Dark Mirror - Diane Duane [11]
Hwiii frowned—this expression looking almost exactly like a human one. “Anyway, I then started taking my own readings and barely got a baseline set of my own before the Lalairu changed course away from the “empty” spaces —not bothering to tell me why … or if they did, I didn’t understand them. However, if I’ve correctly translated the statement you copied to me, the Laihe is nervous about remaining in this space because the Lalairu’s own baseline measurements of this area, taken fairly recently hereabouts, are suddenly no longer viable. Hyperstring structures do not match what they “should be” for this space—what they were as little as a year ago. For space so empty, the hyperstrings are becoming very tightly packed together. Something has been happening to derange the normal structure.”
“What does it mean?” Picard said.
“I don’t know.”
Picard breathed out softly. “If you don’t know, who do we ask?”
Hwiii laughed somewhat helplessly. “Me … later. Sorry, Captain, Starfleet would probably tell you that I’m the best expert they’ve got. And I don’t have enough data yet to give you a better evaluation, which I know is what you want. I have good hopes that, with a starship’s resources to aid me, I can find out … at which point I’ll tell you everything I can. Meanwhile, Mr. Data’s reputation as a researcher is a matter of fame. I would hope that with his help in analysis, and possibly Mr. La Forge’s to help me tune and install my detection equipment, we can quickly produce some answers for you.”
“Well,” Picard said, “clearly there’s no point in considering any change in our patrol schedule just now. And at this distance, pausing long enough to notify Starfleet and get a response would be a waste of time. We’ll continue as planned. Commander, I will expect some news from you at the earliest possible moment as to how your former baseline data match present conditions in these spaces. Meanwhile, please see Commander Riker about any technical assistance you need.”
“Yes, sir,” Hwiii said. “And thank you much for your welcome.”
“Are you sure you don’t want some more caviar?” Picard said gently.
The dolphin glanced at him, that mischievous look in his eye again. “Another pound or so would be nice.”
They went about their business for the next few days in an unremarkable fashion. Picard noticed with amusement how quickly the crew stopped giving second glances to the dolphin swimming down the corridor. Hwiii seemed to spend most of his time in engineering anyway, surprising amounts of time. Picard sometimes began to wonder when he slept, and Geordi began to complain about it.
Picard caught Geordi in Ten-Forward one evening, looking rather haggard and smelling slightly of fish. “The problem is that he’s so concentrated,” Geordi said. “He’s— don’t misunderstand me, Captain, he’s absolutely amiable, he’s a pleasure to work with, competent, knows his subject inside out—but he’s just—” Geordi shook his head. “He’s collimated, like a phaser beam. When he’s in the middle of his work, you couldn’t distract him for a second. He can’t .be distracted—he just goes straight for the throat of the problem, whatever it is.”
“I should think that would be more of an advantage than anything else,” Picard said, sipping his tea.
Geordi smiled wanly. “It might seem that way at first. But if there’s one thing human beings do when they’re working, it’s that they stop working. They do something to break the tension or the concentration every now and then: a joke, an aside. Hwiii doesn’t do that. It’s like he’s on rails, running right at the question in hand. Or fin.”
“Perseverance,” Picard said. “I take it the work you’re doing is going well.”