compile summary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2408.07.11 (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - SciO, Ensign Harry Doorman - 1102) (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere- 1106) (USS Hades - Deck 10, Ten Forward - Counselor- Ensign(jg) Kyle Locke - 11:10) (USS Hades - Deck 10, Ten Forward - ATAC Ensign(jg) Lo'ren T'Vof -11:12) (USS Hades, Deck Ten, Ten Forward, ACSO Ensign (JG) Kenneth McKenzie, 11:14) (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes- 1115) (USS Hades - Deck 10, Ten Forward - ACEO Ensign (jg) Eoin Mac Liam - 11:16) USS Hades - Deck 10, Ten Forward - ATAC Ensign(jg) Lo'ren T'Vof -11:17) (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere- 1118) (USS Hades, Deck Ten, Ten Forward, ACEO Ensign (JG) Eoin Mac Liam, 11:19) (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - SciO, Ensign Harry Doorman- 1120) (USS Hades - Deck 18 Main Engineering - 11:21) (USS Hades, Deck Ten, Ten Forward, ACSO Ensign (JG) Kenneth McKenzie, 11:22 hours) (USS Hades - Deck 18 Main Engineering - ACEO Ensign (jg) Eoin Mac Liam11:23) (USS Hades - Counseling Offices - ACOUNS- Anamitra Ripley- 1126) (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes- 1128) (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere- 1129) (USS Hades - Deck 18 Main Engineering - ACOUNS- Anamitra Ripley- 1133) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- begin compile Stardate: 2408.07.11 (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - SciO, Ensign Harry Doorman - 1102) "What are those points that are being highlighted?" Angeni asked. "Those are mathematical coordinates, that when all the points are displayed will allow us to use connecting lines to find the vertices of the points so that we can finds a given location in three dimensional space." "In other words, they are pairs on three physical planes of space. The width, depth, and height or X, Y, and Z axes. If you have a pair of each of them, you can draw a line between the related pairs and all those lines will intersect at a specific point. That point is the center between those other points. That is the space that these three-dimensional points represent." "The fourth aspect is time. It will tell us where in reference to the galactic spin this point is located. Since it could be anywhere along the galactic ellipse. Because there is a super massive black hole at the center of the galaxy and time dilates as you get closer to it, a simple mathematical formula is used to determine relative distance from the core." "That distance is measured in an elliptical orbit that circles the core. The first three tell us where, the last one tells us when and how far from center. Combined it lets us identify the star system and planet from which the message was sent. This is important, because everything in the galaxy is moving relative to each other at various rates of speed. Because of this, our observation of the position of a particular planet becomes less accurate as the distance from it increases. This is partially due to the limits of the speed that light travels. And some of it is a cause of relative movement. So we need to know when as well as where, to be reasonably accurate at this range. Understand?" he asked in conclusion. While the computer worked on the coordinates, Harry went to work on the equations contained in the message. There were additional pieces of mathematical details that also indicated that the Tch'kairn mathematical system was based on base 9 mathematics, or more appropriately Modulo 9. This meant that their spoken language, timekeeping and other social developments would be based on nine or factors of nine. That information could be critical in completely translating their language structure as well as understanding their rules of scientific and mathematical reference. Coupled with the discovery that the Mandelbrot series they had sent was a base -9 series. This made perfect sense to Harry. If he just made some adjustments to their formulae. Harry hanged a few factors in the base formula, effectively rewriting it to take into account a base nine series. This forced him to rewrite other portions of the formulae to make it balance. When he was done, Harry stepped back in awe at the model that was displayed on his monitor. "Jack..." he said quietly. (reply Haynes) "I have a complete model of Fractal space, courtesy of the message that Doctor T just brought us. It contained some mathematical information that rectified the formulaic discrepancies in our original formulas. It seems that the Tch'kairn do everything base nine which forces the mathematics to take a different series. When you plug in those corrections, you get this model." Harry tapped the button on his display that shifted the data to the large wall display in the lab. The world swirled with all sorts of interacting colors that seemed to follow no particular pattern. Harry realized that what he was seeing was a self propagating display of a layer of space-time that followed the rules of complex Brownian motion and obeyed the laws laid out by Mandelbrot. It was the complex concentration and dissipation of these governed energy patterns in this pocket of space that the computer was displaying as a series of colors that denoted the relative density or lack of density within the waveforms that propagated the layer of space time that they were viewing. "I guess I found something...didn't I?...and what on The Mothers' Terra is Fractal Space. She turned, looking at the both of them with an embarrassed flush spreading across her face and down her neck. "I apologize...I just don't understand..." Angeni asked. Harry shook his head, "No reason to be embarrassed. We don't truly understand it all either. Until now, it was just theoretical." He looked at the screen for a moment before continuing. "The best way to describe fractal space is well... complicated. So lets start with the concept of how the universe is comprised." Harry tapped on the display and a multilayered flat image appeared on the display replacing the dancing images of the newly discovered space. "The most applicable model for the universe is this one. The model suggests that the universe as a whole is a giant flat sheet. And that the sheet is comprised of layers of space-time." "This sheet is basically stretching constantly in all lateral directions, and each of the layers basically is locked to the layer above it." "The first layer, the one at the top here is N-Space, or normal space. It's the layer in which the universe as we know it exists. You, me, , Jack, the ship, all the planets and stars exist here, in the most basic form." "The next layer down is phasic space. This space is hard to explain, because very little is known about it. It is a region of the universe where the quantum vibration signatures of the most base subatomic particles are not vibrating at the same rates as those found in N-Space. It is possible to transition between N-space and phasic space, using devices like a phased cloaking device. There are arguments that Phasic space isn't really a layer, but an extension of N-space, signified by the misalignment of the quantum vibrations. The greater the variance, the deeper you go into P-Space in theory. The depth is defined in terms of phase variance." "The next layer below that is Subspace or S-Space. It's subspace that allows us to use warp drive ; through the use of a warp bubble. In N-Space, the maximum velocity of anything is the speed of light. But subspace is built differently, the rules of drag and conservation of energy are slightly bent. The warp drive makes a bubble that causes the ship's warp field to interact with Subspace rather than N-space. Thus we get warp speed and FTL travel." "A long time ago an Earth mathematician named Mandelbrot discovered the formulas for Fractals. On the surface this was a simple curiosity, because of the seemingly random chaotic nature of the results when graphed. However, there is actually a unifying law and formula. All fractals, whether in nature or manmade all follow this formula. There has never been a fractal that was generated or found that did not." "This of course completely stumped the mathematical community, for a number of reasons. The most important being, how can a single formula define every known iteration of a natural or manmade phenomenon? There were usually exceptions to such things, especially where irrational numbers are concerned." "Take for example, the square of -9. The result is 81, but what is the square root of 81? It isn't -9, it's positive nine. Most mathematical laws and formulas break down when you start talking about irrational numbers, but Mandelbrot's set doesn't. It still works, regardless of the numbers plugged into the formula." "So needless to say, it's been heavily studied by a lot of people. Mathematicians, physicists, and astrophysicists. All trying to figure out why it works with both rational and irrational numbers, when no other single mathematical formula does." "Several centuries later, another human mathematician and physicist named Kohlmann, put forth a theory, he dubbed fractal space. His theory was way ahead of it's time, but basically it states that Mandelbrot's series works because it is the complete formula for an entire layer of mathematical space, comprised entirely of fractal bits at the quantum level." "Most everyone laughed him out of a job, because he couldn't define exactly what those fractal bit's were, or how they would interact with anything in or from N-space. He later wrote in his memoirs that F-Space was fundamentally the organizational code used by god to construct the entire universe. Both in physical structure as well as subatomic structure. This was why we see fractals in everything in nature, regardless of it's appearance. Sea shells and leaves for example. And why there are fractal patterns that can be mapped in some subatomic and mathematical phenomenon." "After he died a few quantum Mechanics physicists and Mathematicians took up his mantle and attempted to define fractal space. Some of those definitions later were attributed to Subspace when it was discovered, and as a matter of fact Subspace was initially referred to by Doctor Cochrane as Fractal space, although it was later renamed when he discovered a few discrepancies that would have prevented it from being actual fractal space." "After the advent of Warp technology, research into fractal space began in earnest. But no one could truly define it or even prove it existed. Eventually the theory fell out of use because subspace and warp field dynamics were the wave of the future. Fractal space became a footnote in the annals of interesting, but improvable theories." "It is believed that F-space exists under Subspace. Some people believe that all quantum wormholes and black holes, white holes and the like are actually places where fractal space has bubbled up into N-space. Some people believe that Borg conduits just barely touch F-Space, but as you know they can achieve transwarp speeds as a result." "The implications are staggering, assuming that anyone could figure out how to use it. And as far as I know, this is the only model that has ever been rendered. Of course, we may be completely wrong here. We won't know anything for certain for a very long time and after a great many test are performed." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere- 1106) "The implications are staggering, assuming that anyone could figure out how to use it. And as far as I know, this is the only model that has ever been rendered. Of course, we may be completely wrong here. We won't know anything for certain for a very long time and after a great many tests are performed." Angeni sat, listening to the explanation. She rested her chin on her hand, rapt attention to every word. She had taken several Physics and 'Higher' mathematics classes when she was in high school, and she remembered the names and some of the theories. It always amazed her how eloquently people could talk about their chosen profession. Both Jericho and Harry spoke the 'language' of their job as if it were akin to breathing. She turned back and forth between the two of them, hanging on every word. She wondered if she looked like a 20th century 'boy band' groupie. The three of them spoke the base language of Science, it just happened to be their dialects were different. At some point, she pulled out a PADD and began to take notes. She was sure that she'd have to ask them numerous times what whatever research she had done...what it meant, or what it was. After the explanation was done, she looked at both of them, slightly excited. "The research...I mean the tests...if you don't mind, if I'm not on duty...I'd love to watch...I mean...wow...I can't believe that something I thought was miscellaneous was actually something important. You both are incredible! "She went to grab a hand of each person, but she deftly avoided it, brushing her hair away from her face. She stood up from her chair, stretching her arms above her head, then bending her body in half, touching the tops of her feet before standing back straight. She had forgotten what it was like to sit in one place for an extended period of time. Her back had stiffened up a bit, but after stretching out, she felt a million times better. "So...who gets to tell Captain Sash?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 10, Ten Forward - Counselor- Ensign(jg) Kyle Locke - 11:10) As they made their way to the tenth deck Locke noted that Lo'ren was listening to something through an ear piece. He was curious what it was, and wondered if it had something to do with their project. She had asked him about linguistics and the Xindi Insectoid language, and wondered if she were listening to that. As they entered ten forward Kyle's first thought was, ~Does every ship have on of these? ~ They settled into a table by a big picture window showing the star fields sliding by the ship. It was an awe inspiring view. He hardly noticed the server that came up to them until Mac Liam started ordering his food. He ordered a roast beef sandwich, and Lo'ren ordered ... chow mein? Now that was an interesting choice. They turned to see what Locke was going to order. "Wow... I really hadn't thought about what I was hungry for," he said, stalling to get his brain moving. "Maybe just a cheeseburger and fries?" The server nodded with a smile with encouragement, giving Kyle the confidence to continue. "And could I have a strawberry milkshake to drink?" He was beginning to feel a bit self indulgent, but he figured, what the heck, he was celebrating his first day on the ship. The server smiled again and nodded, "Not a problem. I'll be right back." With the server gone Mac Liam turned immediately back to work. Kyle was a little disappointed as he had hoped to get to know the pair better. But perhaps it was important to know that for Eoin Mac Liam, he was all about the job. He was almost apologetic about focusing on humanoid languages for the translation matrix., but he noted some similarities already. Kyle was no linguist, but he figured that most societies had certain similarities in them, as universal truth. He'd have to look into the whole language development aspect. Human languages were so varied and some were so complex, take for example English, but it was well documented that English was a language of evolution. Locke smiled as Lo'ren quickly came to his defense, noting that he had brought in the idea of the Xindi Insectoid language. And, of course, Eoin was quick to accept her confidence booster. Although Kyle was beginning to wonder if he truly needed it, or was glad to just have another individual justify his own importance. They were truly an intriguing couple. "What're your thoughts Mr. Locke?" Lo'ren asked. He was a little at a loss, since he really didn't have any knowledge of what they had already discussed. "Well... ummm... I guess you're right. It is hard to make any generalizations from such a minimum amount of information, without relating it to what you already know. Although the Xindi have been a part of the Federation for centuries, the core language of the Insectoids is still not widely known. Of all of the species of the Xindi, the Insectoids are the most secluded. I can only imagine that the physical differences have been the cause of that. Insectoids have a hard time in spaces designed for humans, just as humans have a hard time in Insectoid ships." He paused for a moment and then said, "But I also know that insect "languages" are very dissimilar. Ants and bees communicate in a very different manner. As I said, I'm not a linguist but I'd have to wonder if our friend Mr. Hungwe would be able to communicate with other people using similar clicks such as the Australian bushmen?" "I don't think we should discredit either avenue, but more interesting to me right now is this new message. Why would someone tack on - deliberately, mind you - a phrase like 'come and find us'?" Of course there were lots of meanings behind what someone might say, and the Universal Translators were not always accurate with unknown languages, so Kyle found himself being slightly dubious of any, exact translation. Fortunately, it seemed Mr. Mac Liam was having similar reservations. He sat back and listened as his two companions went back and forth, bringing in other languages, such as the Tamarins, which he felt was a little bit of cheating, since Tamaran language was truly uniqe, and one had to know Tamarin history to understand their language. This conversation was truly out of the counselor's depth. There was a pause in the conversation as the food arrived, and the server gave Kyle a look of, "What have you gotten yourself into?" And Kyle tried to give him a look back of "I have no idea." It seemed that he got the message as he stifled a chuckle. The food was set, and Lo'ren basically ignored hers, as did Mac Liam. However, Locke was hungry and so he picked up his burger and took a large bite as Eoin went on. "Yes, but you must admit that there are two possibilities about the 'come and find us' addition: one: that it is genuine and they need our assistance, or two: that it's a trap. The only way that we can figure out which is which is to get as much context out of the message as possible." Lo'ren turned to him, "As a profiler, you may have some ideas on this. Why would a group tack 'Come and find us' on a message that is clearly already a call for help? It almost sounds like a challenge to me. Like Bajoran Militia goading Cardassians to a fruitless hunt." Kyle chewed diligently, as he tried to swallow his mouthful of food. It never failed. As soon you took a bite of food someone would talk to you, and expect a response. Finally he swallowed his mouthful and wiped his chin with a napkin. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "it seems to me that trying to figure the subtext of an unknown language, of a species that is unknown, is a near fruitless effort. However, based on what little I do know, there could be several reasons for such a message. The real question is not what does it mean, but more of, who was it meant for? After all, if they were expecting their attackers to find the message, then yes, it might be such a challenge, although, as far as I can tell, the attackers already found them. If they are asking for help, it's doubtful that they would issue a challenge at the same time." He put a french fry in his mouth and bit down. "Your example of the Cardasians wouldn't work as that is a unique situation. No, I seriously doubt they're "goading" anyone. In fact, from what I can tell from your conversation, the messages are so similar, I have to wonder if the second message, if planted on purpose, as you suggest, was simply to accommodate different levels of technology. Clearly, the second message was more difficult to produce, so perhaps, if we looked even further, we might find even more layers of communication in that one message." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 10, Ten Forward - ATAC Ensign(jg) Lo'ren T'Vof -11:12) Lo'ren waited paitiently for the Counsellor to finish his mouthful. She had to remind herself to ease off once in a while. ~You get entirely too intense sometimes, Mutt.~ She listened to Kyle go through the logic of what she was asking him and nodded. The idea that there might be even more behind the message made her take on a puzzled look. "Come to think of it..." She picked up the PADD with the new message and checked the specs on it. "This message is too big for it's britches. The file size is much larger than necessary. Do you suppose that there could a be directions package linked to this? Or perhaps a base maths series for communications? A periodic table would do wonders for setting up language comparisons." Lo'ren caught herself, once again, as she headed off at high warp into the problem.She looked apologetically at each gentleman seated with her."Sorry, I get so wrapped up in this stuff I forget there are others who need to speak. Got an opinions?" (reply Locke, Mac Liam) "We may need to take this message back to Mr. Haynes and get some more information out of him." She twirled the PADD in question on the table and finally noticed her bowl of noodles. She smiled and tucked in, revelling in the flavours. She resolved to thank the servers for their adherence to excellence in maintaining the replicator protocols. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades, Deck Ten, Ten Forward, ACSO Ensign (JG) Kenneth McKenzie, 11:14) Kenny let the doors open and entered Ten Forward. After all he had done this morning, he was a little hungry, so he de sided to get some lunch. Also; He knew that Mac Liam was here, and he thought that he could do with some help, since Kenny and Bolan had done most at their end. He saw mac Liam and T'Vor as he entered. Kenny smiled. He walked to the replicater and inserted his data chip. After entering commands a few seconds later, a plate of ham and cheese rolls emerged with a cup of coffee. He took it and walked over to Mac Liam. "Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I wondered if you need some help with the language? Bolan and I have done most of our work. We have been able to convert the start of a Standard Federation Greeting into their tongue. Need some help after I have lunch?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes- 1115) Jack noted the change of Harry's demeanor at his presentation of the CMO but hid his grin, the fellow had been surprised at her sudden appearance certainly and he shared the mans obvious appreciation of the young woman. "Uh... Yeah sure." Jack covered for him by stepping between the two slightly, just enough to catch her attention. "Please...just call me Angeni. Besides, I am almost certain I don't have anything here...just blank stuff...static if you will." "You never know Doc... I mean Angeni." He gave her an embarassed grin. "Sorry, I totally understand your reaction to formalities from those you work with and I try to discourage it as well when I'm not on the bridge. l'll be using this other console." He pointed then to the one he'd been working on earlier beside which still floated the 3-D representation of subspace into which the fractal geometries had been entered and had given them the visualization of the breakthroughs they had made. As she made herself comfortable in a chair that was somewhat central he gave her a nod then walked over to it with the datachip in hand. Inserting the chip into the slot then as he sat he leaned forward and tapped a key. "Okay, I'm ready here." He heard Harry call and initiated the startup then sat back to watch and listen. "Communication beginning." The message started out with one of the Tch'kairn standing before a battered table in a darkened chamber, the insectoid clicks, hums and buzzes dominated the audio portion. Seeing that it indeed appeared to be a communication from the race he tapped out the decoding command and the sounds were replaced by translated speech. " ... are the Tch'kairn. Our situation is dire. This ... *a long buzzing whine* ... contains further information to allow any who would ... * a series of clicks of varying pitch* ... to understand our language as well as ... * Hollow drumming notes interspersed with high pitched whines* ... with us and perhaps to make their way to us. Our enemy is attempting to silence our ... *That buzzing whine again* I will continue to call as long as I am able. I am ... After a few seconds the being opened and closed its mandibles several times then moved forward and tapped out a sequence on an unseen console below the screens operative window. This time the signal broke down into tonal notes and the video was lost, the audio was though by far the most interesting to Jack, it sounded just like a data carrier wave. Jack's eyes got wide at the thought and he leaned forward intently then began punching keys like a madman. The computer was already working on a breakdown however so Jack contented himself with forwarding the communication to the bridge science console as well as the Captain and FO's monitors. Assuming this was what they had been looking for he was also ready to forward it to main engineering to the teams working on translation. Excitement was coursing through his body as he turned to regard Angeni, Harry was stiing forward in his chair with rapt attention on his monitor so Jack got up and made his way to the man to look over his shoulder, what he saw on the screen was exhilarating. Harry's fingers danced upon the console, mathematical formulae appearing, being altered then disappearing as the man rewrote some of their equations. And when he was all done he leaned back with a stunned expression. "What are those points that are being highlighted?" He heard the doctor say. "My dear Angeni." He must have sounded intoxicated as he spoke over his shoulder, in a way perhaps he was. "You could call it one of the greatest scientific discoveries in our lifetime." Harry replied also but more completely. "Those are mathematical coordinates, that when all the points are displayed will allow us to use connecting lines to find the vertices of the points so that we can finds a given location in three dimensional space." "In other words, they are pairs on three physical planes of space. The width, depth, and height or X, Y, and Z axes. If you have a pair of each of them, you can draw a line between the related pairs and all those lines will intersect at a specific point. That point is the center between those other points. That is the space that these three-dimensional points represent." "The fourth aspect is time. It will tell us where in reference to the galactic spin this point is located. Since it could be anywhere along the galactic ellipse. Because there is a super massive black hole at the center of the galaxy and time dilates as you get closer to it, a simple mathematical formula is used to determine relative distance from the core." "That distance is measured in an elliptical orbit that circles the core. The first three tell us where, the last one tells us when and how far from center. Combined it lets us identify the star system and planet from which the message was sent. This is important, because everything in the galaxy is moving relative to each other at various rates of speed. Because of this, our observation of the position of a particular planet becomes less accurate as the distance from it increases. This is partially due to the limits of the speed that light travels. And some of it is a cause of relative movement. So we need to know when as well as where, to be reasonably accurate at this range. Understand?" A few more moments passed as Harry continued his work, Jack began to fidget before turning away from the screen for a moment, his best man was on the job. Angeni caught his attention then and he smiled at her and his gaze lingered a bit long in his estimation, he told himself it was because of the breakthrough as he turned back at the mathematicians call. "Jack..." The scientists voice was barely a whisper. "Yes Harry." Jack wore a blissful smile as he stared at the screen and the spatial mapping it contained. It was... it could only be described as "Glorious". "I have a complete model of Fractal space, courtesy of the message that Doctor T just brought us. It contained some mathematical information that rectified the formulaic discrepancies in our original formulas. It seems that the Tch'kairn do everything base nine which forces the mathematics to take a different series. When you plug in those corrections, you get this model." The wall display activated and Jack turned to regard it. It appeared almost... chaotic. But then again wasn't that what Mandelbrot had envisioned? It wasn't called chaos theory for nothing and described intricate patterns of variability within normal space which could not be described mathematically any other way. An unseen dimension of disorder that governed variability within visible living systems. Swirling patterns of color that undulated and entwined while forming intricate geometries. At times joining with other sinuous shapes and adopting their color or vice-versa. Jack was aware he was holding his breath and let it out slowly as he observed the fractal permutations. "Beautiful." "I guess I found something...didn't I?...and what on The Mothers' Terra is Fractal Space. She turned, looking at the both of them with an embarrased flush spreading across her face and down her neck. "I apologize...I just don't understand..." Harry shook his head, "No reason to be embarrassed. We don't truly understand it all either. Until now, it was just theoretical." He looked at the screen for a moment before continuing. "The best way to describe fractal space is well... complicated. So lets start with the concept of how the universe is comprised." Harry tapped on the display and a multilayered flat image appeared on the display replacing the dancing images of the newly discovered space. "The most applicable model for the universe is this one. The model suggests that the universe as a whole is a giant flat sheet. And that the sheet is comprised of layers of space-time.This sheet is basically stretching constantly in all lateral directions, and each of the layers basically is locked to the layer above it." "The first layer, the one at the top here is N-Space, or normal space. It's the layer in which the universe as we know it exists. You, me, , Jack, the ship, all the planets and stars exist here, in the most basic form." "The next layer down is phasic space. This space is hard to explain, because very little is known about it. It is a region of the universe where the quantum vibration signatures of the most base subatomic particles are not vibrating at the same rates as those found in N-Space. It is possible to transition between N-space and phasic space, using devices like a phased cloaking device. There are arguments that Phasic space isn't really a layer, but an extension of N-space, signified by the misalignment of the quantum vibrations. The greater the variance, the deeper you go into P-Space in theory. The depth is defined in terms of phase variance." "The next layer below that is Subspace or S-Space. It's subspace that allows us to use warp drive ; through the use of a warp bubble. In N-Space, the maximum velocity of anything is the speed of light. But subspace is built differently, the rules of drag and conservation of energy are slightly bent. The warp drive makes a bubble that causes the ship's warp field to interact with Subspace rather than N-space. Thus we get warp speed and FTL travel." "A long time ago an Earth mathematician named Mandelbrot discovered the formulas for Fractals. On the surface this was a simple curiosity, because of the seemingly random chaotic nature of the results when graphed. However, there is actually a unifying law and formula. All fractals, whether in nature or manmade all follow this formula. There has never been a fractal that was generated or found that did not." "This of course completely stumped the mathematical community, for a number of reasons. The most important being, how can a single formula define every known iteration of a natural or manmade phenomenon? There were usually exceptions to such things, especially where irrational numbers are concerned." "Take for example, the square of -9. The result is 81, but what is the square root of 81? It isn't -9, it's positive nine. Most mathematical laws and formulas break down when you start talking about irrational numbers, but Mandelbrot's set doesn't. It still works, regardless of the numbers plugged into the formula." "So needless to say, it's been heavily studied by a lot of people. Mathematicians, physicists, and astrophysicists. All trying to figure out why it works with both rational and irrational numbers, when no other single mathematical formula does." "Several centuries later, another human mathematician and physicist named Kohlmann, put forth a theory, he dubbed fractal space. His theory was way ahead of it's time, but basically it states that Mandelbrot's series works because it is the complete formula for an entire layer of mathematical space, comprised entirely of fractal bits at the quantum level." "Most everyone laughed him out of a job, because he couldn't define exactly what those fractal bit's were, or how they would interact with anything in or from N-space. He later wrote in his memoirs that F-Space was fundamentally the organizational code used by god to construct the entire universe. Both in physical structure as well as subatomic structure. This was why we see fractals in everything in nature, regardless of it's appearance. Sea shells and leaves for example. And why there are fractal patterns that can be mapped in some subatomic and mathematical phenomenon." "After he died a few quantum Mechanics physicists and Mathematicians took up his mantle and attempted to define fractal space. Some of those definitions later were attributed to Subspace when it was discovered, and as a matter of fact Subspace was initially referred to by Doctor Cochrane as Fractal space, although it was later renamed when he discovered a few discrepancies that would have prevented it from being actual fractal space." "After the advent of Warp technology, research into fractal space began in earnest. But no one could truly define it or even prove it existed. Eventually the theory fell out of use because subspace and warp field dynamics were the wave of the future. Fractal space became a footnote in the annals of interesting, but improvable theories." "It is believed that F-space exists under Subspace. Some people believe that all quantum wormholes and black holes, white holes and the like are actually places where fractal space has bubbled up into N-space. Some people believe that Borg conduits just barely touch F-Space, but as you know they can achieve transwarp speeds as a result." "The implications are staggering, assuming that anyone could figure out how to use it. And as far as I know, this is the only model that has ever been rendered. Of course, we may be completely wrong here. We won't know anything for certain for a very long time and after a great many test are performed." Jack nodded at the treatise. "Mandelbrots equations were the basis of the chaos theory that arose in earths twentieth and twenty first centuries but as a science it was relegated to the background as the science of physics became preeminent because of the scientific method." He turned from the display to look at the other two. "Federation attempts to use use transwarp drives have resulted in failure because of the fundamental aspects of subspace, when you reach warp factor 10 in subspace you effectively exist in all points of n-space at the same moment and technology recognizes it only in regards to FTL travel. But if we can crack the technology and use Fractal space for travel and as Harry has mentioned before if we can make it energy efficient..." His voice trailed off, they were standing on the tip of the iceberg and seeing only a small part of the whole that the technology encompassed. There was so much to do to further their understanding but in the meantime he had other duties to attend to. "In the meantime I need to let the translation team know what we've found, if you'll excuse me." (Reply: Angeni, Harry) Moving quickly he sat at his console and entered his own series of commands, as the computer began sorting the signal from the mathematical formulas and compiling it he set up a separate repository for the language data the Tch'kairn had sent. A moment later a series of sigils began appearing on the screen accompanied by sounds and paired with pictures, since he had set the computer to decompress it at its fastest speed they were flashing by at an enormous rate, still it took ten minutes for the system to digest it all. Finally it had reached its end and he let out a deep sigh. "They'll be happy to have this." tapping the com again he spoke into it. "Ensign T'Vof I am sending you the Tch'kairn rosetta stone compliments of our good doctor Trommashere, have fun. Haynes out." (Reply: Loren, any) Sitting back satisfied now he closed his eyes, he was beginning to near information overload and enjoying every da** minute of it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades - Deck 10, Ten Forward - ACEO Ensign (jg) Eoin Mac Liam - 11:16) Eoin took a sip of his tea and started to eat his sandwich as Ensign Locke spoke "Well," he said thoughtfully, "it seems to me that trying to figure the subtext of an unknown language, of a species that is unknown, is a near fruitless effort. However, based on what little I do know, there could be several reasons for such a message. The real question is not what does it mean, but more of, who was it meant for? After all, if they were expecting their attackers to find the message, then yes, it might be such a challenge, although, as far as I can tell, the attackers already found them. If they are asking for help, it's doubtful that they would issue a challenge at the same time. Your example of the Cardasians wouldn't work as that is a unique situation. No, I seriously doubt they're "goading" anyone. In fact, from what I can tell from your conversation, the messages are so similar, I have to wonder if the second message, if planted on purpose, as you suggest, was simply to accommodate different levels of technology. Clearly, the second message was more difficult to produce, so perhaps, if we looked even further, we might find even more layers of communication in that one message." Lo'ren's face started to get that glazed over look she got when her mind started racing on a problem. "Come to think of it, this message is too big for it's britches. The file size is much larger than necessary. Do you suppose that there could a be directions package linked to this? Or perhaps a base maths series for communications? A periodic table would do wonders for setting up language comparisons." She had to shake herself out of it before she went too far. ."Sorry, I get so wrapped up in this stuff I forget there are others who need to speak. Got an opinions?" Eoin swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, and took a sip of tea before he responded. "That would definitely be the Holy Grail for this translation project. I can only hope that you're right in that being why the file size is so big. But one must wonder about what Mr. Locke said about the layers of the message accomodating different levels of technology. However, only a full translation will reveal the truth about what it really is." (reply Locke, IYW) ""We may need to take this message back to Mr. Haynes and get some more information out of him." Eoin was about to respond when another officer approached their group. He recognized the officer as Mr. McKenzie. "Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I wondered if you need some help with the language? Bolan and I have done most of our work. We have been able to convert the start of a Standard Federation Greeting into their tongue. Need some help after I have lunch?" "Why don't you join us? We were just talking about the translation. We could always use another head on this project." (reply McKenzie, room for more [but not much more]) At that point, Lo'ren's commbadge chirped. =/\=Ensign T'Vof I am sending you the Tch'kairn rosetta stone compliments of our good doctor Trommashere, have fun. Haynes out.=/\= The channel closed, and Lo'ren started to get up. "Sounds like the Lieutenant sent us something pretty major. I'm going to head back down to Engineering." Eoin nodded, saying, "Don't worry. I'll be along in a few minutes." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 10, Ten Forward - ATAC Ensign(jg) Lo'ren T'Vof -11:17) Lo'ren was enjoying her chow mein, she even let herself ignore the million and one questions still floating in her head regarding the Tch'kairn and what they were all about. Eoin and Kyle both seemed to be enjoying their meals as well. Just as she took another mouthful of noodles, her badge chirrupped and brought her out of her quiet moment. =/\=Ensign T'Vof I am sending you the Tch'kairn rosetta stone compliments of our good doctor Trommashere, have fun. Haynes out.=/\= The line closed even before she had a chance to respond, ~Wonder what's got him moving along so quickly?~ Lo'ren looked at the two gentlemen seated with her. "Sounds like the Lieutenant sent us something pretty major. I'm going to head back down to Engineering." (reply Locke, Mac Liam) Seeing as how Lt. Haynes had sent a Rosetta stone of sorts she thought it might speed up the translation matrix significantly and didn't want to waste to opportunity. One last bite of her chow mein and she was up and on her way to the door, Lo'ren waved to the waiter, calling back to him as she went through the lounge doors, "Excellent as always Joe, I'll see you later." The affable waiter waved at her, happy to have gotten a compliment from her, if a bit delayed. He was used to the oft-times hectic life of Starfleeters running in and out of Ten Forward. Very nearly barrelling through the corridors towards the nearest turbolift, Lo'ren opened a channel in the comm system, "Ensign Hungwe, this is T'Vof. I'm coming back down early. We may have gotten breakthrough material from the Science Department." (reply Hungwe iyw) She closed her channel and stepped into the 'lift. "Engineering." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere- 1118) "They'll be happy to have this." tapping the com again he spoke into it. "Ensign T'Vof I am sending you the Tch'kairn rosetta stone compliments of our good doctor Trommashere, have fun. Haynes out." Angeni's face became a deep shade of red. Her fingertips felt as if they were vibrating, and she took one look around, seeing both ben deep in their work. Stepping as close as she could to the colorful display, she reached out, putting her fingertips ever so gently on the display. Nothing in her life could've ever prepared her for something as momentus as this; she thought she'd never do anything...noteworthy, and here she went, finding a compressed file at the bottom of some computerized library the key to a language. She walked behind Jericho, looking at her screen. Absently, she put her hands on the back of his chair, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look. She tried to trace the pictures with her eyes, watching them whizz by. She felt like her head was about to explode...but the good kind of explode. "Jericho..." she whispered softly, "Harry...I can't believe this." She looked at both of them, sounding absolutely breathless. "We...we have to celebrate...or something...I don't know...just...do something." She put a hand on her head, and she started to see spots. She could hear the sounds in the room turn into types she'd hear in a wind tunnel. She wavered a bit on her feet, and she plopped herself down before she fell down. Taking a few slow, deep breaths, she centered herself, and she looked up at those around her, her voice soft. "Anyone know where I can get a drink of water?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Deck Ten, Ten Forward, ACEO Ensign (JG) Eoin Mac Liam, 11:19) "Why don't you join us? We were just talking about the translation. We could always use another head on this project." said Eoin. "Aye, thank you." Kenny said and sat down with his tray of food. "It's been hard, so far, but entertaining. With their language being far to complex, and with Science Lab One going in a huff and blowing a conduit, it's been quite a day." he laughed. "How has it been for you and what do you need to do?" "Well, it's been rather eventful to say the least. To think that we will have learned about a new species and established a reliable translation matrix before teatime is enough to boggle anyone's mind. Well, hopefully before teatime." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - SciO, Ensign Harry Doorman- 1120) "So...tell me about yourselves...." Angeni prompted. She didn't have to ask jack twice, as he immediately answered her query. "Well .. uhm... I consider myself to be a decent scientist who loves his job, never more so than now. I don't have any family anymore but that's a story for another time." He motioned for her to be careful as she stepped back and the door behind her opened. "Watch your step." Harry realized that the next pause was meant for him to fill. In his lameness, he answered simply. "I'm just a mathematician..." "And what about yourself Angeni?" Jack asked, much to Harry's relief. "Me? Eh...what's there to know. I consider myself a Jane of all Trades...I've always tried to get my nose into anything and everything...that's why I made a pest of myself and hung around the Lab...everything is so fascinating there...then again, I guess a newcomer to the lab is like me having a newcomer to the Bay; everything seems bizarre and exciting to start with, and by minute 9, it's all old hat..." "So...what do you do in your spare time? When you're not busting the laws of physics into a million pieces that is?" Jack looked over at Harry before answering "I don't do that much outside of work right now though I do get to the Holodeck now and again." He gave a slight chuckle. "And I like a snort of real alcohol now and again, if that makes me a bad man then so be it!" He winked to show he was kidding. "I don't have much of a tolerance for the formulated, sanitized and tamed version of what used to be a really entertaining pastime, why you never hear of people dancing on tables after drinking synthehol now do you?" His smile was genuine then, he liked to crack an occasional joke though not everyone shared his sense of humor. "What about you Harry? Ever do anything after drinking synthehol you were actually ashamed of? Takes all the fun out of it doesn't it?" Harry shook his head. "I haven't really considered it, to be truthful. I don't drink alcohol, synthetic or otherwise." "I do have to admit, Jack," Angeni replied, "sometimes, it does take the fun out of things sometimes....Where were you born? where are you from?" He shrugged. "Born on Earth actually in south central North America, used to be called Texas at one time so I've done some time in the country. Spent some time hanging with the Indians at the reservation in Oklahoma when I was younger as well. About all I want to get into at this time, you'll have plenty of time to be depressed by my life story after you get to know me better." Harry smiled. He wasn't sure why, but it was so very hard to take jack seriously when he was so flippant about his life. The man was too likeable sometimes. "Oh really? I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee." She giggled and put her hand over her mouth, for some unknown reason. "I grew up on a reservation myself..." She rubbed the back of her neck, her face flushed. "I can't wait to get to know both of you better." She winked at both of them, "So...what type of Ethanol do you partake in you pseudo-bad man? I have a bottle or two aboard of a rose and honeysuckle wine...nothing major, but the occasional sip of Vodka or Tequila always produces a bit of fun." She moved back in line with them, gently leaning against Harry, looking up at him with a smile. Harry seemed somehow energized by that smile. It was a very pleasant thing and before he realized it, he was leaning back towards Angeni as well. She had a serene look on her face and Harry just smiled back at her, like a Neanderthal. Sorry..." she said gently, "I'm starving. It's shocking just how much energy is used up in something like this." "It can be pretty intense," Harry said smiling, "No need to be sorry. I completely understand." Her face flushed again, and she turned her eyes to the floor, studying the grain of the carpet as they walked. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 18 Main Engineering - 11:21) Lo'ren nodded at the dark Engineer as she swung into a chair and tapped the commands to open whatever Jack Haynes had sent. A new video flashed on the top half of the screen, on the bottom: numbers, figures and a periodic table, not to mention what looked like coordinates and other such spatial information. ~That'll give them a direct heading, if I'm not mistaken~. After viewing the video, reading the some of the other information and coming to her senses, she turned to the others. "Lt. Haynes wasn't kidding when he said Rosetta Stone. This is the Motherlode." (reply any present) She tapped around her console again bringing up several smaller screens. [Greetings from the Tch'kairn. This message comes from a need for help. Our world has come in conflict with a race we have come to know as th'chk click humm shtack (no translation). We are a peaceful people and do not have the ability to defend ourselves from such a foe. Please help.] [We are Tch'kairn. Our need for help is great. Our world has come in conflict with a race we have come to know as th'chk click humm shtack (no translation). They place us in danger. Please help. Come find us.] [ ... are the Tch'kairn. Our situation is dire. This ... *a long buzzing whine* ... contains further information to allow any who would ... * a series of clicks of varying pitch* ... to understand our language as well as ... * Hollow drumming notes interspersed with high pitched whines* ... with us and perhaps to make their way to us. Our enemy is attempting to silence our ... *That buzzing whine again* I will continue to call as long as I am able. I am ...] After a few seconds the being opened and closed its mandibles several times then moved forward and tapped out a sequence on an unseen console below the screens operative window. ~As I live and breathe.~ Lo'ren was in shock, the thing she'd wanted when the second message had been sent to her and the team had seemed like it would never happened. Now she sat before several versions of the same message. Each one of varying levels of lingual complexity, each one stressing the urgency and danger the Tch'kairn were in. Now they had a goldmine of information. ~Base 9 maths, huh? Interesting, Bet the science boys are having fun with this.~ Lo'ren listened to the last message again. "Well, now we know what they meant by 'Come find us.' in the second message. This guy's obviously been sending similar messages on several bands to try and catch someone's attention." (reply any present) "Can anyone clean up the newest message? Let's make sure we don't mistake static for Tch'Kairn clicks." (reply any present) As the message was being cleared up Lo'ren inputted the science, maths and apparent alphabet into a language decription matrix she had pulled up. Lo'ren watched as the three texts from the video were analyzed along with the other new information. ~This might give us a better understanding of Xindi rather than the other way around.~ "We'll have a full language base once the computer finishes this." Lo'ren waved a hand at the screen. (reply any present) "Computer, estimated time to completion?" [Estimated time to language base completion 15 minutes.] "Well, that make our job easier, and almost done. Guess we ought to call Counsellor Ripley, who would like to do the honours?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades, Deck Ten, Ten Forward, ACSO Ensign (JG) Kenneth McKenzie, 11:22 hours) "Why don't you join us? We were just talking about the translation. We could always use another head on this project." said Mac Liam. Kenny smiled. He was looking forward to getting to know more of the ships crew, and one of the best ways to do that was to work together. Kenny knew that the Hades had a fine staff and that he'd get along well with them. He was always willing to get to know knew people. Also; Kenny had been keen to get to know the Irishman. Both Kenny and Eoin had the same hair and eye colour and were both of Celtic blood. Even if Eoin was not a Scot, the Irish are a close relative and he was looking forward to getting to know another Celt. He'd make a note to get to know Eoin more after work was done. "Aye, thank you." Kenny said and sat down with his tray of food. "It's been hard, so far, but entertaining. With their language being far to complex, and with Science Lab One going in a huff and blowing a conduit, it's been quite a day." he laughed. "How has it been for you and what do you need to do?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 18 Main Engineering - ACEO Ensign (jg) Eoin Mac Liam11:23) Eoin followed Lo'ren quickly, and got right to where Mr. Hungwe just in time to see the new data come up on the screen. A new transmission played on the top half of the screen, on the bottom: numbers, figures and a periodic table, not to mention what looked like coordinates and other such spatial information. After seeing this, Lo'ren turned to the others. "Lt. Haynes wasn't kidding when he said Rosetta Stone. This is the Motherlode." Awestruck, Eoin could only utter two words in his native tongue. "Tá cinnte.*" She tapped around her console again bringing up several smaller screens. [Greetings from the Tch'kairn. This message comes from a need for help. Our world has come in conflict with a race we have come to know as th'chk click humm shtack (no translation). We are a peaceful people and do not have the ability to defend ourselves from such a foe. Please help.] [We are Tch'kairn. Our need for help is great. Our world has come in conflict with a race we have come to know as th'chk click humm shtack (no translation). They place us in danger. Please help. Come find us.] [ ... are the Tch'kairn. Our situation is dire. This ... *a long buzzing whine* ... contains further information to allow any who would ... * a series of clicks of varying pitch* ... to understand our language as well as ... * Hollow drumming notes interspersed with high pitched whines* ... with us and perhaps to make their way to us. Our enemy is attempting to silence our ... *That buzzing whine again* I will continue to call as long as I am able. I am ...] After a few seconds the being opened and closed its mandibles several times then moved forward and tapped out a sequence on an unseen console below the screens operative window. Lo'ren repeated the new transmission. "Well, now we know what they meant by 'Come find us.' in the second message. This guy's obviously been sending similar messages on several bands to try and catch someone's attention." "It's definitely a desperate cry for help. I was wrong to doubt it." "Can anyone clean up the newest message? Let's make sure we don't mistake static for Tch'Kairn clicks." Eoin took a seat next to Mr. Hungwe, and began to type in commands. "I'll get right on it. It shouldn't be too hard." As the message was being cleared up Lo'ren inputted the science, maths and apparent alphabet into a language decription matrix she had pulled up. Lo'ren watched as the three texts from the video were analyzed along with the other new information. "We'll have a full language base once the computer finishes this." Lo'ren waved a hand at the screen. (reply any present) "Computer, estimated time to completion?" [Estimated time to language base completion 15 minutes.] "Well, that make our job easier, and almost done. Guess we ought to call Counsellor Ripley, who would like to do the honours?" "Will do." Eoin tapped his commbadge. "Ensign Mac Liam to Counsellor Ripley." (reply Ripley) "The translation matrix is nearly complete. You might want to come down to Engineering. We'll need your help in this matter." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Counseling Offices - ACOUNS- Anamitra Ripley- 1126) Ana had just completed her First Contact Protocols assessment when her commbadge chirped. =^= Ensign Mac Liam to Counselor Ripley=^= Ana smiled and reached up to tap the commbadge attached to her uniform. "Ripley here, what can I do for you Eoin." she replied. =^=The translation matrix is nearly complete. You might want to come down to Engineering. We'll need your help in this matter.=^= "Great!" she replied excitedly, "I've just finished the contact protocols so it's perfect timing. I'll be right down. See you in a minute Ripley out." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes- 1128) With his eyes closed Jack could hear the doctor moving about faintly and Harry typing as he considered his next move, with the mathematical formula for fractal space now available they could take the next step. His eyes naturally opened and moved to the chamber at the rear of the lab with its gleaming transparent aluminum portals into which he could with the right power output and balance of energies theoretically simulate F-space, after its simulation they could then take exhaustive readings and begin to unlock the mysteries of this awesome discovery. "Jericho..." Angeni whispered behind him, "Harry...I can't believe this. We...we have to celebrate...or something...I don't know...just...do something." Her expostulation was followed by the sound of her dropping heavily into a chair, Jacks concentration interrupted he turned to see how she was doing and saw her with a hand to her head and breathing slowly but deeply. "Anyone know where I can get a drink of water?" "Of course," Jack murmured as he rose from the chair and made his way to a replicator. Units in the lab were specially designed and shielded due to the nature of the incredible forces dealt with here, keying this one to life he realized he hadn't asked how she wanted her water so he went with the obvious. "One glass of water, chilled." There was a brief hum followed by the opening of the units door, taking the glass in his right hand he made his way back to the doctor, her face was flushed and her eyes bright he noted as he held the drink out to her. (Reply: Angeni) "You're welcome," He stepped back as she began to sip at the revitalizing drink, relishing for an instant the brief touch of her silky fingers as he had handed the beverage over. "And I agree by the way, I think a celebration is in order, the only question is in the where and when... And what types of refreshments are included." He added that last after a pause, remembering the large bottle of real alcohol he had brought aboard that was his namesake. He had been saving the bottle for either a party or a maudlin bout which had always been the most likely event. (Reply: Angeni, Harry) "In the meantime I have already mentioned to Harry that the department is going to have a private dinner this evening in ten forward, since you have been such an angel in bringing us the datachip you are of course invited along with the other teams working on the Tch'kairn problem. By the way since we've dropped the formalities my name ... or rather nickname is Jack." With that he gave her his most charming smile, not really thinking beyond the fact that he was in the midst of a momentous day, the thought of the simulator chamber though snapped his mind back to the topic at hand and away from the normal reactions of a human male, even though she was technically the same rank as CMO and he was unattached... he decided he had better mind his manners, always the better part of valor. He gave her an apologetic shrug of his shoulders. "In the meantime I've got to get back to work." (Reply: Angeni, Harry) Moving back to the control panel for the test chamber he deleted the program they had been working on earlier and pulled the equations from Harry's console, after that was completed he typed in the command for the computer to analyze the algorhythms and begin computing the requisite power and energy frequencies needed to simulate fractal space. All of this took several minutes, after he was done he sighed and turned to the others. "All right gang this has been fun but it's time for lunch." He gave Harry a pointed look. "And that's an order." (Reply: Harry, Angeni) It seemed the natural thing to do as he turned to Angeni. "Would you care to join ... us?" ~ Da** conscience! Or is there a part of me that just likes wallowing in my misery?~ He thought as he changed the subjective noun at the last instance. Keeping his distance from the other female crew members had always been a reflex since he had been happily married and it had become an ingrained habit that he was beginning to detest so to spite himself he did something quite out of character, he smiled at her and offered her his arm to take if she so wished. ~Take that!~ He told himself as he waited for her to either accept or reject the proffered appendage, this was a day to celebrate after all. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 6, High Energy Biophysics Lab - CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere- 1129) Angeni smiled gratefully, making a mental note that she *had* to eat when she woke up. An energy drink and a power bar wasn't even close to being sufficient fuel for the day. Her mind went through the various medical scenarios; the excitement ate up all of her glucose stores, turning them into energy in response to the stimulation of her parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn used all the energy stores in her liver and pancreas, and they were working on the lactic acid that her muscles were trying to produce when she flopped down. She took the drink, and she sipped it slowly, her eyes closed. The cold liquid rushed over her lips, and she pulled a small packet from her lab coat; a powder used to help replace some of the glucose so that one could have enough energy for the next few hours. It was one of those 'It works for a while, but when you crash, you'll plumet like a stone' kind of things. She poured it in the glass, swished it about, and she drank the rest, holding the sweating glass in the palms of her hands. "Thank you, you're wonderful." "You're welcome," He stepped back as she began to sip at the revitalizing drink, relishing for an instant the brief touch of her silky fingers as he had handed the beverage over. "And I agree by the way, I think a celebration is in order, the only question is in the where and when... And what types of refreshments are included." He added that last after a pause, remembering the large bottle of real alcohol he had brought aboard that was his namesake. He had been saving the bottle for either a party or a maudlin bout which had always been the most likely event. Angeni spun towards Harry, touching his arm, "I'm sure the three of us can figure something out...maybe whip up a holodeck program or just have a blast in Ten Forward. What do you think, Harry?" (Reply Harry) "In the meantime I have already mentioned to Harry that the department is going to have a private dinner this evening in ten forward, since you have been such an angel in bringing us the datachip you are of course invited along with the other teams working on the Tch'kairn problem. By the way since we've dropped the formalities my name ... or rather nickname is Jack." Angeni smiled up at him, letting his name roll off her tongue, "Jack...I think I can call you that." She blushed at his smile. "In the meantime I've got to get back to work." Angeni nodded, holding up a free hand. "Please, don't let me keep you." She stood up, taking her glass back to the replicator. She hovered around, trying not to get in anyones' way, or to look annoying. She wandered over to Harry, looking at the equations over his shoulder. "I have no idea how you keep all this straight in your head." She smiled at him. "You will definately have to show me some time what this all means. I hope you don't think I'm a bother, I just find this all fascinating." (Reply Harry) "All right gang this has been fun but it's time for lunch." He gave Harry a pointed look. "And that's an order." She turned and sat back down in the chair she was sitting in. She stared at the dancing colors again, realizing that she had abandoned Wendy in the bay. She stood up, going to a 'regular' computer that she was familiar with, and she shot a quick note to Sickbay, apologizing profusely for her absence. In it, she promised to come in to finish the Beta shift if she so wished for her to do so. She also promised to explain everything once they met up again. As she gathered her things, she went to take leave of the two of them. She recited something in her head, making sure it didn't sound too forward, yet at the same time, didn't want it to be too open either when Jack sealed the deal for her. "Would you care to join ... us?" Angeni smiled as he offered his arm, somewhat taken aback. She stopped for a moment, looking him in his eye, and she broke into a wide grin, setting her hand on his forearm. "I would be delighted!" She smiled, taking her arm off of his for a moment to slip back into her lab coat, then she turned to Harry, a giggle in her voice. "Coming?" Then, just to be spontaneous, which shocked her all the more, she held out her hand to him. "The equations can wait for a bit..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades - Deck 18 Main Engineering - ACOUNS- Anamitra Ripley- 1133) The doors to the turbo lift opened with an audible whoosh and Ana stepped out into the corridor with a spring in her step that almost confirmed for those seeing that she was excited to finally get to see the Engineering department after all her time on ship. She slowed her pace as she took in the masculine pulsing warp core and all the Freudian references that sprang immediately to mind. With a slight chuckle at her own sense of sordid humor, she turned her attention from the core and surveyed the room. Mac Liam was not difficult to spot, and he was joined by T'Vof and another member of the crew that Ana did not know. She crossed the room to them. "Hello, I came as fast as I could." she explained, "how can I be of ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- end compile