Meeting of the Minds

Posted on Wed Aug 29th, 2012 @ 1:26pm by Commander Sakkath & Commander Oralia Zeferino & Commander Patrick Leroy & Ignatius Reilly

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Science Labs

A hyper Iggy was literally crawling the walls in her excitement. She was moving horizontally across the living area wall, from the main door to the bedroom door and back. Each time she got to the bedroom door, she’d ask, Are you ready yet? Can we go? We should not be late.

Finally, Oralia stepped out of the bedroom, fully dressed in her usual uniform. “Calm down, okay? We have plenty of time.”

The spider stopped where she was and stared at Oralia. So says you. You who can already speak and go anywhere you wish.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, you’re right, I’m being daft. C’mon, climb up and we’ll go,” the woman said as she pinned a commbadge to her left side. She didn’t flinch as Iggy scaled her back and took a position on her shoulder.

**** Science Lab ****

A day ago, she’d called to arrange a time when both Commander Sakkath and Commander Leroy would be available to help Ignatius develop a better way to move around the Starbase. Part of her wanted to suggest a tiny shield emitter, so no one could stomp on her or shoot her with a phaser. The idea gave her the giggles as she imagined Iggy bouncing along the ‘base’s corridors like some weird hamster-in-a-ball. Needless to say, Iggy hadn’t appreciated that image or the humor it induced in Oralia.

Still chuckling over the image, Oz entered the main labs and glanced around to see if Sakkath or Leroy were there yet. Leroy was most likely in his office, so that’s where she headed. Knocking on the frame of the open door, she smiled and peered in, “Commander Leroy?”

“Please come in.” Leroy responded as he looked up from the monitor. “Commander Sakkath should be here shortly, but we can start.”

“See? I told you we wouldn’t be late,” Oralia said to Iggy as she lifted the spider from her shoulder and put her on Leroy’s desk.

Oh, I forgot: you are always correct, Oralia, Iggy’s comment was laced with sarcasm, enough that Oz raised a brow.

The Chief Science officer gestured her to one of the seats in front of the desk and turned the monitor so that Oralia could see too. “I was working on some ideas after receiving your request, here is one that should be of easy implementation but...” Leroy perked a brow watching Oralia “Are you sure you want your... Ignatius going freely around all the Starbase?”

I am not a pet! I am more! Jackson said so, Iggy protested. She was close enough to Leroy that she caught the unsaid word; even if she weren’t close enough, she was smart enough to know that’s the word he was about to use. And you cannot restrict me. The Admiral said so.

“Well...,” Oralia bit her bottom lip. “Okay, yes, the Admiral did say you had free run of the station but.... Iggs, there are some places where you really … it really wouldn’t be safe for you to go.”

So? There are areas where you should not be, but are you restricted from them? No. The Admiral said ‘free run’. Iggy was adamant and, over her back, Oralia signalled Leroy not to listen to the arachnid.

“Perhaps,” Sakkath’s voice added to the conversation as he entered the Chief Scientist’s office, “though free run must be tempered with discretion. There are areas of this starbase best avoided through the exercise of common sense, and there are some even I do not have unrestricted access to.”

The Vulcan, his hands draped behind his back, nodded to each of the room’s three occupants in turn. “Commanders, Ignatius, please forgive my tardiness. I was delayed in Command and Control.”

“Quite alright, Commander. Iggy and I just arrived,” Oralia said.

Hello, Sakkath! Iggy chirped at him and waved a leg in greeting.

“Good morning Commander, please have a seat.” Leroy invited him.

Nodding, the Vulcan did so, crossing his legs and resting his hands in his lap.

“I’m developing plans for a modified comm-badge. I take it the spider is hissing-capable, right?” Leroy asked.

“Iggy’s hissing is a rasping produced by rubbing her legs together, like a Terran cricket,” Oralia clarified.

“That’s ok. The badge can register and transform these sounds in recognizable commands for the computer for opening and closing the doors. For turbolifts the thing is a bit more complex as defined numbers for decks have to be issued. A small dispositive could be set on one leg to transform tapping in Morse Code and through the modified badge to the turbolift. Of course Ignatius should learn this old transmission language at least for the numbers part...”

“A fairly simple base ten metric should not prove difficult to grasp,” Sakkath mused, nodding along with Patrick’s suggestion. “Though it would require that Ignatius be aware of individual deck numbers, as opposed to simply calling for a destination.”

Removing the tricorder from his hip, the Vulcan opened the device and wordlessly passed it over the arachnid in their presence. Keying a few commands, he lifted a brow in assessment. “Have you given any thought to a computer-brain interface, Commander Leroy?” he wondered, looking to his colleague. “Though certainly more invasive, if we are able to map Ignatius’ brain functions, it could bypass the need for linguistic communication entirely.”

Invasive? What would that mean, Sakkath? Oralia glanced at the spider, realizing that, at some point, Iggy had moved on from calling men simply “males”.

It was also not lost on Sakkath, who was pleased to have progressed beyond 'Li's mate' following the ordeal Ignatius had helped him through. Assisting the arachnid in gaining true autonomy was the smallest offering of thanks.

"An injection of nanotechnology," Sakkath theorized, "or in the worst case, a surgical implant embedded in your nervous system. I do not yet possess all of the necessary data to formulate a working prototype," he admitted.

“I had initially discarded having surgical implants on Ignatius considering the frailty of the subject.” Leroy commented rubbing his chin between fingers, “We’re not speaking of a mammal being of relatively large size, albeit Ignatius is rather large for her species, no pun intended. Still She is an arachnid. At the moment I’m unable to predict the possible effects of such an operation. There are so many questions unanswered, mostly of medical order. Can her body withstand the drugs needed during the intervention? And those needed after? Will the nanites behave the same way as in a mammal bloodstream and tissue? And so on...”

Leroy paused an instant concentrating on the implications before addressing Sakkath again: “The idea is certainly sound Commander, though it requires a certain amount of study and thorough consultation with the medical department.” He turned then to Oralia and Iggy: “Of course it would be better for Ignatius: no apparel strapped to legs and body...”

I would like that. This vest Oralia made has chafed hair off my legs. Iggy lifted a leg for anyone who was interested to take a gander; there was, indeed, a bald spot on her legs right where the vest stopped.

Oralia frowned. She would act merely as an observer here, but that didn’t stop her from worrying. What if ‘surgery’ on an arachnid went horribly wrong? Could they re-seal Iggy’s exoskeleton? Also: nanites? The Borg used those; Oralia shuddered. So many questions.... “Is there a way to test what the nanites would do in an arachnid bloodstream? I know Iggy’s legs and lungs work sort of like hydraulics - and can function only when the other isn’t. Do you need holodeck time to test that idea?”

“It would require a significant amount of additional research,” Sakkath agreed with Leroy. “The tricorder cannot deliver the depth of detail that I require, but judging from my memory of Theraphosa blondi there seem to be some disparities. It is possible she is evolving in more ways than the cognitive abilities we have observed. So, yes, with a viable understanding of Ignatius’ physiology and neural activity, a holodeck simulation of the procedure would be the next logical undertaking. A longer-term goal... if our resident arachnid is willing to suffer sartorial efforts in the meantime,” he added, regarding the spider in their midst.

Sar-tor-rial? Iggy repeated the word, as it was one she had never heard and couldn’t determine what it meant.

Oralia filled her in: “It refers to clothing, usually. I think Sakkath means that while he and Leroy are studying the nanite and implant ideas, you’ll need to deal with either the vest or the morse code device for a while.”

I can do that. Iggy bounced, twice, on the desk. It was a move Oralia was coming to realize was Iggy’s form of a nod. Either that or her expression of happiness and excitement. She smiled and looked at the two men.

“Well, if it is agreed I can complete the projects for the transmission device and the modified commbadge, we can have a smaller than standard one as it has less functions so to avoid to put too much weight on Ignatius’ back. Once finished I’ll send them to engineering for realization it will take no more than a couple of days.” Leroy said typing some commands on the terminal. “Then we could undertake an experimentation for the nanite implementation.” He ended turning to Sakkath.

“That is agreeable, Mister Leroy,” the Vulcan affirmed with a nod.

Oralia nodded. “I’ll make sure Iggs is available whenever you need her. If she has to miss class,” here, Oralia touched one of Iggy’s eight legs and looked at the spider, “Then I’ll make sure her professor knows. If either of you need anything else, just let me know.”

“Speaking of Ignatius’ availability,” Sakkath segued, “I am curious if she might be inclined to avail herself of an opportunity to take a short trip through this star system.”

Before Oralia could answer for her, Iggy practically shouted in their heads, Yes! I am! There was a pause of a heartbeat then, quieter, she amended, So long as the Admiral is not at the helm, at least.

Coughing to cover her amusement, Oralia nodded. “That should be fine, Commander, thank you. I’ll just need to know when you’re leaving, who is going, where you’re going and when to expect her back.” She stopped, one brow arched, as she realized she sounded a lot like her mother had whenever Oralia had asked to spend the night with a friend. “Um... on the other hand, Commander, she’ll be with you. It’s all good. Ready, Iggy?” The meeting of the best minds on the Station was done, for now, and Iggs scaled Oralia’s arm. “Gentlemen, thank you very much for your time and effort on this,” she smiled and met both men’s eyes in turn.

On this trip, we will go faster than light?

Sakkath simply arched a questioning brow at the exchange taking place before him and gave a simple nod in the spider’s direction. “That we shall.”

I am so there for that, then. Call me!

Chuckling, Oralia left Leroy’s office.

Sakkath turned his attention back to Patrick for a moment before rising. “I shall confer with you following my inspection of the Hammond, Commander. Until then.” With a courteous bow of his head, he followed Oralia into the corridor.

_________________________
Commander Sakkath

Lt.Commander Oralia Zeferino

Ignatius J. Reilly

Lt. Commander Patrick Leroy