Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek & Dr. Tim Alentonis: Reskari Wallpaper, Part I
Lael Rosek
OOC: Takes place the morning after Lael’s chat with Mei’konda
((Shuttlebay 1, Deck 4, USS Montreal))
::Lael wiped the back of her hand across the sweat forming on her forehead, the motion leaving grease stains on her forehead and cheek. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun and her uniform jacket and tunic laid on the ground next to her toolbox. She’d been at it for hours now, making adjustments to the systems to be sure the little craft was ready for the next step: lining the hull with the Reskari metal alloy. She and a few volunteers were going to take a test flight with the Mackinac to see if the Reskari alloy they’d concocted would actually protect the shuttle’s systems from the region’s tetryon radiation.::
:: Tim had also been at it for hours, his face covered in grease and sweat as he helped strip the systems for their little experiment. He’d been preparing his sales pitch for weeks now to try and get Captain Rahman on board with his idea, and Commander Mei’konda as well. Now, with his unexpected transfer, he had to prepare the pitch both for Mei’konda, and for Rosek. In some ways, the invitation to meet in the shuttle bay was a blessing in disguise. Mostly because Tim hadn’t had an excuse to actually perform any experiments without supervision. This one, the first officer herself had taken an interest in his pet project since they went to retrieve some of the metal on the surface of Pellica. ::
Rosek: ::exhales and lays down the hyperspanner:: How’s it coming over there, Tim?
Alentonis: :: panting slightly. :: This cable in the computer seems...stubborn. Like it doesn’t want to cooperate because I’m not an engineer, or Starfleet.
Rosek: ::laughs:: Somehow, I’m not sure that’s it. ::wipes her hands on a rag and stands, then moves to kneel beside him:: So what’s giving you trouble?
:: He indicates the computer panel with his left hand, the hyperspanner almost close enough to smash the thing. ::
Alentonis: This housing here has a cable that doesn’t want to disconnect.
::She leaned over his shoulder, her brow furrowing as she studied the stubborn cable. Pulling her tricorder from its holster on her belt, she scanned to be sure there wasn’t a fusion or some other more complex issue that could result in one or both of them getting injured if they truly tried to remove it.::
::She didn’t see one so she leaned close to the conduit and wrapped her hands around the base of the cable, hesitating a moment when she realized how little space there was between them at the moment. If she moved any closer, she’d be pressed up against him. Mentally shaking the thought from her head, she readied herself to pull.::
Rosek: Maybe between the two of us pulling, we can get it loose. We’ll have to be careful that we don’t break it free and expose the wires. Both of us will be in for a pretty nasty shock if that happens.
:: Tim nodded slightly and prepared himself also to pull it loose. A deep breath later, and he nodded slightly. The space between them was rather limited, and he was a little uncomfortable with this distance but he steeled himself, determined to make it work and keep it professional. ::
Alentonis: Ready.
Rosek: One...two...th--
::She was just about to say three when the beeping of her tricorder startled her and she pulled a bit early. The cable came free, setting her off balance and she leaned to the side to avoid falling right on top of him, instead crumbling in an undignified heap on the floor of the shuttle. A brilliant red flush filled her cheeks and her only thought was praying that the floor beneath her would open up and swallow her whole. A wry, embarrassed grin twisted her lips as the awkward moment passed.::
:: Tim slowly set the computer system down and allowed himself a moment or two in order to regain his composure. Nodding to the device in her pocket, he looked to her. ::
Alentonis: You want to answer that before we remove the stasis field from the special paint?
Rosek: ::sighs:: It’s likely just an analysis I was running on the other section of the shuttle.
Alentonis: If you say so. Is that the last of the electronic bits removed?
Rosek: ::nods:: We should be ready to line the interior. ::glances around the small cabin:: We’ll need to double check the measurements to make sure we’ll have enough of the alloy. And we’ll need to make sure we use the proper safety gear. We still don’t know if the liquified form of the alloy is harmful to humanoids.
:: As tempting as it was for him to roll his eyes at being told to triple-check everything, Tim refrained. The professor had been diligent in his documentation, and never worked in the lab unsupervised since his run-in with Galven aboard the Veritas. The need for proper documentation and so forth was like filling out paperwork in triplicate, as required by university regulations. ::
Alentonis: Fine...just letting you know, I’ve quadruple-checked the measurements.
::Lael rose, wiping off her hands, arching an eyebrow at the mildly annoyed note in the man’s voice. She wasn’t much a fan of the minutiae herself, especially the paperwork. But if this test panned out, they could very well be looking at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This research was potentially ground-breaking and could change the way ships operated in radiation-flooded areas of space. The possibilities were endless. They had to be absolutely certain. One little flaw in their data and the research would fall apart.::
Rosek: I’m not questioning your math or your thoroughness, Doctor. But a bit more certainty never hurt anyone.
Alentonis: You’re starting to remind me of one of my professors at the university.
:: He paused for a moment as he considered how much more to add. There wasn’t anything nice he could say about that instructor’s paperwork addiction, so he decided it was best to just leave it with no context. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, setting down the component in the pile of components. ::
Rosek: ::smirks:: Unfortunately, paperwork in quadruplicate is the nature of being first officer. Never thought I’d see the day where I was buried under more bureaucracy than engine parts.
Alentonis: I’d rather be up to my ears in experiments or research, personally...those artifacts are still aboard the Veritas for cataloging, unless they offloaded to Esperance already. :: He glanced at the pile of spare parts. :: How long did you say, again?
Rosek: ::pauses thoughtfully:: We’re probably looking at 48 hours of application with time between layers and another 12 hours for it to fully settle after the final layer. What do you think?
---
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek
Executive Officer
USS Montreal, NCC-64927
I238110RH0
&
Professor Timothy Alentonis, PhD
Archaeologist / Metallurgist
USS Montreal NCC-64927
O239002CS0