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Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Arboretum & Hydroponics Lab  | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia 
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'If this is real, it's going to be very interesting' thought Frank as he wandered into the Arboretum. His second time here, his first time being yesterday after which he had enjoyed a very pleasant brunch with Zephyr, was no less impressive than the first. He took another deep breath as he stepped into the wide open green space, and took a second to savor the flavors that hung upon the air. Fresh grass, trees, of course the pollen tickled his nose ever so slightly, given he was accustomed to the ship air. Either way, it was a pleasant setting for a meeting. Of course he would be headed to the hydroponics lab, they'd not be having a picnic on the grass to discuss. Once his moment had expired, he began his stroll down the path towards the hydroponics lab.

He did of course wonder if Zephyr would be there, she'd certainly think she was being stalked, but with that on his mind, he kept an eye out for her half pinted curiosity, wondering if he could spy Jasper through the trees. But it stood to reason, if Zephyr was not here, neither would Jasper be. But his new botanist friend, was not who he was here to see. He'd received a curious communique from another of the foliage faculty, Cir'Cie. She claimed to have a plant under her study, that might be capable of growing dilithium. While limited in usage now, it could potentially, with time and genetic engineering, eliminate Starfleet's needs for much of the mining operations from which he had grown. 

For now however, he just had to wait and see. To say he wasn't excited, would be a lie. After all it was quite rare that Engineering worked on anything living, so of course he jumped on the opportunity. Material structures, was certainly his field of expertise, while their usage was Mr. Jeen's. By the time he reached the lab, spying the name plate that had his friend's name upon it, he grinned. He took a moment to straighten his collar, and then pushed the entry key, the satisfying swoosh of the door, allowing him entrance to the lab, a few degrees cooler than the pleasantly warm arboretum.

Once inside, he crossed his arms, and waited patiently, he didn't see anyone immediately, and so he cleared his throat, and said patiently, with a slightly raised voice, "Excuse me? Anyone about? I'm here for a meeting with Ensign Cir'Cie?" After that, he simply waited patiently, hopefully he'd come to the right place.

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #1 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Arboretum & Hydroponics Lab  | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

Upon entering the Arboretum, Frank was indeed greeted by the spectacle of the various trees and plants that were carefully placed around the designated pathways. The area had been constructed with both aesthetics and efficiency in mind and while most of the plants here were simply for decoration and providing a sense of peace to help boost morale; they were some auxiliary crops for specific herbs or easy to manage fruits and vegetables - should members of the crew feel like giving themselves a therapeutic side-hobby while also helping the official members of the Botany Division. They were even some Photonic created Birds to give the Arboretum a sense of life and a more natural feeling, specifically chosen species from several Federation worlds that were known for their pleasant calls and docile behaviour.

Once Frank had entered the Hydroponics Lab, Cir'Cie could be found near a plantation unit that contained a body of water. Not currently wearing her Starfleet uniform, instead she could be seen wearing a traditional Vulcan Commissar uniform, clinical white in colour with soft blue shoulder points to still signify her role, her collar having the single distinct pip to show her rank. Seeming focused and trying to keep her mind distracted through work as usual, between everything that happened regarding both the Niga Plant and other members of the crew, she had relied on working more diligently alongside her usual meditations to help retain her stoic nature, lest she give in to feelings of desire or anger. Her skilled yet dainty hands carefully splashed and moved through the surface of the unit's water as she tended to her own stock of Plomeek plants. Something more so for herself and other Vulcan members of the crew; Plomeek plants were nutritious yet bland in their taste, something her people appreciated.

She perked up and raised one of her sharp eyebrows as she heard the footsteps of an individual approaching and she then frowned somewhat when she was called by name. Quickly finishing up, she slowly stood fully, adjusting her stance to be more disciplined and she turned in the direction of the voice that had called to her, starting to walk along one of the designated paths while brushing her hands together.

"Lieutenant, welcome and thank you for coming to see me." she stated before placing her hands behind her back and looking at him intently with her piercing yet soft green eyes. "I trust my report must have intrigued you, seeing as you've taken the time to come down and see me."

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #2 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Botany Lab | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia
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The arboretum was truly a little paradise aboard the ship, and that was for someone who wasn't overly fond of planet life. It was still pleasant, and he could see why people enjoyed coming here for picnics and the like. While he waited in the lab, he had the secret hope that Zephyr would be here, so he could say hello. Then again they'd only had brunch yesterday, would that be too soon? 'Probably' thought Frank, and now, he was stuck thinking about whether his presence would be seen as clinginess, and he'd have to explain, which would seem thinly veiled and...dude breathe. So with that, he let out a long stream of breath through pursed lips, thinly released.
 
He waited only a short few moments, before he spied a woman, in a uniform that was strictly not Starfleet, but was instead of Vulcan origin. He raised a brow, and thought to himself it was peculiar she would be so out of uniform, but with the Theurgy having so many transplants, and he himself having arrived only recently, he never knew the specific arrangements of other crewers. Best left unsaid was the thought on Frank's mind, as he was greeted by a nice looking Vulcan, with cropped brown hair, and a white uniform.
 
As she greeted him, and thanked him for coming, he gave a slow chuckle, and would give a nod, "Yes, of course." He hadn't exactly had a choice, cross departmental work wasn't something to just be idly ignored, whether or not it was a curiosity project or not. He caught her eyes, and where hers were piercing, his were warm, blue, with the slightest wrinkles at the corner. He looked older than he was, and felt younger. Years of stress, and life aboard a starship hadn't been too kind to him, and his genes left him predisposed to early greying. At least he hadn't gone bald like his father.
 
He cleared his throat at her question, and said lightly, "To be fair, I'm not a botanist, even if you are the second botanist onboard I have met." He stroked his chin slowly, "But the less botany technical summary was intriguing if nothing else. If I understand the implications of this discovery, potentially we could have a plant, that might be useful for fuel. A plant with the potential to nucleate dilithium crystal structures, naturally."   He laughed softly, "Now, it sounded preposterous to me, if I'm being quite frank. But I got to thinking, and crazier things have happened. It wouldn't be close to the first time that nature has given us a gift, to anthropomorphize the phenomena."   He figured speaking a little like a Vulcan might bridge the gap, given his personality was as far from Vulcan as likely possible.
 
He paused for a moment, and then said lightly as he offered her a mitt that was massive even for a big fellow, "Where are my manners? I am Lieutenant Frank Arnold, Assistant Chief Engineer, and in charge of auxiliary engineering on Vector Zero One."   He gave a nod, "But I think this was passed for me, because of my knowledge base in theoretical crystallography and novel material synthesis."   He grinned, rubbing his hands together excitedly, "It's been a while since I've gotten to dust off my diffractometer."   He held up a finger as if stopping himself, and precluding her from talking, "But first."   He nodded slowly, and wandered over to the replicator nearby, most often likely used for laboratory supplies, "Columbian Coffee, Dark Roast Black, Two Sugar Cubes please."
 
Once the miracle elixir had materialized, he'd pick it up, and turn back towards Cir'Cie, "We can get down to nuts and bolts shortly. I've met Lieutenant Praise, but if we're going to work together, I'd like to have at least a passing knowledge of you. So tell me about yourself, Ensign."   He have a nod, “And if we’re going to be working together, might I propose you just call me Frank?”

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #3 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Arboretum & Hydroponics Lab  | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

Cir'Cie would stare at the Lieutenant intently for a moment, listening to him speak and state his reasoning for being here, her sharp gaze making it difficult to tell if she was annoyed with his erratic manner of speaking or if she was just practicing her Stoicism. In either case; she slowly yet reluctantly took his sturdy hand and gave it a firm yet respectable hand-shake, a custom she had been encouraged to learn quite some time ago before even serving onboard the Thuergy.

In truth; she had hoped for a female member of staff, her experiences with the Niga plant and the incident with crewman Slayton still played in the back of her mind at times; even if the fear or desire was irrational and not of her own reasoning, that did not make it any less real. Still; she chose to steel herself and listen to her new co-worker intently; which with how boisterous he seemed to be, would not be difficult at all.

As he spoke however, she would catch on how to he was talking in the choice of his words, and her eyebrow would raise slightly in a seemingly curious manner and from this conclude that; despite his choice of words and his professional approach to the task at hand; that he was a bubbly individual. Someone who quite possibly...what was that Human expression? 'Wore his heart on his sleeve.' She exhales in annoyance but remains quiet, placing the hand she had used to shake his hand, back behind her shapely posterior to resume her disciplined stance.

Once he had finally taken a moment to collect himself and enjoy the taste of his potent and stimulating Coffee, she began to speak.

"It is rather unique yes, but remember; there is Infinite Diversity through Infinite Combinations...we should consider ourselves fortunate that such a plant spawned so close to Federation space and not in a region where another power might have found it. The plant in question produces a material I am only familiar with in the sense of physical properties. To understand the full reactions of Dilithium, I would need an Engineer; that is why I requested your presence. Your profile indicated that your expertise in crystallography would be essential for this research." she would explain in a near monotone manner, doing her best to keep emotional inflection in her voice to a minimum while also keeping her words succinct and clear.

"You may call me Cir'Cie should you so desire, but I would feel more comfortable if I simply referred to you as Lieutenant, Sir or Mr. Arnold. I'm not really one for in-formalities while working." She would approach the Replicator and then simply say "Vulcan Spice Tea" before returning to her position just in front of the Engineer.

"I'm not sure why you feel the need to ask me about my previous service record; you could have read my file...the Human quality of seeking conversation where it isn't logically needed I suppose.". Tapping her steel cup a few times, she would let out a soft sigh and shake her head lightly before speaking further. "I originally served on the U.S.S. Dias, a Nova Class which was tasked with exploring the Delta Volanis Cluster, discovering additional planets along its edges that might have been missed by previous expeditions; which is where we found a Class H world, bathed in constant swathes of UV Radiation. I had initially and logically speculated that much of the Flora on this world would simply be destroyed. But that is when we found the plant in question... The universe has a strange way of defying Logic at times.".

Slowly, Cir'Cie would turn on the spot before starting to walk onward and with stride while expecting Frank to follow her. Taking a sip from her Tea while holding it close to herself., she took a moment to state: "I have done my best to re-create a living sample of the aforementioned plant, my samples from past studies are inert but their cellular properties were still mostly intact." And with that; she would lead him away from the main Hydroponics Bay so that they may venture to one of the more isolated Laboratory Units that segregated various hybrids and experimental projects from the main crops.

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #4 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Simply, Human | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia
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Frank was a rambler. It was one of his more annoying qualities to many people he worked with. He liked to speak, and he spoke often enough. It tended to grate on people, but Vulcans and Romulans especially. When it came to actually working, he was straightforward, and on point. When it came to research though, the pureness of exploring new discoveries, he honestly didn't shut up. It stemmed from him being excited, nothing more.

As she shook his hand, he smiled at her, knowing Vulcans had some strength beyond humans. Whatever she'd hoped for, she'd gotten Frank. There was no way that Blue was coming down to do this, and that left a couple women under his command, but he'd come, which essentially precluded their involvement. He was too new to the vessel, having only arrived 5 days ago, to know much of what had happened with the Niga, he'd only learned the name of it yesterday from Zephyr. He'd not taken the time to read anything about it.

He heard the Vulcan start to lecture him about infinite complexity, and he just chuckled gently, "I swear they must drill that Infinite Diversity thing into all you guys at a young age. Vulcans I mean." Of course they did, they were basic tenants of teaching, no more or less than human children learning the alphabet, "But big universe or not, it still sounded preposterous." He grinned gently, and rolled his shoulders, only reiterating the sentiment, because he expected a rise out of his working partner. He gave a slow nod, "Yes, I can definitely handle any and all of your crystallographic needs, or otherwise, on this adventure for deciduous dilithium." He was also fond of puns, and alliteration, he was sure this was going to be trying for her.

As she said he could call her Cir'Cie, but she would call him something formal, he groaned. "Very well, Lieutenant will be fine. Mr. Arnold just makes me feel older than I already do, and you're not in my Engineering crew, so sir just seems a little weird to me, especially in a setting like this." He wished she'd loosen up, but that was like asking water to not be wet.

He gave a slow shrug, "Because your service record tells me plenty about what you've done, but it's not like getting it from a first hand source. It's like looking at a holo of you, sure I can see your hair, eyes, but I don't know what you sound like, smell like, etcetera. If this project turns out to be as complex as I expect it's going to be, I suspect we're going to want to know at least a few preferences of our partners, and expertise, otherwise we're going to get annoying. Annoyed people are less effective. I know for Vulcans it's a bit of a moot point, but believe it or not, I work better with someone who I know is as excited about research of this calibre as I am. There's not a lot that I get to do that makes my blood hot anymore, but novel materials, it's cool, that's all. I just want to know you think it's as cool as I do." He smiled at her, before he moved on.

As she said the universe had a strange way of defying logic sometimes, he laughed softly, and said, "That it does. Did you enjoy your exploratory mission? I've never been on a purely exploration based mission, most of the first half of my career was spent on ships at war, or cleaning up after one." He nodded lowly and would cross his arms following Cir'Cie where she led, "Of course, do you have samples of what you suspect are dilithium structures, or is that going to take a while to cultivate? I have no idea what the germination or maturity period is on this plant." He had at least been reading a little, to know what he was talking about. "We're not exactly growing corn."

He followed her into one of the laboratory units happily enough, PADD tucked under his arm, and coffee in hand.

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #5 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie |  The Beginning of Wisdom is... I Do Not Know. | USS Theurgy ]

As they walked, she remained quiet, listening to what he had to say and it seems he had a lot to say. A part of her admired how enthused he was to be working in her division, but she also wished he wasn't so...boisterous. Regardless she remained silent and chose to respond to his question regarding her exploratory mission. "My exploratory mission was fairly typical. There were only a few instances where I was actually needed due to the nature of the Delta Volanis Cluster. Nebulous Radiation Clouds and other hazards presented by the fact the region is a birthing ground for stars further reminded us why the region is one where M Class Planets are a rarity. It gave me time to practice my hand in other fields of science; primarily Mineralogy which is my second field of study. That is what lead me to discovering this plant."

It seems she had used his polite question of asking whether she had enjoyed her time on the USS Dias or not simply spin it back onto the topic at hand. She followed on by saying: "You're familiar with the method of using measurements of Ultra-Violet Radiation to detect veins of Dilithium in planets where the compound occurs naturally, we noticed highly concentrated bands of Traker Deposits and that upon investigating; that is where we discovered the plant." Opening the entrance to the lab, Frank finds that the lights have been completely dimmed down; save for a set of UV Lights that have been placed around a single crop unit that contains a single plant. To say it was probably not like anything he had seen before was an understatement. A single large green vertical stem that protrudes straight up where it splits into three protruding segments that have glowing flowering portions shaped in hexagonal patterns with thin petals that when touched; feel somewhat fibrous and yet like flexible Bioplastic. The base of the thick stem which carries the 'glow' from the main petals descends down to a nexus of thick black roots that keep the plant supported upright. Around the base of the plant, small Dilithium crystals can be seen growing; the plant itself appearing to drip small amounts of silvery fluid.

Cir'Cie steps to the side and takes a gulp from her Vulcan Spice Tea, allowing Frank to approach and observe the flower if need be. They are a number of PADDs nearby that contain technical specifications and substance analysis results on the plant should he wish to peruse further data regarding the composition of the oddity before him. Before he can though, Cir'Cie states. "It has a natural casing of Bioplastic which protects its bio-luminescent functions, the process takes a long time but the plant is able to mix the necessary chemical components it makes as part of its metabolism to create crude Lithium, which it excretes at the base. That in time, becomes Dilithium. If I had to guess; the process appears to be electrophilic though how it stops the Lithium becoming gaseous and retaining its Crystalline form, I am uncertain... One reason why I needed an Engineer's point of view."

Now glancing over at Frank, she seems to be slightly ashamed at admitting she doesn't know something - the Vulcan greed for knowledge is quite prominent in her and if there was one thing in life she could not stand, it was simply not knowing something that fascinated her.

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #6 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Let's get down to business, to....study this plant | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia 
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Frank was far too talkative, and apparently for this Vulcan, that was doubly so. Cultural differences he supposed, his counterpart in Engineering was a Trill, and sometimes his nature seemed to grate on Kaylon too, so this made sense to Frank. Frank was jovial, and thick skinned, and prone of ramblings, he was very used to getting on people's nerves. Either way though, he listened to her explanation, and offered, "My first and foremost expertise is and always has been damage control and hull systems. Much the same, there are many times when my primary expertise is not required, to the benefit of the crew." He chuckled, the notion that things were better when he was not needed, was irony not lost on Frank. As she asked him if he was used to the UV method of finding Dilithium, and he laughed gently, "My father was a miner, I'm intimately familiar." He'd grown up on a mining vessel.

As she turned the conversation away from fauna and back to flora, he too his head turned, as the setup was quite intriguing. It was quite far from what he was used to, not the dimness or the lighting, but moreso that there was a plant in the middle of it all. A single trunk, protrusions, and hexagonal flowering buds. That last part was the most interesting to him. He didn't quite touch it yet, first he took about ten slowly paced laps of the thing, looking at it from every angle. Then, he reached out and ran his chubby fingers over the surface of the plant stem. It was waxy, which was explained to him to be a bio-plastic like coating that served to protect the plant. He hmm'd and hah'd for a while, before he ultimately motioned to the crystals, "So the Dilithium production is as much a byproduct of soil chemistry as it is of the plant's own metabolism." He stroked his chin slowly, "It thrives in an ultraviolet environment, rather than withers like much organic matter."

He motioned to the silver fluid, and he raised a brow, "What's the composition of this fluid here?" He raised a brow, as he looked to her, "Because, like as not, this process is a unique combination of a multitude of processes, that cannot be isolated as a part of the system, but as a function of the whole, so to speak." He nodded gently, stroking his chin, "I have to think that the ultraviolet light plays a part, not unlike Ozone-Oxygen Cycle in Earth's own atmosphere." He hmm'd, "Lithium is of course stable as a metal, it's only when diatomically paired with itself, that stability becomes an issue, until it is crystallized." He nodded, "We need to get to the bottom of the plant's method of stabilization, and of course, the actual bonding mechanism into a stable dilithium crystal."

He stroked his beard some more, clearly a tick he was overly fond of, before waving his hand as if dismissing a thought. "Before I get so far ahead of myself. Have we done diffractometry yet, to determine if  the crystals have the body centered cubic structure we'd expect classically from energy rich, useful, Dilithium?"

He nodded, and went on after a moment, "If not, I believe that might be our first step. Then we'll move onto the potentiometry, to determine if the crystal has latent useful energy, and if both those are true, then we need to get down to the mechanisms of how your plant is making starship-go-juice." He threw that last bit in just to annoy her. 

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #7 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Crystalline Confoundment and Metallic Madness | USS Theurgy ]

Cir'Cie would listen to Frank intently, her eyebrow raising in a curious manner as she both saw and heard the transition in his body language and choice of language. Either his thinking cap was on because of the Coffee he was delightfully consuming as they spoke; or he had realized that speaking in a more technical manner would prove to be more receptive to her. In either case, she seemed happier and less stand-offish, even if her facial expression remained relatively the same.

"The Silvery Fluid, as you describe it, appears to be some form of catalyst. I have deduced it is primarily comprised of Sodium, one of the key substances within Lithium salts. Your analysis on the soil is correct, but it seems to give the plant some of the chemicals it needs to produce the silvery substance. The Ph level within the soil itself is extremely Alkaline based, more so than what is usually acceptable for plant life. However; we do know that Lithium itself one of the Alkali elements...Of course, you knew that Lieutenant, forgive me for speaking out loud in regards to something so obvious."

She would pace back and forth for a moment, her mind clearly racing and trying to make sense out of this living anomaly that been presented to them. Two inquiring minds now met with a challenge that might try to stump both of them. But she would not let that happen, especially with what potential rewards there might be for solving such a mystery. When she finished pacing she began to speak once more saying "I agree with you that this cannot be isolated as a part of the system, but as a function of the whole. We have a very intriguing and...seemingly near impossible puzzle before us. This plant gives me the sense that it was not conceived through natural evolution, but might be the creation of some civilization we are unaware of...mere speculation of course; I will need to look through my logs from the U.S.S. Dias to be sure if that suggestion has any basis."

Taking a moment to gulp down the rest of her Vulcan Spice Tea and then carefully placing cup down on a work unit; she turns to face Frank, folding her arms tightly against her chest as she looks at him. "In regards to your questions; No the Dilithium traces have not received either diffractometry or potentiometry tests to determine their viablity as useful crystals for the Theurgy. I have been told by the Captain to keep focusing on my Botanical duties, my secondary scientific interests have been pushed aside to my free time only as a result." 

She would shake her head before looking at the plant intently and then slowly she would approach it and pull forth her Tricorder to run another analysis over the strange flora just to be sure she had not missed something. "Electrophillic processes, enriched Alkaline soil, natural Sodium production and some form of conversion process through the Ultra-Violet Radiation...but what doesn't make sense, is how it is producing Lithium in this liquid state. Clearly; there is some form of electrolysis and the plant must also be generating or extracting large amounts of Potassium and Chlorine in order to complete the process but...the substance should be at least 453.7 Kelvin in order to be in that state, and yet" she reached over to dip a finger into the fluid, tracing it over her fingers "It is completely cool..."

"You see the predicament here, it is highly illogical and goes against what we know about the substance...but if I had to make an educated guess...either there is something altering the silver fluid to be able to defy the thermal requirements needed to create it...or; it is not Lithium but something new that simply acts like the aforementioned material."

Now taking several steps to move and be in-front of Frank, she would give him a soft yet intent stare thinking on what to say for a moment, her sharp yet soft green eyes looking into his warm brown ones. Finally she simply stated: "You realize, what kind of implications are in play if any of my queries prove to be correct, yes?"

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #8 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Silver Fluids and Silly Hypotheses | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia
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Frank was slowly wandering back and forth now, stroking his chin, as he thought. As she spoke about the silvery fluid, he gave a slow nod then, "Yes the robot j...never mind." He chuckled to himself, humor stimulated his brain to think of solutions to problems. Gallows humor had shown him through a lot of hard times in many of his duties. He gave another slow nod, and offered, "Not unlike Platinum Rhodium in emissions converters used through the early twenty second century, although in this case our converted reagent is not gas, but lithium." He rolled his shoulders, saying lightly, "Lithium is an alkali metal yes, its most stable mineral form is a carbonate, that is truly not that caustic. I'd hardly characterize it as strictly alkaline, although it definitely wouldn't buffer the soil." He'd gone into rambling territory again. He waved a hand, "You can speak aloud, repetition won't harm my ego."

They were both pacing about now, like a pair of cracked up mice, as they spoke aloud, and thought. He would give a raise of the brow, "An ultraviolet living civilization?" He 'hmm'd' "I think the simplicity of design theory, lends itself to evolution, absent traces of an existing civilization at the point of discovery. The simplest explanation being the best one, I think we should readily assume that the plant developed as a function of its environment. If it is a product of design, then short of laboratory notes, we'll never get to the bottom of the processes in play here." He rubbed his hands together, "I do enjoy a good puzzle."

He would give a nod, "Then I think the next move is to sample the dilithium crystals growing at the base, and I can run those tests." He would smile, and wander over to a nearby bench to pick up a sampler, and a sonic cutter. He would approach the plant, and would raise a brow to Cir'Cie, "May I?" He motioned to the base of the plant, at the crystals in the soil, intending to take a small sampling, a cubic centimeter perhaps, for tests.

With that done, he would listen to her theorizing, but watching her dip her fingers in the silver fluid, he cringed, offering lightly, "That could be extremely caustic, or toxic, it could be mercury based..." He waved a hand, "Whatever." He gave a slow nod and would saying lightly, "Completely cool." He stroked his chin, "Low temperature chemical conversions, that's impressive."

He would give a slow nod then, "We could theoretically grow a dilithium garden, and never refuel from a planet ever again."

He'd take himself over to the spectral analyzer, to run the combination of tests he wanted on the crystals, depositing the sample onto a preparation plattern, sonically cleaning it free of soil, and then slowly laying the crystal in the reaction chamber. Slowly he would tune in the sources, to hit it with 24 spectra of x-rays, and then a latent electrical charge, as the machine did its thing, reading the feedback to give him some answers about this organic dilithium.

"Well we'll have our first answers here very shortly." He looked over his shoulder, "Have you considered bringing in Zephyr? She's quite talented in botany as well."

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #9 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Respect and Understanding | Dilithium Divination |USS Theurgy ]

Choosing to remain quiet as the Engineer mulled and spoke to himself, she found herself fascinated with how he carried himself in such a humorous and eccentric manner and yet was fully able to conclude and follow on into logical progressions that would both answer her questions and propose further queries that only added to the mystery of the crystal producing plant before them.

"I try to avoid repetition if I can, I realize that most brains within Humanoids rely on the repetition of patterns and information to properly utilize information, but it can be a source of losing focus in specific dialogues. I will only repeat notes where it is applicable or needed." she would state in a cool manner, as usual, making even the most simple of statements something to break down and analyze.

As they paced and he addressed his doubts about how this extreme plant was more likely the result of unusual but natural evolutionary development than deliberate growth and placement from an unknown civilization. When he postulates it is better to assume that the more simple explaination is likely correct, she raises an eyebrow and if he managed to see it; she even smiled slightly. "The Law of Parsimony. A philosophical razor from Earth...you continue to surprise me, Sir. And it seems we also have the enjoyment of solving puzzles as something in common. Perhaps I will come to like you more than I thought."

She simply nodded when he motioned to the plant and the crystals beneath it so that he may take samples and once again she listened to him carefully, hearing his caution upon how she should not touch the chemicals she replied with "You are quite correct, that was unprofessional of me. I naturally assumed it would be safe to touch due to the lack of toxic fumes present, but that doesn't excuse the error in my form of curiosity..." she would promptly clean and sterilize her fingers before returning to his musings.

Following close behind him as he approached the spectral analyzer, she remained a few steps behind him to give him the necessary space needed to perform his work and exercise his skill and knowledge. She watched him with curiosity, fascinate by how he would analyze the crystals. For her; this wasn't just a chance to learn about the plant in question, but also a chance to possibly enhance her own skills in the field of mineralogy.

"Creating an alternative source of Dilithium for the Theurgy is precisely why I chose to search my logs from the U.S.S. Dias and find my records on this unusual plant. If we could find a way to continually re-supply the Tertiary Warp Core family, it would reduce the need to visit Star Bases quite substantially and in essence; ensure our enemies don't catch up to us, unless we choose to let them too. I have considered notifying Lieutenant Zephyr, but have not done so as of yet - primarily as I am the only one who has had experience with this plant and I needed someone with Engineering expertise to aid me...which you have demonstrated to be accurate. Like myself, this plant stimulates you and presents itself as a challenge. One you're eager to solve."

With her response complete; she once again silent and waited for the results from the spectral analyzer in the hopes it might potentially reveal a secret or two from the organically grown Dilithium Crystals.

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #10 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Of Puzzles and Potentiometry | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia
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Frank chuckled to himself as Cir'Cie said she avoided repetition, just rolling his shoulders, "Do you play an instrument?" He gave a gentle chuckle, "Because I've never met a trumpet player that didn't practice." He shrugged, "Learning to me has always been a game of repetition." He mused it as he dialed in the machine, and slowly brought the spectrographic imaging up on the screen. Small peaks shot up in their prescribed energy ratings, identifying the composition and crystal structure of this material. One lithium peak appeared, and then another, as well as a few soil impurities, phosphorous, silica, those sorts of things. He stroked his beard as he ran a finger over the screen, making a few hmm's and hah's before he spoke, "Looks like Dilithium to me." He would roll his shoulders, and would then key a sequence into the screen for the next bit.

He waited, and the machine made a few whizzes and brrts, before it gave out that satisfying ding. It would read energy in gigajoules per unit, and he would give a nod, it seemed to be right. "It's showing the correct spaceing for dilithium, 152 picometer radius, and about ninety two percent of the intermolecular potential energy we'd expect from traditionally processed dilithium, but there's a lot of explanations for that. This isn't a prepped sample, and I could have grabbed a crystal that wasn't as 'mature' as expected." He slowly nodded, and mused it, "To me, if it looks like dilithium smells like dilithium, and tastes like dilithium, it's probably dilithium."

He shrugged lightly, "As far as professionalism goes, I'm not the one to really scold you. The engineering department basically runs on coffee and curses. And a pit of percussive maintenance, but what are details between friends? Short of stripping down naked, you're not going to bother me." He gave a slow chuckle, and would slowly retrieve the sample from the analyzer, and would take it to the prep bench, placing it in the sample preparer, where it would be sonically cleaned, and a thin slice would be taken with a laser aperture. That would then be mounted in a type of slide, that could go into a microscope.

And so once he'd retrieved his sample, he'd take that over to the microscope, and give a slow hmm, "Well, let's see if anything we can see under the scope reveals any details." He gave a roll of the shoulders, and would listen as she explained the potential, giving a little nod, "Yes, it does make sense. Tactically it makes excellent sense, and if we ever succeed in our mission, and reclaim the Federation, we could expand our reach for exploration even further with seemingly unlimited dilithium growth." He stroked his chin, "Could equip colonies with real dilithium farms...." He was thinking of the possibilities on a universal scale now.

He focused the microscope, and would give a slow nod as the electron beam scanned the sample, and there was a beautiful di-body-centered cubic structure. "Well, the crystallography to me, looks like dilithium." He gave a slow chuckle, "So that means this is worth caring about."

He paused and looked at her, "I'd think that you should sample the soil, the silver fluid, and some of the plant body. Don't you Ensign?"

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #11 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Hopeful Prospects | Answers in the Dirt | USS Theurgy ]

Listening to Frank intently as he replied to her previous statements, she conducted another analysis over the strange plant with her tricorder, wanting to go over her findings again just to be sure before moving onto testing the soil to reveal more secrets in regards to its composition.. However she found herself being distracted by Frank's happy go-lucky ramblings yet informative reviews on the nature and composition of the crystalline traces that he was studying.

"I've never played an instrument. Music isn't something that really seemed essential to me. But I can appreciate the skill that goes into making it." she would state calmly. Closing up her tricorder and setting it down carefully, she watched as Frank continued to speak about the potential energy and overall likeness the crystal bore to Dilithium before openly declaring that it was pretty much Dilithium. Her eyebrow raises sharply upon hearing him express that outside of being nude, nothing would bother him. She would smirk lightly before saying "I'm not sure if that was a compliment disguised in a general statement, either way, it would take a lot for me to be in that scenario of surprising you." Realizing that her composure had broken slightly, she mentally scorns herself and tries to return back to being the stoic model that Vulcans aspire to be.

Quickly attempting to get the subject back on track, she steps forward and acknowledges his thoughts on how if they could successfully cultivate and manage the growth and farming of this mysterious 'new' miracle plant that grew Dilithium, it could very well completely change the climate of the Dilithium Market - bringing competition and possible shutdown of several mining firms found in the galaxy, if given enough time and proven ultimately successful of course. "...Although of course, as you fully know, concentrations of Dilithium do bring with them certain risks. It might be more prudent to have the farms grown in orbital or stationary hydroponic units where energy spikes or other anomalies can be handled more effectively and shipping can be conducted at a quicker pace"

She would grow quiet, watching as he worked with the microscope to finalize his determinations on the produce that the plant had created through its still as of yet, not fully understood processes. When he spoke and stated that it 'looked' Dilithium and that it was definitely worth investigating further. She would nod in agreement but then looked at him startled when the suggestion to study the soil was brought up, and to also take samples of the silvery fluid and potentially remove small segments of the plant for closer study. Feeling slightly irritated inside, but realizing he was right as she had allowed herself to become distracted by his own musings and his superior knowledge in crystallography she turns and walks back over to grab her equipment while replying to him with; "Yes Lieutenant, I will do that now. Though I have to ask; saying it looks like Dilithium and confirming it will function like Dilithium are two different things. You conducted a successful energy read out, but do you believe these crystals could be used in warp cores? They are far too tiny compared to current crystal sizes used for such processes."

Using a laser scalpel to remove segments of the plant that would give her sizable work sample and yet not impede on the plant's function to survive, she would then use a small trough to scoop up three samples of the soil. One with crystals, one with silvery fluid and one with neither before moving over to her work desk and sitting down. "You may join me if you wish, the potential mineralogical secrets within the dirt might intrigue you"

Slotting her tricorder into a charging station that would also amplify its sensor capabilities if need be, Cir'Cie prepared a microscope of her own and placed the silvery fluid underneath to see if she could find any abnormalities or simply discover what it was. "I'm unsure as to what it is I am looking at here, Lieutenant. I believe it is connected to creation process of Lithium as they are traces of Sodium and Gluconate in the more watery and exterior segments of the fluid."

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #12 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Playing in the Dirt | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia
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Frank gave a slow chuckle, and would take his slides out of the combination analyzer, setting them aside for now as he spun around to face Cir'Cie. "Really? Not even the flute?" He raised a brow, "Or even the lute?" He gave a slow chuckle, he was prodding her just a little now as he finished his preliminary study. He gave a gentle nod, and offered, "I play the saxophone, now how well, that's a matter of some debate." He grinned gently, and offered, "But I play in the holodeck on occasion, come by sometime if you're not busy, you might enjoy yourself." He saw the smirk at his nudity comment, and straightened up just a little, "Now now, it does look like you have a tiny sense of humor. Are you a secret nudist Ensign?" He chuckled softly, "Maybe it was a compliment, who knows. How much is a lot? Because if it's Jazz music you're in luck." He had to tease her just a little, as he started to hum some bar jazz under his breath while he worked. Did Vulcans blush? He'd find out.

He gave a slow nod then, saying lightly, "Yeah you could grow it in orbit, that'd be fine too. I'm sure the Admiralty will spend a decade arguing over this discovery...if we ever are not persona-non-gratis." He rolled his shoulders, "Until then, we don't have much choice of stations do we? Well unless the Aldeans are interested." He chuckled, another joke.

He gave a chuckle and offered to her as she said he stated it looked like Dilithium, "It's just an expression, a play on; if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, and flies like a duck, it's probably a duck." He chuckled gently, "I'll try to be more literal in the future." That was going to be hard, Frank just wasn't that literal of a person. "Yeah you'd need to make a much bigger crystal, much bigger." He rolled his shoulders, "Unless there was a way to graft crystals...no it's never been done." He thought, "I'm not a botanist so I'm out of my depth in this suggestion but, couldn't you cross this plant with say, a guava tree? Then you'd get guava sized crystals. I know that's not how it works, but I'm saying, couldn't you cross it with something bigger, in a play for larger nucleation size?"

As he was invited to join her for her analysis, he gave a slow nod then once more, wandering over after getting a fresh cup of coffee, standing over her shoulder, once in a while sipping his drink. "You're starting to like me, that was a nice invitation Ensign." He grinned, and then listened as she focused the microscope.

He gave a slow hmm, and would stroke his chin, "Curious, I don't know what you're looking at either, but, very curious." He wandered back and forth for a moment thinking, "It's possible the soil contains a rudimentary concentration of a lithium-sodium-something pairing, we're not aware of, the gluconate, I feel like that has to be a by-product right? It's sugar." He mused aloud, hoping she'd jump in and spur his brain some as he wandered back and forth, sipping coffee

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #13 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Molecular Revelations | USS Theurgy ]

Keeping her eyes forward on her work, but listening intently to Frank's playful musings, she would fiddle with the dials and settings on the microscope and pause every so often to make some notes in her Tricorder. After a moment she glanced at him and chose to respond. "I suppose...learning a musical instrument could be something worth pursuing, but I would prefer something less audibly intrusive. Something that could calm my mind in the evenings... but I might just take you up on your invitation. I've been learning a great deal about you and myself simply from talking to you...you have a funny way of opening people up with a relaxed nature, Lieutenant."

When Frank teased her in calling her a secret nudist, she couldn't help but blush ever so softly; her cheeks going a soft shade of deep grin - it was true, when she was alone in her cabin, she preferred the sensation of silks against her nude skin, rather than being constrained by heavy nightwear, and if it weren't for the strict uniform regulations, she would wear more suggestive or tighter clothing. If he was lucky enough to see her blush; he would get his answer. She however remained silent and began to pick up the pace on her work for she would soon abruptly say.

"I believe the plant is dying, the UV light it is being fed is not intense enough to provide the reaction it needs. Which...makes sense. When we first found this species in the Delta Volanis cluster, we had to wear suits just to even approach it"

She would peer up from the microscope, jot a few notes into her Tricorder and then peer in again, thinking over the information and words that Frank had just divulged in relation to chemical composition and behaviour of the substance they were looking at. "It's a combination of Siloxide Salt and Hydrocarbons, but I have a distinct feeling this is a result of a process much more complicated than I had first believed. Lieutenant, if you could assist me - we should further try to determine exactly what chemical compounds and processes are being used within the plant, excretions and soils itself. I believe the three may be connected in a way that is more likened to circuitry or a network, rather than simple chemical reactions of chance."

Shifting over to make room for Frank, she would also take out another microscope unit for him to use and then stand up to move back to plant so she could collect a few samples of dirt, fluid and plant tissue; including the roots seeing as the plant is already dying. She then pesents them to Frank so that they might work more so in unison together. "Do not worry about the structure of the plant for now, we're focusing on the material composition and interaction solely."

Taking a few moments to study one of the dissected roots, she looks back away from her microscope and then over towards Frank. "They are a lot of elements here that I recognize. But I've never really seen to such a degree within a plant before. Most plants typically extract the nutrients and components they need to survive and procreate, but this one seems to act in a more cyclical nature." glancing over at her Tricorder notes, then into the microscope she would further add; "Sodium and Silica Hydroxides are rich in these roots - this would imply that the plant is not creating the silvery fluid as a byproduct, but as an intentional catalyst to keep its metabolic processes going...are you seeing anything of note within the soil that might bring us closer to solving this enigma?"

And once again, she would turn to face Frank. While she was one with an inquisitive mind and a willing learner, she could be at times impatient due to her youth, and with how laid back yet expedient Frank had shown himself to be within this experimental research, she was starting to see him as someone who could provide answers in this field that others would or could not - which made her interest in him and his knowledge spike.

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #14 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Let's Play Connect the Dots | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia 
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Frank took a bit of soil, and would start running the same protocols that he had with the Dilithium it was important that he try and understand the whole picture. He worked quietly, clearly thinking about something. He'd only be quiet for a quick moment though, as he spoke about music with her, "Music certainly gives you a new perspective. Really music is just math, that's pleasant to the ears." He gave a smile, "But you don't even have to have the best tone or pitch, you simply need to understand the math of what makes certain music...good." He nodded slowly, "Maybe you could try the flute, or the violin, depending on what suited you." He gave a nod, "Tell you what, if you're free after this, we can happily skidaddle over to the holodeck for a quick session." He gave a slow shrug, "If you've got time for lunch." He chuckled softly.

He happened to turn at the right moment, to see her skin turn flush with the tinge of her blood, and he couldn't help but give a gentle chuckle, "Hey, everyone's got their thing. You like walking around nude, so be it. Could be worse." He rolled his shoulders in a slow shrug, "Well Ensign, remind me to invite myself over for dinner. That'd be something to see." He flashed her a wink if she was looking, after all, if he could keep her blushing, he'd be amused. He saw her pick up her pace, and just smirked to himself. Embarrassing a Vulcan had to be a first for him.

He saw something in the soil that clearly piqued his interest, as he produced his PADD, and began using the direct writing interface. He gave a slow nod, and offered, "The soil contains Lithium, in the form of of an aluminate. Let me focus the beam." He hmm'd for a moment, and then gave a nod, "Eureka." He chuckled, "Lithium Phospidoaluminate." He paused, "And Ammonia....TPD Ammonia." He kept scribbling and offered, "And Aluminum Phosphate in a simple form, Lithium Hydroxide, Carbon Dioxide."

He stroked his chin, and then scribbled something, writing half an equation, "The Lithium Phosphidoaluminate, that's clearly our lithium source. The Ammonia...let me think." He gave an 'ah' and slapped his own forehead, "There's some here bound with phenyl groups, that has to come from the Phosphi compound." He nodded gently, and would say lightly, "The ammonia is the catalyst, and you said this plant has UV light, but what we're giving it isn't keeping it alive...." He mused some more, "That means it must be an intensity or wavelength problem, that's clearly the energy for the reaction. It's dying because we're not giving it the right fuel, and it's starving. Maybe it got so used to there being no food in the soil, it had to get used to making its own. Now it's forgotten how to just, take a free lunch." He wrote that much down and then showed her the PADD, starting to fill in the other side of the equation, "The planet scans showed hydrogen, and carbon dioxide....the rest must become Butane, or some other hydrocarbon." He filled in the side, "So that explains how we get native Lithium. The CO2 must be what the plant's after to breathe, and well....life finds a way, even on a planet bombarded with enough UV light to shred bacteria, and poisoned soil."

He listened to her explain the presence of the compounds in the silver fluid, and he 'penciled' them in on the left, now his mind was racing, he was talking faster now, excitement clearly in his voice as he wrote in the hydroxide. "The silver fluid is the second catalyst...." He gave another nod, and penciled it in, "More light, the hydroxide product from the first reaction." Now his hand was flying as he scratched it in, "This all reacts within the plant, wham, bam, Dilithium." He wrote the chemical designation for Dilithium, "Sodium Hydroxide, Silica, Butyl Acetate, and...Hydrogen." He gave what sounded like a gasp, "The plant feeds itself, and breathes with what we'd consider to be the waste, but the plant considers the crystals a waste...and mobilizes them out of the plant structures."

He slowly processed the text, letting the computer fill in the gaps about light intensity and classifying reagents, "According to this, if we tune the light to four point seven one, times ten to the fifteenth hertz...we might be able to keep this plant alive. Fascinating."

Slowly he passed the PADD to her for her to read, "Check my math, but I think that might be what's going on here." He gave a slow chuckle, "Now you're going to have to invite me to the secret nudist colony."

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #15 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | A Cracking Facade | USS Theurgy ]

Looking upon him as he spoke, Cir'Cie listened to his words carefully. It wasn't until he finished both offering his invitation to dinner in the holodeck and then joking about dinner within her quarters that she would respond simply with "Both settings could prove to be fruitful. I think learning a musical instrument might prove more productive however, rather than pursuing one of your jokes" seeing him wink at her would only serve to make her feel more flustered however and she would stare at him for but a moment before returning back to her work - visible desire kindling in her eyes before doing so.

"Your efforts to make me feel bashful appear to be working, Lieutenant...I suppose I have to revise my meditations and read more on Surak's philosophy" she would say calmly, trying her best to remain stoic despite absolutely struggling to do so, thankfully the awkward moment was quickly dispelled when Frank donned his Engineering 'cap' and started to speak in a logical and concise language.

Watching Frank go through his paces and testing his limits was quite a sight for the young Ensign to behold and although she had begun to successfully regain her composure and maintain her stoic attitude now that the teasing phase had seemingly passed, she would admit internally that watching Frank come to his conclusion was astounding to watch. His combination of Engineering expertise and instinctive intuition and mathematically inclined mind that allowed him to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to form a chemically linked symposium that explained the cyclical nature of the plant and how this plant seemed to defy all known expectations and understandings of how biological flora survived on hostile worlds that were irradiated, was she realized - like watching a piece of music unfolding and moving through a crescendo that would culminate in a grand finale. The revelation clear, the genius coursing through his mind and the excitement illuminating his eyes. It made her feel inspired not just because she knew exactly how he was feeling - but to also see another field of science cracking a Botanical mystery that she may have never solved on her own...it was humbling to say the least and it made her think that perhaps taking up an instrument would be more important than she realized.

She would look up at him quietly, her eyes slightly wider than usual as he would explain what lead to his conclusion at the end of his hypothesis. "It will take time to make the necessary adjustments to keep the plant healthy and strong enough to be in a state of both reproduction and continued Dilithium growth...theoretically it would be easier to do in one of the Holodecks, but I'm not sure the crew would be too pleased with that suggestion. A more difficult and engineering based approach would be to convert one of the cargo bays perhaps." Tapping her chin, she could contemplate how the plant while; unusually alien in its appearance, was in a way - truly beautiful. It survived in an environment where life should be extinguished and yet despite all of this - it found a way to survive. "Infinite Diversity through Infinite Combinations..." came her quiet voice as she spoke to herself. But once again she was snapped back to reality when Frank began to speak and then offered her a PADD with his mathematical equation and solution.

Taking a few moments to read over it, his next teasing remark would be met with a genuine answer. "I believe there is a Holodeck program that could at least partially satisfy your desires to experience a nudist colony...Shiralea VI also known as the Parallax Colony...I might be tempted to join you in such a simulation. It might prove to be an illuminating experience." Due to her now renewed stoic resolve and her neutral calm voice - it made it difficult to tell if she was teasing him in return or being quite serious about the offer.

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #16 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Dinner Dinner | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @UltimaImperatrixia
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Frank grinned to himself as the Ensign settled back into a more composed way of being. It was a bit like a boxing match really, he laid jabs out there, one by one, to test her defenses, and then in a few minutes, he might have figured her out, and then, well then he could lay out the effective blows. Then again, he was here to study a plant, not a woman...although there was no reason he could not do both at the same time, after all, science is science. He continued to smile as he turned to her and offered lightly, "Of course, we'll set a time to go to the holodeck, and we can play. I usually go in the evening, after my shift, I find those times to be the least crowded, especially if I am taking the chief's post on third watch."

He gave a lightly laugh as she said that his efforts to make her bashful were working, and he just shrugged, "I've got a lot of practice at it. Don't be too hard on yourself, my charm's gotten me far in my life, on a few occasions." He winked at her, and then crossed his arms, waiting for her to read over his work, and comment on its efficacy. Frank wasn't an overly proud man, but on occasion he did like an 'atta-boy'. He kept looking at her, with a look on his face that screamed 'so, what do you think?'

Of course the Vulcan was pragmatic in her approach, no compliment, no atta-boy, just right onto business. He gave a slow shrug and offered, "I mean, first, you'd probably want to see if you can effectively breed this plant, because you're gonna need a few to grow any kind of sufficient dilithium source, you're also going to want much bigger crystals, but I figure you and the other Botanists can figure the appropriate splices to make to try for that. But if you think you can do that, then you're going to probably want to meet with Stark, or the Captain, and see if they think this discovery is worth a significant resource investment." He gave a slow shrug, "I'll offer a few engineers to make the modifications, if you're successful in your arguments. And of course, you can take my notes, show them it's viable. The Arnold-Cir'Cie process, sounds cool right? We can always call it the Cir'Cie-Arnold process too, you did find the plant after all." Credit where it was due.

He gave a slow shrug, and offered lightly, "There's truly a holodeck program for everything." He laughed lightly, "That wasn't my point." He nodded gently, and then offered, "Well when you're ready to go nuding, you let me know." He raised a brow, as he leaned back in his chair and sipped coffee....cold. "Blegh, cold." He shook his head slowly, and then offered, "Think you need anything else from me today?"

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #17 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie |   | USS Theurgy ]

As she had done so before, she would listen quietly as Frank spoke, now and then glancing over at him to show she was indeed still listening, and she would give him a quizzical look when he winked at her. But she would seemingly ignore his two previous statements so she could solely respond to his conclusion in regards to breeding the plant and secure higher yields of Dilithium because he was indeed correct in his statements. As it stood; the plant was little more than a gimmick. It might prove useful for smaller craft such as Runabouts, Shuttles and Fighters - but for the goal and task she wanted, it was not even close to being a scratch to the amount of Dilithium needed to power the Theurgy. She would tap her chin and muse to herself silently but her thought process was interrupted when she heard him mentioning the 'Cir'Cie-Arnold/Arnold-Cir'Cie process.' It was this that would make her turn to face Frank fully again and finally respond.

"I personally don't seek any fame or recognition; if you wish to call it the Frank Arnold Synthesis Process or some other name, then by all means - please do so. My only concern is seeing this work coming to fruiting, knowing that it will help this ship and possibly change the future for all in the Federation is good enough incentive for me." She would pause for a moment to re-collect what else he had said prior to mentioning the process's name and then follows up with "I will bring our results to the attention of either Stark or the Captain as you are right, they are many other concurrent issues that the ship's crew are dealing with...if this project is not deemed a priority, then we will have to shelve our findings for now - as much as I believe that would be a most illogical choice... Ives is the Captain and if he deems this line of experimentation to expensive in terms of time and resources invested, or is skeptical enough to not consider it worth pursuing in general, then we will simply have to postpone this line of research."

At this, she would turn her measuring instruments off and then proceed to stand and carefully file the samples she had been looking over into a stasis unit, activating device. Looking over at the plant which had started this mystery of finding new potential power her eyes would seem to slightly dart from left to right as she analyzed what she and Frank had discovered, in her mind, processing what had been learned from the day before finally she would give a very small smile that would quickly be locked down by her Vulcan stoic practices. After which she would exhale very lightly and turn to face Frank.

"No, I don't think there is anything else we can do today, not without clearance from the higher ups at least. However, dinner and holodeck time could prove to be a most...interesting social interaction. There is still much I need to learn about the diverse range of behaviours Humans seem to display...your race is not bound by specific traits or ways of thinking like most others seem to be. At least; that is how I perceive it. I can find time for our leisure whenever it may suit you."

To his surprise; she had accepted his playful invite. Either he was lucky, more charming than he realized, or she was making a genuine effort to try and socialize with someone other than members of the Botany Staff. Her hands quickly shifted to be placed behind her back and she gave him a respectful nod. "It has been a most enlightening and pleasurable experience to be able to work with you, Sir."

Re: Day 33 [1000 hrs.] Plant Power? Preposterous.

Reply #18 –
—FIN—
 
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