Miracle Workers (SCE Books 5-8) - Keith R. A. DeCandido_. [et al.] [77]
The fifth is that the best way to guarantee that Dr. Dolahn will never do something is to tell him that it isn’t top priority. It’s been several days since I told him I needed an autopsy of the monster shii, but he hasn’t gotten to it yet. It was Zilder who explained my tactical error in saying that it wasn’t top priority—apparently, the only way Dolahn ever does anything is if you emphasize that you need it right away. Even then, he may not get to it for days.
Of course, this really isn’t a top priority. I’m curious as to how this creature evolved, especially since all the evidence does seem to point to it being an aberration. We saw plenty of other shii, all of a size commensurate with the anthropological reports. (And don’t think Dolahn hasn’t enjoyed reminding me of that.) I’ve decided to keep the electrified fence up as a precautionary measure, even though none of the other shii we encountered showed any interest in us.
Still, it’s a side concern. The main thing is to get the project finished. I’m happy with our progress, and even happier with the smoother working relations—whatever the reason. But mostly I just want this to be finished so I can get back to the da Vinci. It’s gotten to the point where I’m not even impressed by the crystalline ecology. When I got here, it was a beautiful new world—every time the sun struck a tree or bush, resulting in a spectrum burst, I was captivated. I don’t even notice them anymore.
Looking back over that, I’m getting depressed. Ten years ago, I came out of the Academy hellbent to seek out the unknown, to experience what was out there in deep space. I wanted to see it all, and I didn’t want to miss a thing. (Of course, what I got was the Borg and a rather brutal lesson in being careful what you wish for, but that didn’t change my overall desire.)
Dammit, I’m not going to become one of those moldy officers who treats a new world as just another mission to go on instead of an adventure. I didn’t join Starfleet to slog from one mission to the next.
Next time I see a spectrum burst, I will stop and stare at it. Dammit.
Supplemental
The test of the ACB was an unqualified success. The full results are appended to my main log, but suffice it to say, the power nodes were able to handle the additional input, the beam successfully shunted all the air out of the way and held its integrity for the entire time the window was open, and it shut down smoothly.
One thing I hadn’t been expecting: the ACB’s brightness is such that all the nearby trees give off some pretty amazing spectrum bursts. Even some of the Nalori—who never seemed to be in the least interested in or impressed with the local light-shows—gasped appreciatively at that.
When Razka announced that the window was closing and we shut down the beam, a huge cheer went up. They started crying, “Sañuul” again, and this time I just let them. It would’ve been churlish to deny them at this point.
The other good news is that we received assorted communiqués. Zilder and I went straight to the tent that held the comm equipment and went through what we had received during the window. Most were of a personal nature, and would be saved to individual padds by Zilder later. Two were for me: one from the da Vinci, and one from the Nalori government. I was eager to hear from Kieran and the rest of the S.C.E., but the other one was unexpected, so I told Zilder to put it on screen.
A particularly long male Nalori face appeared. He looked pretty sallow,