((Galven & Teller’s Quarters, USS Veritas))
::German was sitting at his desk trying to concentrate, but his roommate was talking to himself about something about the teleporter. The Denobulan was looking through Doctor Skyfire’s notes about the EARS device and how German could expand that into something bigger for the Shoals. He looked back at Geoffrey pacing the room.::
::Teller paced as he tried to remember the disassembly order of a type 9 transporter system, which he was going to need to recall if he had any chance of undoing the modifications he had so hastily made::
Teller: ::warbling offkey to himself:: The Phase Array’s connected to the….plasma shunt….the plasma shunts connected to the...resonator array….the resonator arrays connected to the…. Heisenberg compensator….the Heisenberg compensators connected to the Pattern buffer.
Galven: ::covers his ears:: Does cruel and unusual punishment mean anything to you?!
Teller: Huh? Oh sorry buddy, I honestly didn’t see you there. I get kinda in my own head when I’m trying to fix stuff. Really sorry. I should introduce myself - Ensign Geoff Teller - I’m new aboard, posted to Chief Rosek’s Engineering team. I’m your new tool pusher, sir.
::Teller regarded his roomate with embarrassed surprised, then extended his hand to shake in what he hoped this fellow considered a reasonably traditional greeting. He didn’t remember any of his Federation diplomatic protocol courses mentioning Denobulans hating handshakes. But you never knew what could make a bad impression on a fellow::
::All German heard was Lael’s name and that he was in engineering. Then a little surprised he called him sir. He reached his hand towards his with a raised eyebrow. A scientist and a engineer as roommates.::
oO This could be interesting. Oo
Galven: Charmed, I’m sure. My name is Dr. German D. Galven. Quantum Physicist and Xenobiologist. ::pauses:: You don’t need to call me sir. You can call me anything you want, just don’t call me late for dinner!
::Teller smirked at the attempted humor and clasped his roomie’s hand heartily::
Teller: Alright Doc, pleasure to meet you. I’m still getting myself orientated around here - gonna see CMO for my physical and the Counselor for my welcome aboard headshrinking over this shoreleave. Been a little crazy since I stepped off the shuttle, but the crew seems real sharp. I think it’ll be a pleasure to serve here.
::Teller had an innate respect for anybody who professed knowledge of Xenobiology. It was by far his worst Academy subject and had caused him no end of sleepless nights cramming in his third year. It was nice to know someone could make sense of pituitary systems and fractal cultural patterns while he was busy keeping the engines from killing them all::
::German could understand what the Human was saying. He related in a way because of the way he welcomed himself on the ship. It was an awful doozy for sure. But through his knowledge with the Borg and Temporal Mechanics, he was able to do what he was ordered by of the acting captain at the time.::
::Teller looked over at his novelty coffee mug and had a sudden craving::
Teller: Hey Doc, is there a place aboard to get a decent cup of coffee? I’m not talking about that replicated burnt water, I mean a real honest to goodness steamed and pulled just right triband shot of espresso gently poured over some steamed milk? ::sighs:: I tell ya Doc, that’s a little bit of heaven in a cup right there. Knew a fella who taught me how to make it for myself back in the yards - we warmed the milk with plasma welders - it was great. Makes you appreciate the little things.
::Teller's eyes unfocused slightly for a moment, fondly reminiscing about the simplicity of his earlier life and the friends he had made their. It had been years since he thought of old Jan Sa’an’ta, the Andorian with one missing antenna and a story for every day of the week.::
::German eyes started to glaze over when Geoff just went on rambling on about whatever the guy was talking about. His short attention span was wandering.::
Galven: Sorry, I didn’t get most of what you said. Could you shorten things a little when you speak? I sometimes have a really bad memory. Comes with working inside a science lab for the better part of my life.
Teller: Sure Doc. Best Coffee. Where? Also, you might want to stop sticking your head in the particle accelerator, if you know what I mean. Just friendly advice from your local Engineer.
Galven: Wait::beat::You said you’re an engineer, right? Have you met Lt. Commander Rosek yet?
::Teller could tell this wasn’t his morning for a good cuppa, but he was determined not to forget his personal quest for the perfect brew. Tossing his novelty cup back on the shelf, he smiled at his roommate who clearly had a sharp memory for certain topics.::
Teller: Yep, Engineering. I met her for about 30 seconds in the Transporter room the other day when we executed that emergency beam-out. Was a bit of a rough ride, looked like they had taken a few hits on the surface as well. After that it was all exploding consoles and meeting ant people so I really haven’t had a chance to check in with my department head formally yet. Although I have taken apart the transporter...and the main deflector...and half the eps relays on deck 8…..
Galven: I was a part of that away team. Also::laughs::I might’ve been the reason those consoles exploded. I came up with the idea for the phaser modification.
Teller: Wait, it was you who modified that phaser rifle?
::Teller was shocked, this unassuming fellow had made a piece of technology Teller knew well do things it was never designed to do. The quirky scientist gained another notch in Tellers’ book::
Teller: I’m glad we got stuck in this can together, Doc. I wanted to thank you - without those crazy modifications we never would’ve gotten the whole team back. My best estimates said we’d get maybe one or two, if we were lucky, but with your idea we managed to get everybody home.
::Teller warmly rapped the scientist on the shoulders in camadery::
Teller: Doc, I think you and me are going to be pals. Now, what do you do for fun on this boat?
::This guy started to be really annoying, but turns out he was actually a pretty cool guy once he started complimenting the scientist. He rarely got that kind of recognition. He smirked and patted the guy on the shoulder.::
Galven: You’re a cool guy, kid. ::points out the door:: Tell you what, say we figure out a way to find some good ole coffee and I’ll tell you how I was able to make a phaser bomb while training as a cadet in the Academy.
Teller: (incredulously) Wait, you’re the German Galven who made the Galven Grenade?
oO Oh man, they still told stories about that one at the Academy. Mostly as a cautionary tale about following safety protocols when dealing with a type nine power cell, but Teller had always appreciated the finer points of bending technology into a shape it wasn’t necessarily intended for, but needed for in the moment. Oo
::German smiled his signature Denobulan grin.::
Galven: It was quite simple really. Just slightly aim two phasers towards each other and KABOOM! It’s physics and chemical thermodynamics really. I had no way of knowing what to do with one phaser. I suck at aiming. So, I used my scientific knowledge. Just like how I was able to come up the phaser modification.
Teller: Not bad Doc, not bad. Although you know there was a 40% chance that reaction would’ve imploded and killed everything in a 15m radius.
::Teller suspected Galven did not, in fact, know this.::
Galven: ::shrugs:: Scientific Method, kid. Sometimes you just got to take a risk.
::Teller didn’t think that quite synced up with what some of his Academy professors referred to as the scientific method, but it was close enough for Teller’s liking. He had a suspicion that his roomate had more than once removed his own facial hair explosively.::
Galven: Hey, kid. Let’s go find something to do. By the way, I also majored in Temporal Mechanics. I always like to say, “Time can be either your best friend or your worst enemy.” Gotta stay ahead of the game. ::winks::
::Teller smiled and desperately tried to remember a temporal mechanics factoid or joke….and absolutely nothing came. That class had been so early on Thursdays. And it was Doctor Mazzbenders class. That man decided on one tone of voice 60 years ago and Teller wasn’t sure he hadn’t stopped reciting the same temporal mechanics lessons since then.::
Teller: Well Doc, you’re right - no time like the present! Now, you know the ship - where do you think our first stop should be?
::German shook his head. He was wrong about that statement.::
Galven: First, let me correct you. There’s no such thing as the present. ::goes to his chalkboard he set up above his bed:: Ok, here’s a line right? ::marks a dot in the middle of the line. You’re here. But--
Teller: wait, did you have that chalkboard installed? That’s definitely not in the standard crew quarters. Wait::Teller grabs a piece of the white chalk from a ledge under the board and works it in his fingers::This...this is actual chalk. You’ve got a chalkboard in our quarters, so you can give extemporaneous physics lessons? Buddy, I was right. We are going to be pals.
Galven: ::chuckles and shrugs:: So, I’m old school. Anyways::puts a finger to his lips hoping he gets the point::This dot is you. Everything behind it::draws a curved line::is in the past. Now, you’re here. Time doesn’t stop where you…
::German could tell that Geoff was getting bored, so he summed it up.::
Galven: Time doesn’t stop. We are here, but every second keeps going. What we are doing is now in the past and what we will do is in the future.
Teller: Yep.
::Teller nodded vaguely. There was a sharp academic pain behind his left eye.::
Galven: So, let’s make the future bright and get in some mischief!
Teller: Sounds good to me Doc - what’d you have in mind? Did I hear that this boat has an actual pool? Not a holopool, but an honest to goodness big bucket of water?
::That gave German a really fun scientific idea. He always wanted to try this and seeing old Terran short films of this made him excited.::
Galven: ::chuckles evilly:: Have you ever dealt with dry ice before?
oO I think I see where he’s going with this...and it’ll either be hilarious or it’ll end my career early, but something about this guy makes me a little mischievous Oo
Teller: Sure, all the time back in the yards. Nasty stuff if you’re not careful with it. Why, we planning to make something real cold?
::Pushing Teller out the door, German was extremely giddy about what he was planning.::
Galven: We need to stop by the science lab.
Teller: Sure Doc, I assume this is all part of my ‘Welcome Aboard Tour.’ Oh look, there was junction 38c, section 12. I think there’s a plasma conduit down that hallway I’m supposed to fix later…
::Teller and Galven scurried down the hall, chatting excitedly::
((Primary Science Labs))
Teller: No you need a type 3 containment canister and the silver gloves or your skin will melt, I don’t care how Denobulan you are.
::Teller scowled at the scientist slightly as his years of safety training kicked in. The excited scientist was so into the planning of his…’experiment’ that he almost grabbed the raw frozen carbon dioxide straight out of the labs replicator bay.::
Galven: Kid, not only won’t I get hurt, but Denobulans have a very high immune and nervous system.
::This Human was a little too careful with things. German needed to get him to relax some.::
Teller: Yeah that’s great for beating the cardassian flu, but -80c and skin normally don’t get along that well.
Galven: Look at my hands::puts the dry ice down::They aren’t melting.
Teller: ::Skeptically:: Still think you should’ve worn the gloves. But that is a pretty good party trick, Doc. Anyway, what do we need that much for? We better use it quick. Sitting in regular atmosphere like this will have it sublimating away in no time...
::German smirked at the party trick comment. Maybe there was time before the next mission for a party in their quarters. He didn’t need this much, but he walked briskly down the hallway anyways. He entered the turbolift and waited till the engineer followed in.::
::Teller followed the animated scientist closely, wondering what part of the tour was next and if it was the same spot that would either endear him to the crew or make him a legend for getting jettisoned from an airlock this early in his tour of duty::
Galven: Don’t worry. I made this to last in any atmosphere. Besides the atmospheric pressure in the ship doesn’t do much for the stuff anyways. Remember. Scientist. And a mad one at that! ::laughs::
::Teller heard the unspoken ‘muhuhaha’ in the scientist’s voice and couldn’t help but crack a smile. He hoped they’d pull this off. And that the crew could take a joke::
((Pool))
Galven: Do you have your PADD? I want you to take notes on what happens.
Teller: Actually I do...bad habit I guess, always carry a notebook or a pda or something. Never know when you’ll get a good idea or need to get the Computer to chew on some numbers.
::Teller rummaged in his uniform jacket and came up with a slightly dented PADD, which after a few taps was in stenography mode for quick data entry. Hadn’t used this since...well...Teller couldn’t remember a time he’d used this UI before, but it seemed like whatever was about to happen would go quite quickly and he could clearly recall someone saying that ‘the difference between science and screwing around was writing it down.’ ::
::As he looked over at his new friend, he wondered if he should tell him what else he mixed in the dry ice. He arched an eyebrow and gave a rather questionable smirk.::
Galven: So, I should tell you that I mixed this with something else...
Teller: Gotta be honest with you, Doc. I’m not surprised. I’m just trying to figure out what kinda prankster you are. See, some guys would do a thing like this and maybe add a stink bomb,, but that can ruin someone's day. Some guys pack in a little extra wallop, but that can take it from being a joke…..
::He interrupted him::
Galven: Metallic chloride!::throws the dry ice::It’s what they make fireworks with!
::Nothing happens::
::Teller grins and starts laughing hysterically. He might not know Quantum mechanics all that well but basic chemistry was a strong subject for a man used to joining metal::
Teller: Doc, how about next time we do this you let me handle the ‘Engineering’ ::jerks thumb towards gold collar:: ok? ::smiles::
Galven: ::grumbles:: We’re done here.