Meddling and Peddling

Posted on Fri Jun 11th, 2021 @ 8:03pm by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Commander Grace Vetur

1,307 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Lonesome Road
Location: USS Ontario | Deck 03 | Officer's Mess

ON:

Lieutenant Percival Bálor wiggled and wobbled his way through the parting doorway of the USS Ontario's officers mess on the third deck of the Ambassador class starship. It was not a grandiose nor spacious as either of the crew lounges, nor did it have much of an ambience or atmosphere. This was not somewhere that one went to enjoy the company of other, but rather to escape it more than likely, and to grab a quick meal from the replicator. This place lacked the personable touch of a lounge. It was all about expediency and efficiency. It had Grace Vetur written all over it.

Percy had come in, not because this was his ideal setting, but because Grace was there. At least internal sensors had pinpointed her there moments ago. Fortunately, she was still consuming her meal selection when the overly ambitious Chief Science Officer came up to her table carrying a tray full of small potted plants. They were herbs from across the galaxy, native to dozens of planets including Earth. He snorted and took the empty seat across from her. "I did it!" he proclaimed. "I know how I am going to make my mark in the sciences, and just you wait. All I need from you is a moment of your time, you won't regret it," he added almost as if he were peddling an elixir from a gypsy's vardo.

Her eyes widened. "You did--do? How do you think to solve the problem?" She wondered what he was thinking of this time.


"Still working on the whole plomeek thing," he said with a chuckle. "Though hear me out. New project...bio-neural circuitry, gel packs. They are supposed to be our future, but they are flawed. They can't be replicated, and they are susceptible to bacterial infections and viruses" said Percy. "If you get me a few gel packs to experiment with, I have something that could be a game changer."

"First, what do you have. Second, how is it a game changer, and third, why would I let you have any gel packs?" she asked, pushing aside her salad. So much for a quick meal.

He snorted. "I see you are the Caveat emptor type, Commander. Very well," he replied with a smirk. "Firstly, what do I have? I have herbs. Just plain and simple herbs from gardens across the galaxy. A sprig of this and a bit of that. Good for garnishes or adding a bit of flavor to a dish. Second, because my mind is not limited. Biopharmaceuticals, Commander. That is were it is at!"

He gestured to the plants. "These can be used to make medicines as you know, but an avenue of knowing the medicinal properties of these herbs is understanding VLPs...virus like particles. VLPs may be used to create plant based vaccines which mimic viruses, enabling the body’s immune system to recognize them and create an immune response. However, ignore sentient patients for a moment. We can shift gears and develop plant based vaccines to combat and prevent viral infections that bio-neural gel packs are susceptible to. Essentially, a ship like the Intrepid class that depends in bio-neural circuitry could have everything they need to keep the ship running smoothly just in the hydroponics and airponics bay."

Grace shook her head. "For that, you'd need to work with medical. You have a great deal of research and holographic testing before you can move on to gel packs. I'm afraid the answer is still no."

"Wait just a moment," Percy countered shaking his head. "You are not exactly saying no...just not yet. If I pursue this and work with medical and run holographic testing, eventually you may allow me a gel pack or two to play around with?"

"Maybe. In a year or two."

Percy stuck his tongue out. "Touché," he replied with a bit of a sigh. "Just means we are going to get to know one another real well, Commander. I am going to do this dance and wear you down. I'll keep having ideas and wanting to conduct experiments. Eventually, you'll come to trust me more and let me have some of these flashy gadgets and new toys I want."

"Or I'll simply enjoy watching you dance," she countered, smiling.

"Maybe I enjoy your spectatorship, Commander," he countered. "A gifted individual such as myself is, of course, nothing without a captive audience," he added. "So, you are welcome to watch the dance, but sooner or later you are going to want to join me and give in to the music."

She couldn't help laughing. "Watching your machinations is definitely entertaining. Whether I want to join in or not remains to be seen, Lieutenant." It was highly unlikely. But she had to admit that he had a sort of mad charm about him. She pitied any of the young scientists he bullied into helping him.

Percy let out a slightly exhausted sigh. He had pitched and pitched, but he could not pitch anymore. They had reached an impasse. He had plenty of ideas and his mind was operating a million miles a minute, too far ahead of what was practical for the here and now, and Grace? She was gravity pulling his monstrous ego back to earth. This Prometheus was still very much bound.

He took a seat across from her a snatched a sprig of mint from the selection of plants. He chewed on in for a moment as he contemplated what to do next. Clearly, he was not going to get bio-neural gel packs today anytime soon. "So..." Percy began with a mischievous swirled into his marble eyes. "Is that a no on a Ceti eel?"

She chuckled again. "Definitely. No memory-slime, either."

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Percy replied with shrug. "I couldn't help but notice that the night of the lab explosion...you and the Captain arrived about the same time. He also seemed to be paying more attention to you than me, not that I'm offended by that. The less He notices me the better," added Percy with a chuckle.

"He thought it would be a good idea if we have dinner together from time to time. Get to know each other off-duty so we can have a better working relationship on-duty," she said. And she believed it, even though that last dinner had become rather...personal.

Percy crossed his arms and looked at Grace. "You looked oh so thrilled explaining this dinner arrangement. Terrestrius manus I started growing one from some seeds that I..." Percy cleared his throat and straightened in his seat "acquired through perfectly legal channels before coming aboard. If you want, I can introduce the Captain to him."

"Thank you, but no." Part of her appreciated his offer of help, but her relationship with Elijah was...complicated. She'd figure out what she should do, sooner or later. "And no Terrestrius manus." She nodded to the plants. "Have you even looked into the research that's already been done on those herbs? The folklore?" Probably not. She stood and picked up her tray. "Until next time, Lieutenant."

Percy hadn't the heart nor will to inform her that he had already planted the Terrestrius manus. It was probably for the best that she did not know. At least then, he would be able to grow something. At this rate, Grace would be allowing him simply soil. As she walked away with her tray Percy snorted about the herbs he had with him. "It's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Commander. They aren't going to hurt anyone."

Percy sighed as Grace left. One of these days i> he thought to himself.

____

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Grace Vetur
Executive Officer
USS Ontario

Lieutenant Percival Bálor, Ph.D
Chief Science Officer
USS Ontario

 

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