Pilot Episode, Act II

Hamilton replies quite patiently.

"You keep looking my way, Lieutenant Hiromaka. Is something wrong?

"No. Sorry." He returns to his screen and works in silence for a few seconds before saying, oh-so-casually, "It's just that I was noticing that you're wearing your hair differently than you were a few years ago."

Hamilton's face freezes and droops into a pointed scowl.

"You don't have clearance to read that far back in my file, Lieutenant."

Zuto looks vaguely affronted. "Commander, I didn't read anything in your file." His expression softens into a sad smile and he turns back to his computer readout. "Cal used to show me pictures of you. We had lunch together three or four times a week when we served on the Tesla."

Something in her deflates slightly.

"Well....I unfortunately cannot speak to your haircut. Lieutenant. And......well, I am certain we are both very different people than when you served on the Tesla. So this is an inconsequential detail."

She turns abruptly and begins checking data logs that could just as easily be looked up on her PADD. The camera shows Zuto in the background over her left shoulder, and she lets out a steady breath.

In the background over Pleiades' shoulder, Zuto's expression is one of sadness and compassion. As he returns his eyes to the computer, he says, "Navigation system has run into a problem. Seems to be choking on that weird Inphirian syntax. Compensating."

He moves to another part of the console, bringing him closer to where Hamilton is working.

"That helped. Keep an eye on it on your end - I'm not sure the compatibility bridge is sufficient."

With a task to distract her, she tries not to acknowledge that Zuto moved closer.

"Good catch, Lieutenant. Compensation protocol insufficient. Transitioning to protocol delta."

She stares at the screen for a moment, then leans in closer toward the symbols.

"Delta seems to be more efficient, but this" - she points to an image like a pair of triangles - "is still stalling the code. Do you recognize the error?"

Squinting at the display, Zuto shakes his head and returns to his original part of the console. "Running the debugger step-through."

A warning chime begins to sound. "Well, that can't be good. Discontinuing step-through." The warning chime ends as he punches a sequence of buttons.

Zuto turns around and leans against the console, frowning. "Looks like we'll need to find another way to diagnose this one. The debugger can't wrap its mind around it."

Apparently Hamilton does enjoy using her Academy training. Her eyes light up with concentration as she examines the screen intently, absentmindedly pulling her deep red hair back into a short ponytail. She sticks her tongue out slightly and looks nothing like the uptight First Officer from a few seconds ago. Tapping at the console, she narrates.

"According to the database, this symbol has several meanings in Inphirian culture. Mostly, they refer to grain.....ah! It's referring to the field in the code, but our translators default to "farm."" She cross-references to her PADD. "Lieutenant Hiromaka, please run a substitution protocol changing all instances of "farm" to "field.""

She shows him the Inphirian dicitonary on her PADD. An almost identical symbol shines on the screen, only instead of keeping the lines where the triangles overlap, the image is one continuous stroke. She looks at him for confirmation, and her face falls back into "First Officer" stoicism.

"You are staring at me again, Lieutenant."

She steps back and sighs. "Is it because I look like First Officer Calypso with my hair pulled back? Technically we both look like our mother."

Zuto's expression is complicated, hard to read. "Yes. Well, no. Not exactly. It--" He takes a breath and turns to the console.

After a few seconds, he says, " All substitutions completely. Running code again." Watching the screen, he flashes a smile. "It worked. The error code is gone. Brilliant idea, commander." Looking at her, he adds, "Only forty-seven more modules to go."

"Alright Oobadek, this is your first time down here with me so I'm going to lay down some ground rules. Everything here-" she stretches her arms out, as if to encompass the entirety of the room. "Is under my command. That means no one should be touching any of the equipment without my authorization, understood?" She briefly looks at the drive itself, a grimace on her face which she quickly wipes away while awaiting Oobadek's response.

Oobadek watches Avery, his alien body language responses easily interpreted as stoic patience. Except his chin tendrils which narrow slightly.

"Of course, I am only here to help. I will endeavour to comply with your instructions. I am also well versed in Star Fleet operations. How may I assist you, Lieutenant."

His voice is calm, soothing. His eyes also dart to the Vruxil equipment when Avery looks at it, eyes widening slightly. When she looks back at him, he is watching her again.

"Great. Excellent." Avery sounds relieved, and begins to scan the room for something to delegate. "How about....this." She walks to one of the monitors, pointing at it. Onscreen are various charts which are rising and falling ever so slightly, but overall maintaining consistency.

"You can oversee the temperature readings of the uncertainty drive. If any of the metrics start rising too high and turn red, that constitutes a problematic issue which will need to be fixed on the fly."

Avery doesn't expect actually needing his help, the camera rises to show Avery's PADD detailing the percentages of the Uncertainty drives systems, with temperature only at 9%.

Oobadek familiarizes himself with the uncertainty drive using the wall screen. His fingers tap over the screen tentatively, uncertainly.

Avery moves off, her concentration on her PADD. Something grabs her attention, and after leans closer, eyebrows narrowing.

The Inphirian liaison officer see something and behind flipping through screens more rapidly. He looks around anxiously, but sees Lt. Avery clearly preoccupied with her own emerging issue.

He looks around wildly, spots a junior engineer, waves at her.

The engineer, a young handsome Andorian female comes over. "Crewman, what is the flux density of the power conduit, here," he stabs the display with a dark finger. "J47."

She looks at the display, and says, "Fifteen Tesla, sir. And call me Pyri."

"Fifteen. I'm Oobadek. And the variance, Crewman Pyri?" His tendrils begin to wave agitatedly.

Pyri taps another screen, bringing up amother display. Jagged spikes mar the fluid beauty of a power curve. "Oh, less. This is... Ummm, oh no." She begins frantically tapping the screens.

Oobadek reaches out, grasps her hand gently. "Check the feedback circuitry, I'll monitor this and yell if it worsens."

The camera cuts back to Avery busily tapping away at her Padd. She grimaces at what she reads, looking up at a monitor she taps at it, her expression only worsening. "Why is this..."

She looks around for someone to explain this mess, only spotting Oobadek...and Pyri? At once she approaches the two, not quite hearing what they are discussing. "Pyri, these readings are becoming erratic, why hasn't..." It is at this point Avery notices what exactly the two are looking at, looking between their monitors. "What the hell is happening?" She practically whispers. "Why doesn't anyone keep me updated?" She sounds upset, not exactly angry.

Oobadek places a hand behind his back, and looks squarely at Avery, ignoring the escalating power variances on the screen. His tendrils have gone rigid and his eyebrow ridges lower. Behind his back, his fingers curl into a claw. His voice, however, remains schooled.

"I am sorry, Lieutenant, we are attempting to identify the source of these power fluctuations. I believe Crewman Pyri is about to tell us that the feedback circuitry is cutting in and out. The temperature has not increased to this 'red zone' as you call it. You seem distressed. Would you like for me to continue my explanation? Or bring you a chair?"

"What I need is for you to stop talking and hold this! Everything's supposed to be fine, Pyri status report, now!" Avery practically shoves her PADD towards Oobadek's chest, now dedicating both hands to navigate the screen.

Oobadek holds the PADD for her against his chest, clearly alarmed by this turn of events. "Ma'am? My specialization at the Inphirian Institute was integrating alien technology into Inphirian equipment. We have to purchase many of our advances. This sort of feedback problem occurred when we began attempting to use Romulan disruptors. Please let me help you?"