The Deliquescence

[Laehval tTemarr 0]

The Deliquescence

A Collaboration By

El’Riov Laehval t’Temarr & Erei'Riov Destorie N'dak

 

 

Finding himself less apprehensive than he usually was when descending into the realm of Laehval t'Temarr, Destorie N'Dak stepped into Main Engineering, ISD and Indenticard in hand. Normally, he’d pause to look around for the Daise’Engineer, but by now he could guess where she would be. He headed straight for her office.

 

"Excuse me," he said, knocking on the frame of the open door. "May I come in, Daise?"

 

As predicted, Laehval was sitting behind her desk, trying to ignore her pounding headache as she reviewed the latest reports of the away team's salvage operation. The rest of engineering bustled about with activity, but within her sanctuary it was deathly quiet. The knock drew her attention, causing her to wince as it reverberated through her skull. Peering up at N'Dak, she frowned, but beckoned him inside nonetheless. "Here about the modifications in your department?"

 

He nodded slowly, and walked in placing the ISD on her desk. "Ie," he said softly. "However, I also have another reason for bothering au."

 

Her gaze flitting over him briefly, she rose from her desk and reached for the ISD. Lifting it to read, she waited for him to continue. "Another project? Nothing trivial, I hope."

 

"Na," he said. "It is na a project all... a mystery actually." He moved closer to the desk, keeping the Identicard in his grasp.

 

"There was an attempt on the Deihu's life a few hours ago. I took this from the yy'a body of the attacker. Io standard Imperial Identicard..." He paused as he held the card for her to examine, sure she was going to make some snide remark about the gaps in security.

 

Her interest captured, she surprisingly took the Identicard without comment, turning it over in her hand to view it at all angles. "Only an attempt? The attacker did na succeed, then?"

 

"Na," he nodded. "t'Aehjae was able to subdue the woman before she could complete her mission." Sensing that this wouldn't be one of their more violent encounters, he continued. "I attempted to view the information on the card, but with na results," he said, his frustration obvious.

 

"Menkha. I know nothing of the elder tr’S'Bien, but the last thing this ship needs is another Imperial incident, especially io involving a Deihu. Or flying rice bowls, for that matter." Muttering that last to herself. She peered up from the card, both brows lifting in speculation. "Encrypted, I'd imagine. And beyond aur access level, I'm sure. I doubt even our Enarrain's codes would work. Au wish me to break through the security?"

 

"Ie," he said. "The assassin was able to slip aboard with the access codes, which annoys me even more, because now I will be blamed for insufficient security." He sighed as he looked at the datacard. That was what annoyed him more than even the attempt on the Senator’s life--he would be blamed for the fiasco, despite the fact he had done everything in his power to prevent it.

 

"Do au believe she came aboard when we were last docked with the repair station?" Laehval’s frown deepened.

 

He nodded. "I checked the access records. Her code was listed, but the D’heno at the airlock would na have questioned an officer with her 'level' of clearance," he scowled.

 

"Then au are na to blame. That station must answer for much. The repair crews were lax in some of their duties, though the reports I received indicated otherwise. Now it seems their security is to blame as well. Though they may na have questioned her clearance levels, it is standard procedure to announce such high ranking officers and guests to the command staff as well as the Daise'Dheno. Au received na such notification, correct?"

 

"Na, na at qiuu." He was actually surprised that Laehval was giving him encouragement in this matter, although it would be another matter entirely whether or not t'Rexan saw it that way.

 

Laehval was more interested in gaining evidence from any source possible. He was giving her another valid reason to blame the station for its mistakes. Now that he had his own incident to back up her claims, her reports would hold more weight. Flipping the card in her fingers, she glanced from him into main engineering. "I have na pressing matters at the moment. Did au wish me to look at this hna?"

 

"If au are na busy," he said. He really never understood why he had been so unsociable with the woman, but then he had charged into Engineering one time with a dead animal and thrown it at her AQS.

 

Laehval should have had a sign above her door that said 'approach with caution'. She did not tolerate attitude, but could be civil to those that were civil with her in turn. Besides, she had too much of a headache to do much yelling. Giving him a slight nod, she took the Identicard and his ISD and exited her office, heading for one of the unoccupied engineering labs.

 

"If au like, I can also show au the progress we've made on the br'tehh modifications." Passing two of the occupied labs, - one of which held El'Arrain tr'Pexil as he attempted to break into the salvaged flight recorder - Laehval moved into the largest of her workrooms. It was filled with all types of equipment, though one entire wall held a fully functioning mockup of a brig cell.

 

N'Dak followed a few steps behind. He was trying, as of late, to be more civil towards the other members of the crew, thinking that he would spend less time in medical if he did. Moving into the lab, he walked to the mockup, studying the modifications. He nodded, satisfied with what he saw. "The Enarrain has approved the modifications," he said, pleased with himself.

 

"With all the work we've done on them, I would have installed them anyway." Throwing him a sidelong glance, she waved a hand at the cell. "Care to try it out?"

 

He smiled wryly. "I am an expert on the br'tehh these days. I’m always finding myself in io," he said as he stepped into the mockup.

 

"Not this type." She lifted a control device from one of the work tables and tapped in a quick sequence. The familiar shimmering forcefield appeared over the opening of the cell. "This is aur normal setting, comparable to what au currently have in aur br'tehh."

 

He inched a finger near the forcefield. "Ouch."

 

Smirking at his pain, she pressed another sequence and the forcefield intensified. "Try that io. It is a very slight modification, but io that will deter tampering. The longer io remains in contact, the longer the effects."

 

Very, very cautiously he reached single finger towards the shimmering green field. Once in contact with the field, his entire body went numb, then began tingling as though his muscles had been deprived of oxygen. He was quick to jerk his hand away. "Owww!" He said, slumping back onto the hard cell bunk.

 

"Indeed," he said, quite exasperated. It took a moment for the feeling to return to his body. "And the hteij inhibitors?"

 

"I could test it on au, but au would na live through it. They are functioning, but we need to tune them so that the subjects are na obliterated in the process. Set the way they are currently, the force of the inhibitors are such that the molecules of a person are scrambled, but kept in the cell. Once the influence of the hteij is removed, the molecules are rearranged, but na in order as there is na pattern buffer in the cell. The outcome is always fatal." She tilted her head slightly, seeming more annoyed by the glitch than actually disturbed by the outcome.

 

He smirked, finding Laehval's comment quite amusing. "Hna this is most excellent."

 

"We've also modified the transparency factor of the field." She made another adjustment and the field changed so that he could no longer view the room. Instead, he only saw a seemingly normal wall.

 

"Au can adjust it so that aur prisoner can neither see nor hear what happens within aur office, though au may still view him within the cell. If au so desire, au may even adjust it so that au do na have to look at him." Her disembodied voice drifted through the blank wall where the forcefield had shimmered only moments before.

 

"How delightful," he said. "We hardly need an interrogation room with this feature. Hann’yyo. I believe I have seen enough." N’Dak waited a few moments for her to deactivate the forcefield, but nothing happened. "Laehval?"

 

A cruel joke, he assumed. Nothing but silence answered him. Straining, he finally discerned the soft hiss of a hypospray being administered. When the forcefield deactivated, Laehval was tucking the medical device back into her uniform. He looked at her very oddly.

 

"Are au well?" Normally he wouldn't even ask such a question, but knowing about the accident, he had felt it best.

 

She gave him a withering look. "My head aches. Na concussion. It will dissipate." She dismissed the subject with a flick of her fingers and changed topics. "As I said, we still need to do some tuning. If au have any other features au desire, now would be the time to ask."

 

"Still interested in the Identicard?" Turning, she moved to a small computer station within the lab, placing the card into the reader.

 

Glad to be free of the mock-up brig cell, he stepped out and towards Laehval. "Ah," he said. "Ie, ie very much so. I wish to present it to t'Rexan as soon as possible."

 

"Though such things are na standard and extremely illegal, we do have quite a few encryption decoders at our disposal." She initiated a program on the console. It began much as N'Dak's query, trying to gain access through normal means and switching tactics once denied. "If this is na voiceprinted, then we should be able to break through."

 

He nodded. "I figured that I should bring it down to au, as aur expertise in technical matters is rarely matched."

 

"Au do na usually flatter me unless au want something. In fact, I do na think au have ever flattered me." She turned from the console, peering at him dubiously. "And as I am already assisting au, I fail to see the point."

 

"Na flattery," he protested. "Only honesty." He turned to fully face her.

 

"Actually," he said quite sincerely. "I only want for au to na think so little of me. During my latest stay in medical, Daise’Maenak t'Ksa helped me realize what a poor example I have been lately. I am trying to... change my ways."

 

She arched a brow, her gaze focused on his face as he spoke, studying him with open scrutiny. "It had occurred to me that perhaps I have na give au the respect au deserve as Daise'Dheno, thereby earning some of the ill will au have spread about. As I am certain au have noticed, I am na the most ... sociable ... of creatures. There is little I will tolerate, least of all in my own department."

 

"Perhaps," he said, meeting her gaze, his softened eyes conveying the respect he had for the woman. "We can agree to a non-aggression pact?"

 

"Perhaps something could be arranged,” she shrugged lightly. "Especially when in the presence of subordinates. It could be beneficial to both of our departments."

 

"Of course," he nodded. Gauging her for a moment, he added, "Did au know that according to those in my department, au and I are to be bonded... with twins on the way."

 

"I trust that au have set them straight on the matter," she said wryly. "Twins do na run in my family." Snorting, she leaned against the computer console, checking it briefly to make certain it was still running properly.

 

He nodded. "Ie," he said, then almost playfully, "They do however run in mine."

 

"But of course," he said, "I let them know that it is Issaha that au can na resist. Especially his boyish, drunken charm." He was smirking now from pointed ear to pointed ear.

 

She choked, one hand lifting to her mouth. "I think perhaps I need to visit the medical bay. I feel decidedly ill to my stomach." Pushing off the console, she threw him a glance to let him know she was teasing.

 

"I think my staff thought I was going to yy'a the lot of them when I walked in on them discussing the matter," he said smirking.

 

"I am surprised au did na. I would have at least maimed a few so as na to support insurrection."

 

He chuckled. "Na, I just made them all work double shifts. Next time we are on leave," he snarkled. "I'll make sure they all have to stay on the ship."

 

"Good enough, I suppose. It might curb a few rumors." Lips pursed in amusement, she nodded. "If, however, au still find that their attitudes need adjusting, send them to do security sweeps of my department." Her grin could only be described as wicked.

 

Finishing the decryption sequence, the console beeped loudly. Scowling at the noise, Laehval removed the Identicard from the reader and handed it back to N'Dak. "Try it again. It should be coded to any clearance level now. If it still will na let au in, then bring it back. I have more drastic measures we could try, but the card would na survive them."

 

He took the card from her and placed into a pocket on his tunic. "Hann'yyo"

 

"If au need any further assistance, let me know. Aur br'tehh modifications should be complete within a few days at the most. They can be installed at any point after."

 

"Menkha," he said nodding. "Au really have exceeded my expectations on them. Hna if I can just talk t’Ksa into stationing a medic down there."

 

"If she does na have io to spare, perhaps au might think of a holographic maenak. Emitters could be outfitted just as easily in aur department. It would give au a maenak in times of emergency and au would na have to create an office or special station."

 

Lifting an eyebrow. "Perhaps, but only if Koga tr'S'Bien could be the model we used. That way t'Ditsy could have io to talk to."

 

"Elements." Her eyes rolled upward and she shook her head. "Do na encourage that io. Au have obviously never seen her quarters. If au had, au would make two holographic models, io of tr'S'Bien and io of our Daise'Dheno." Smirking.

 

"Oh really," he said, quirking an eyebrow. "I had na idea. I always thought it was au that had au walls plastered with hologliphs of me," trying to keep a straight face.

 

"Oh, Ie. There are quite a few in my quarters. And they are all sliced to ribbons because I use them for targets when practicing my kaleh throwing."

 

Shutting down the console, she also deactivated the mock br'tehh cell, plunging that section of the room into darkness. Gesturing toward engineering, she tilted her head at him. "If au have nothing else, there are always reports to be read and findings to be filed. I must also check with tr'Pexil on his progress with the flight recorder. Inform me of what au find on that Identicard. We might be able to help process the data and trace the origin of its construction."

 

Smirking to himself, N’Dak nodded and followed her out. "Hann'yyo… for everything."

Edited May 23, 2005 by Laehval tTemarr