String Theory_ Cohesion (Book 1) - Jeffrey Lang [70]
Morsa blinked once, opened his mouth once, closed it, then said, “Yes.” Turning back to Chakotay, the Monorhan continued, “For most of the history of my world, individuals who displayed exceptional scientific talent were closely monitored, their abilities funneled into activities deemed worthwhile by the rih-hara-tan.”
“And what if an individual does not wish to be monitored?” Chakotay asked. “What if they wished to pursue ideas wherever they went?”
“From what I understand, for many years individuals of the sort you describe would simply disappear. Eventually, however, the rih-hara-tan came to understand that this was not necessary. Any scientist who does not wish to have his work reviewed can refuse. Of course, they also understand that they would be cut off from sanctioned resources.”
“And there are no unsanctioned resources,” Chakotay said.
“Very few, though in the past several years, the rih-hara-tan and the Emergency Council they created have not been able to control resources as effectively. Two years ago, a group of unaffiliated scientists began work on a forcefield system that they said would better protect the cities. When they had a working model, the researchers brought their designs before the Emergency Council.”
“Wasn’t this a risky thing to do?” Neelix asked.
“Under different circumstances,” Morsa said, “definitely yes. But the researchers very understandably felt they had nothing to lose. The most likely outcome, they knew, was to end up in an Emergency Council research enclave working on their designs in a sanctioned manner. At worst, they would be sent away.”
“So, what happened?” Chakotay asked.
“The council found too many problems with the design. Some of their comments were specious, since it was clear the council did not understand the underlying concepts the researchers were using. Other comments were understandable. Several of the researchers saw that the council had legitimate concerns about the energy shield disrupting the planet’s magnetic envelope, potentially as dangerous a problem as the radiation from the Eye.”
“And what happened next?”
“The research group was co-opted. The council took in those they felt could be useful and sent away the others. Separated, the council believed, the scientists could cause no mischief.”
“And you know all this because you were one of the co-opted researchers,” Chakotay concluded.
Morsa twisted his neck from side to side, a gesture Chakotay interpreted as embarrassment. “As you may have noticed, Commander, I have a large appetite. The Dissenters were not able to keep me well fed.”
“The Dissenters?” Neelix asked.
“That is the name the council gave us…them. And since I have been working for the council, we have made progress with the design of the shield generators. The type used to protect the cities now is twenty percent more efficient than the previous generation.”
“Which is nowhere near enough,” Neelix said.
“No,” Morsa admitted. “It is not. But it is something. If I had stayed with the Dissenters, we would have even less.”
“And you would be thinner,” the Talaxian concluded.
Chakotay continued, “But now you think the others have built the shield generator despite the warnings from the Council.”
“Quite possibly. The Emergency Council has been consumed with gathering materials to build ships. Watching a small group of scientists was not a priority.”
“Did you stay in touch with your old colleagues?” Chakotay asked. “Do you know anything about their recent work?”
Morsa wagged his head back and forth. “They were not interested in speaking to me. Perhaps if you could show me your readings from the energy wave, I could say if it was modulated in a manner consistent with their research.”
Chakotay considered, then concluded this might be a good idea. If nothing