by Lt. Commander Lair
80107.19
Following "The First Tour"
--=Deck Eleven, USS Serendipity=--
80107.19
Following "The First Tour"
--=Deck Eleven, USS Serendipity=--
The instant Kellyn's eyes feasted upon Main Engineering, she knew this was it. She stared at the Admiral in disbelief. "I'm in love."
A small laugh was heard, and a comment from the velvet-voiced Admiral Vox. "Kellyn, Kellyn," he teased with a wink, "I'm flattered, dear, but I hardly know you."
"By the Prophets. Hello gorgeous, where have you been all my life?" She purred, hurrying to the main control panel and running her hands over it in a manner so nearly erotic that the men in the room felt forced to look away.
"I have to see something," She dropped to her knees and pulled the first access panel she could grab free from the walls. "Tell me. . .oh please tell me. . ."
She searched for a particular component, and she shouted in triumph when she did not find them.
"Hot damn!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together as she lay on her back, head immersed in the works. "They're not here!"
"What is not there?" Salvek was puzzled. With all the time they'd been devoting to writing up a plan of attack for the repairs to the Alchemy's toasted trans-warp drive, neither he nor his wife had had the chance to go over the Sera's specs in the one night they'd been on Earth.
"She is speaking of the bio-neural gel packs." Vox explained, as Kellyn continued mumbling to herself gleefully, jumped up from the panel and began running from station to station, trying to take in all of the ship's unique modifications.
Zander Blakeslee couldn't help but find her manner amusing. She was so excited, she reminded him of a kid in a candy store. He smiled and leaned against the wall, watching her bounce back and forth and up and down like a ping-pong ball.
"I can't believe this. Salvek, it's like they've read my mind," She hurried back toward the trio of men again and literally skidded to a stop before Vox.
"We have, Lair Kellyn. Your logs, your observations. You were quite correct all those years ago when you said that the bio-neural gel packs were more of a curse than a blessing, and that Starfleet needed to consider doing away with them as a failed experiment. We were listening."
"Too prone to infection, to biochemical imbalance, organic degradation," Kellyn said between halting inhalations, short of breath.
"Kellyn, mind your breathing," Salvek whispered softly, not wanting to have to see her use her medication, which she would have need if her lungs began to spasm.
"I'm fine, I'm just excited." Lair insisted. "What is the work around in place of the packs, Admiral?"
He waved her over to the main panel and tapped up the schematics. "We've taken components that you and Salvek created for use in the temporal drive, and also modifications you've made to other ships you've worked on over the years, and turned them into highly efficient, completely mechanical system of routers and networks. We like to call the Gateway."
Lair nodded, gesturing wildly for Salvek to come and look at the information.
"This is what you saw, Salvek! This is your design! An efficient, reconfigured isolinear storage system for data all linked together through a central information gateway with redundant systems so that the back-ups are rock solid," Kellyn felt such pride she thought she might burst. "You did it, Salvek."
"We did it, Lair Kellyn." Salvek said softly. He turned to Admiral Vox. "This is a most agreeable turn of events."
"You're telling me!" Kellyn crowed, before the Admiral could answer. "You have no idea, the only concern I had about doing my job on this project, well, besides keeping all of our plates spinning when it comes to that thing," she pointed to an Alchemy schematic displayed on the panel to her left, "Was dealing with the bio-neural gel packs. They're as unreliable as a humanoid central nervous system, and believe me, I know what I'm talking about when it comes to being at the mercy of your neurons." Lair's past experience with a serious neurological ailment was never far away from her mind.
"Besides," She admitted, shuddering a little at the thought, "I like my ships to be entirely mechanical. If they start to venture toward being organic in any way. . .it just creeps me out completely."
"Before you go completely over the moon on me, Commander Lair, you have to know that there is a price to be paid for some of the toys you have to play with."
*I knew it was all too good to be true,* Lair thought, as she kept her eyes locked on Vox, waiting for him to continue. She borrowed one of Salvek's most often used, one word phrases. "Elaborate."
"Well, the Alchemy's docking bay did not come without cost as far allocation of space on this ship. How do you feel about environmental suits?"
"They don't bother me. Why do you ask?"
"Glad to hear it. You may have occasion to use one. Unlike other Intrepid class ships, Sera cannot land."
"That is understandable." Salvek answered thoughtfully, pressing his index fingers together and bringing them to his chin. "The space for the landing gear and control mechanisms had to be reallocated on a proprietary basis, to house the Alchemy."
"Exactly so."
Kellyn waited for Vox to give her a long list of other conveniences that had to be done away with to accommodate the completely mechanical, versus partially organic, computer system. She waited a moment in silence, but he added no more.
"Sir?"
"Yes, Kellyn?"
"What else?"
"That's not enough?" He laughed once more. Vox honestly liked Lair, and was enjoying toying with her far too much. "I could take away your holodecks,"
"No, no." Kellyn said, "Quite all right. The landing gear is quite enough. Thank you."
"I know that you want to play all day, and get to know every centimeter of the engineering systems like the back of your hand. But I would like to show you the rest of the ship before you do. Shall we go?"
"Aww, do we have to?" Lair complained. Salvek took her arm and led her to the door.
"Come along, Lt. Commander. Engineering will still be here in an hour."
"I know but," Kellyn turned away from him toward the door, and bumped straight into someone.
She raised her eyes up and saw a tall Terran male with a beautiful smile, and the eyes of a poet.
A small laugh was heard, and a comment from the velvet-voiced Admiral Vox. "Kellyn, Kellyn," he teased with a wink, "I'm flattered, dear, but I hardly know you."
"By the Prophets. Hello gorgeous, where have you been all my life?" She purred, hurrying to the main control panel and running her hands over it in a manner so nearly erotic that the men in the room felt forced to look away.
"I have to see something," She dropped to her knees and pulled the first access panel she could grab free from the walls. "Tell me. . .oh please tell me. . ."
She searched for a particular component, and she shouted in triumph when she did not find them.
"Hot damn!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together as she lay on her back, head immersed in the works. "They're not here!"
"What is not there?" Salvek was puzzled. With all the time they'd been devoting to writing up a plan of attack for the repairs to the Alchemy's toasted trans-warp drive, neither he nor his wife had had the chance to go over the Sera's specs in the one night they'd been on Earth.
"She is speaking of the bio-neural gel packs." Vox explained, as Kellyn continued mumbling to herself gleefully, jumped up from the panel and began running from station to station, trying to take in all of the ship's unique modifications.
Zander Blakeslee couldn't help but find her manner amusing. She was so excited, she reminded him of a kid in a candy store. He smiled and leaned against the wall, watching her bounce back and forth and up and down like a ping-pong ball.
"I can't believe this. Salvek, it's like they've read my mind," She hurried back toward the trio of men again and literally skidded to a stop before Vox.
"We have, Lair Kellyn. Your logs, your observations. You were quite correct all those years ago when you said that the bio-neural gel packs were more of a curse than a blessing, and that Starfleet needed to consider doing away with them as a failed experiment. We were listening."
"Too prone to infection, to biochemical imbalance, organic degradation," Kellyn said between halting inhalations, short of breath.
"Kellyn, mind your breathing," Salvek whispered softly, not wanting to have to see her use her medication, which she would have need if her lungs began to spasm.
"I'm fine, I'm just excited." Lair insisted. "What is the work around in place of the packs, Admiral?"
He waved her over to the main panel and tapped up the schematics. "We've taken components that you and Salvek created for use in the temporal drive, and also modifications you've made to other ships you've worked on over the years, and turned them into highly efficient, completely mechanical system of routers and networks. We like to call the Gateway."
Lair nodded, gesturing wildly for Salvek to come and look at the information.
"This is what you saw, Salvek! This is your design! An efficient, reconfigured isolinear storage system for data all linked together through a central information gateway with redundant systems so that the back-ups are rock solid," Kellyn felt such pride she thought she might burst. "You did it, Salvek."
"We did it, Lair Kellyn." Salvek said softly. He turned to Admiral Vox. "This is a most agreeable turn of events."
"You're telling me!" Kellyn crowed, before the Admiral could answer. "You have no idea, the only concern I had about doing my job on this project, well, besides keeping all of our plates spinning when it comes to that thing," she pointed to an Alchemy schematic displayed on the panel to her left, "Was dealing with the bio-neural gel packs. They're as unreliable as a humanoid central nervous system, and believe me, I know what I'm talking about when it comes to being at the mercy of your neurons." Lair's past experience with a serious neurological ailment was never far away from her mind.
"Besides," She admitted, shuddering a little at the thought, "I like my ships to be entirely mechanical. If they start to venture toward being organic in any way. . .it just creeps me out completely."
"Before you go completely over the moon on me, Commander Lair, you have to know that there is a price to be paid for some of the toys you have to play with."
*I knew it was all too good to be true,* Lair thought, as she kept her eyes locked on Vox, waiting for him to continue. She borrowed one of Salvek's most often used, one word phrases. "Elaborate."
"Well, the Alchemy's docking bay did not come without cost as far allocation of space on this ship. How do you feel about environmental suits?"
"They don't bother me. Why do you ask?"
"Glad to hear it. You may have occasion to use one. Unlike other Intrepid class ships, Sera cannot land."
"That is understandable." Salvek answered thoughtfully, pressing his index fingers together and bringing them to his chin. "The space for the landing gear and control mechanisms had to be reallocated on a proprietary basis, to house the Alchemy."
"Exactly so."
Kellyn waited for Vox to give her a long list of other conveniences that had to be done away with to accommodate the completely mechanical, versus partially organic, computer system. She waited a moment in silence, but he added no more.
"Sir?"
"Yes, Kellyn?"
"What else?"
"That's not enough?" He laughed once more. Vox honestly liked Lair, and was enjoying toying with her far too much. "I could take away your holodecks,"
"No, no." Kellyn said, "Quite all right. The landing gear is quite enough. Thank you."
"I know that you want to play all day, and get to know every centimeter of the engineering systems like the back of your hand. But I would like to show you the rest of the ship before you do. Shall we go?"
"Aww, do we have to?" Lair complained. Salvek took her arm and led her to the door.
"Come along, Lt. Commander. Engineering will still be here in an hour."
"I know but," Kellyn turned away from him toward the door, and bumped straight into someone.
She raised her eyes up and saw a tall Terran male with a beautiful smile, and the eyes of a poet.