Let's Do Science, Sort Of

Posted on 13 Feb 2013 @ 12:18am by Crewman Athlen
Edited on on 13 Feb 2013 @ 4:26am

2,369 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Bridge
Timeline: MD2 1000

ON:

"...It is -" Liyar broke off, and stared down at the PADD in his hand. "It is no trouble. There is no problem," he recited flatly. He shook his head. "I do not understand passive language," Liyar groused and set the PADD aside, leaning over the table to rest his head in his hands. He looked at Athlen sideways. "You suggest that every potentially sentient lifeform must adhere to this irrational method of speech?"

"Nope. It's just polite." Athlen grinned. "All right, so we've basically got... all of this." He pushed forward the large slim data tablet they'd been using in combined effort, and picked up his stylus to draw another line linking two different words together. The both of them had been working in the multipurpose lab for most of the morning, drafting a memo for the ship, coordinating the press, dealing with Natyal, and creating a more focused trade projection timeline for the Rojar project.

The latest in their combined agenda was working on the first contact procedures Coleman had ordered Liyar to familiarize himself with. Liyar pulled the tablet toward him and wrote out a long sequence of numbers, eyes crossing while he slipped deeper into thought. Liyar. His mindvoice was prickly and insistent lately. Liyar... He blinked. The Vulcan blinked and broke away from the randomized calculations. Actions, reactions, emotional trajectories. Could one even map that out? Planetary compositions, rotations, orbits, mapping data. Any evolved life would follow in wake of that. Greetings, this is the Federation starship Galileo... They really enjoyed verbal protocols.

"Liyar!" The mindvoice turned rigid and real. He looked up. "You have to go see Lieutenant Panne, remember?" Athlen reminded him. "Coleman's orders and all?"

"Yes, correct," Liyar muttered and stood. "Computer, locate Lieutenant Panne."

Lieutenant Panne is on the bridge, the calming tones told him from the walls.

Liyar grabbed his PADD and left the tablet with Athlen. "We will reconvene at a later time."

Athlen stood as well. "Much better than, I will now leave," he smirked, declaring the last in a precise, overly enunciated tone.

"I maintain that your linguistic protocols are simultaneously baffling and unnecessary," Liyar crossed his arms and exited the lab in the wake of Athlen's laughter.

***
Liyar entered the turbolift and ordered it down to deck 1. With little to do in the way of work while they were traveling, Liyar didn't expect much activity on the bridge, and indeed there wasn't. People sat at their terminals quiescently, conversing here and there, but for the most part it was silent. Maenad, he spotted further down by the indented command pit, and he crossed over to come to a stop in front of her, hands behind his back. "Lieutenant Panne," the Vulcan spoke, as an attempt to catch her attention. He still wasn't certain it was a good idea. He knew that he was qualified to operate computer terminals, program and analyze data... quantum physics, but he didn't know if they were very useful attributes. Maenad already had a fully staffed science department, he didn't expect he would be welcomed with open arms. He bowed his head slightly in greeting once she turned to face him. "I have been ordered to report to you, to assist the science department in the survey of the Rojar system," he explained briefly.

Maenad was watching a graph fluctuate with more intent than she really felt. A string of elevated hydrogen atoms had formed a trail that had so far extended nearly ten lightyears. Even though the vacuum of space was empty, it never was a total vacuum; the 'trail' was just a few more atoms than were usually found and probably arranged in this way from deep space cosmic winds.

She turned from the console when she heard Liyar's voice behind her. Her tilted her head as she looked up at him, unsure if she had heard him correctly. "You have been ordered to assist me?" she asked. "By whom?"

"Commander Coleman," Liyar answered, without elaborating much further. There truly was nothing further to elaborate. He merely added, "I have been ordered to provide any assistance you may require."

"But I do not require any assistance; the department is full," she frowned, moving her eyes thoughtfully down his chest and eventually to the floor. She wondered why Coleman hadn't spoken to her about this. Maenad had the distinct impression that the intelligence chief didn't like her very much.

"Nevertheless," Liyar straightened, squaring his shoulders as if to ward away a lack of confidence, and kept his gaze level. "These are my orders." He wasn't sure where to go from there. Again, he did not think his specialties would be of much use in a survey mission with a department dedicated to the task, but he offered them anyway. "I am capable of operating most Federation science terminals and I am proficient in quantum, theoretical and particle physics, stellar telemetry, integrated optical design, and operating systems engineering. I was told that if you have an issue with this, that you are to take your complaint," he quoted it deadpan, "To Commander Coleman." He finished with perfect blankness, ears drawn back indiscernibly.

Maenad hung her jaw at that. Deal with it. "She said that?" she whispered up to him, obviously affected by it. Did Coleman really not like her, was it not just idle paranoia? Her eyes were wide as she touched the flat of her chest with her fingertips.

"Affirmative." Liyar paused before speaking again. "I regret that her opinion of you does not seem high." His expression remained clear, save for a small quirk downward of his lips in a shadow of a frown, before it disappeared. "I will endeavor to be as useful as possible within these parameters." So far, it looked like he would simply have to avoid getting in the way. Another pause. "There is nothing that you require?"

Maenad looked at the other side of the bridge, appearing distant. "Well, Mister Liyar, I suppose we could use your assistance with probe distribution. Telemetry and logistics data will be vital over the coming weeks," she looked up at him.

Liyar remained where he stood, observing both her body language and what he could feel of her residual sadness, and even if it was out of turn, spoke abruptly once more. "I shall assist where I am able." He nodded once.

Maenad pressed her lips for a moment. "Is there something you have in mind?"

Liyar puzzled over the question. Why would he? He didn't know her department. "Negative. I had assumed that I would assist where you deem appropriate. I also assume that your staff are currently engaged in delegating such tasks and completing them. As such, my own presence may prove initially detrimental. If you do not have any specific requirements, I had expected to observe this process and interject where I would not be considered a burden. Aside from this, I have been compiling several datafiles regarding the Rojar system for Starfleet's diplomatic detachment. My only other orders were to familiarize myself with the first contact procedures." He shrugged an eyebrow upward.

"Oh," Maenad blinked. "Well, that is a start," she looked at her console to see if anything had changed. The hydrogen trail had disappeared, which disappointed her. "Memorise what you can about first contact, and tomorrow we will go over what you've learned."

Liyar resisted the urge to sigh outright. He had an eidetic memory. The procedures were memorized. Clearly this vessel had absolutely no idea what to do with a diplomatic officer. He had been perfectly content doing his duties for the embassy and Starfleet command, he did not see why he had to be relegated tasks like a child while hoping to avoid bothering the competent personnel, as he felt it was being made clear to him. His role had been perfectly clear beforehand and he would have been plenty happy to do his job, one he was good at, thank you very much, as opposed to being dead weight. He blinked slowly, in an attempt to curtail the rapidly rising frustration winding through his body. "As you wish," he assented unenthusiastically.

"Mister Liyar," she said, picking up in his nonplussed attitude, "You know what you can and cannot do better than I do. How do you think your skills can help us best?" Her growing impatience was clear.

Liyar stared at her. How was he supposed to answer that question, when she specifically told him that there was nothing her department required assistance with? Zero assistance is required was a pretty flat out clear message. Memorize the procedures you have just spent the last two hours memorizing, while the rest of us do our jobs were the orders of someone who clearly did not see any use for him. As it was, the more people opened their mouths, the more it looked like he was just expected to sit around and twiddle his thumbs. He forced himself to let it go. It was not her fault. She clearly had not expected it. The best solution to any conflict is to be open and receptive to change. The mantra repeated in his head. He released the tension and tried again. "I apologize. I do not know how your department is set up, nor do I know the details of what you have assigned to various individuals," Liyar gestured, "What you will be doing." There had been no briefing, no explanation, nothing. What was he expected to do? Dance on his head? Open and receptive, he repeated mentally, keeping his voice as even and quiescent as possible. From that morning he was aware he'd taken up a tendency of displaying illogical anger. Lashing out at people who didn't deserve it. Calm, calm. Adaptive. Work together. We all want the same thing. "If you have a briefing," he continued in a much milder tone, "I will read it and familiarize myself more completely." He needed to make a suggestion. Be helpful. But how could he make a suggestion when he had no literal idea what went into the process of mapping out a planetary system on a Starfleet vessel? For all he knew, they did dance on their heads. "From what you have just told me," he hoped she kept in mind that this was all the information he had, "You are creating a network of probe devices, to scan the planets. If you require assistance with programming these devices, I may be assigned to that task."

Maenad tore a piece of dead skin off her bottom lip with her teeth. They had had a briefing yesterday; if she had known that Liyar was going to be assigned to her department, she would have invited him. There wasn't a recording of the briefing that he could watch, either, but she supposed it was possible to give him her presentation notes. They wouldn't be very helpful, though, as they were written in a pointed stream of consciousness style designed only for herself. Somebody else might find them confusing and vague. "Yes, Doctor Kramer has spent the past few weeks working on a custom design of planetary scanning probe. He and Miss Cho will have the final product ready by the time we reach Rojar. I am sure they would appreciate your help," she looked up at him, trying to sound optimistic.

Having been given the full summary of who was in charge of these probe devices and how they had come about, Liyar sincerely doubted they would. He could read between the lines well enough. Kramer had worked on the design, Terrans were notoriously territorial of their work. Kiri Cho was fully capable at her job, and much more capable at that process than he would be, and therefore would probably also not appreciate his assistance. He would be remanded to running back and forth in an attempt to find some favor to curry. It wasn't that he even cared if it was menial work. But the feeling of being a clear waste of space, when he knew there were plenty of things for him to do outside the science department, was setting him off quickly. He ground his back teeth together unconsciously. The more he thought, the more furious he got. Find the emotions, accept them, get rid of them. It was obviously the only thing he had to do, so he breathed through it. Orders were orders. They wanted the same thing. It didn't matter who did what or why. That it got done was the only important thing. He'd fix a toaster oven if he had to. He took a few more moments to mellow himself again before speaking in the same calm voice as earlier. "Understood, Lieutenant. I shall endeavor to assist them. Thank you for your time." He repeated the phrase that Athlen had taught him flatly and stepped back away from her as though waiting to be dismissed.

"Very well," Maenad gave him a sympathetic smile. "Let me know how it goes later, will you?" she said. The question came out more as an order, and she turned away from him, looking back at her console.

Liyar only blinked at her once before turning away and walking rigidly toward the turbolift. Once the doors closed, he exhaled the sigh he'd been holding in. He composed himself so that when the doors opened and he walked back out to deck 4, there was no indication that he was anything other than completely satisfied to do... whatever it was that he would be doing. Whatever that was.

OFF:

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer, SSC
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Liyar
Diplomatic Officer, VDF/SDD
USS Galileo

Crewman Athlen
Sociologist, SSC
USS Galileo

 

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