telepathic link. It would not do for Gnai or anyone else to know how fond and protective Salkath had become of the little Galadoran. Now, it was time to meditate and rest. The best cure for an emotional hangover was to mentally detoxify, so said any stoic Vulcan.
END