[ussbansheec] Paradox
- From: Moria McEntire <bansheec@xxxxxxx>
- To: Banshee <ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:21:59 -0500
Paradox
Lt. Commander Gabriel Coyne and Admiral N'Ellie Coyne
Gabriel Coyne looked at the information in his hand again, considering
the implications of the data and what it could mean, and tried to decide
what to do. Did he go to Garrity, knowing her distain for him personally
and risk having it buried simply because it was from him? Or did he send
it directly to Mac and risk getting reamed for breach of protocol? He
wasn't sure, but he knew he had to do something. At long last he did the
only thing he was sure he could do. Tapping his comm. badge, he waited
patiently for his mother to respond.
N’Ellie looked up from the reports she’d been looking over and tapped
the comm. link on the desk she was at in her guess quarters. “Yes Gabe?”
"I'm sorry...I know you're busy but....well....I have
this....problem...." Gabriel stammered, suddenly not really knowing how
to ask her.
She’d often wondered if her son could see the emotion in her dark eyes
when they were face to face and he stammered that way, like his father.
“I’m not as busy as most. Give me ten minutes to get back into uniform
and I’ll come down.”
"Okay. My lab, alright?" He answered quietly, sounding relieved.
Like she’s expected him to go anywhere else. She smirked as she got up.
“Alright.” Changing out of her civilian clothes, which tended to lean
towards Klingon fashion to her own horror, she threw on her red
admiral’s uniform, then headed for her son’s lab, braiding her long
raven hair as she went. When she walked in it reminded her yet again how
much their son was like Josh. “You do realize I’m useless as a scientist
right?”
Gabriel started to respond then stopped, shaking his head. No. This
wasn't the time to debate that with her. Not now. Instead he passed her
the PADD. "I found...something. Something important. I just...I'm not
sure how to....well, not how, I know how, but who...." he stopped,
trying not to get flustered. " Can you just...look at it...please..."
N’Ellie blinked several times as she looked over the information on the
padd. It was a mix of Gabriel’s work and Josh’s. She read it twice more
before looking up at her son. “So when Josh went looking for the anomaly
he ended up creating it?”
"Not exactly," Gabriel correct, "though I suppose, in a sense, that's
correct. The research he did to identify it and figure out how to shut
it down forty years ago is what was used as the basis to create it in
our time. If it hadn't happened, it's likely he wouldn't have researched
it, but had he not researched it there wouldn't have been one to
research. You see?"
“Gabriel, you’re giving your mother a headache.” N’Ellie replied as she
once again looked down at the padd. “Tell me how we use this to get
Banshee back and then I’ll tell you to send it to Mac since there’s no
one in hell Belle’s gonna use this.”
"Sorry," he muttered, flushing slightly with embarrassment. "Okay...what
we need to do is look back at his original research here...see...." he
indicated it on the PADD," and recreate it, using appropriate
controls....and...and safeguards this time...to....open it back
up...see...then we can ...send a ...a tethered remote...midway...and
signal through...on one of the priority encoded....links....you
know...one of the newer ones...that they won't be scanning...so
Banshee'll hear us, but nobody else....and....well....see..if we
just...." He went to the replicator and got a fresh cup of coffee,
running his hand through his thick curls absently as he concluded. "we
guide them home....through the wormhole..then discontinue the harmonic
waves, detonate the remote and the wormhole collapses. Okay?"
She could repair the smallest of neural pathways in the humanoid brain,
but everything he’d just rattled off really was giving her a headache.
“Ok here’s what we’ll do. I know Kaelyre, I’ll talk to her let her know
what you’ve got. She has one of her ships here that’ll be heading back
out into the badlands in the morning. I think you should go to Mac
yourself.”
Gabriel hesitated at the thought of leaving his lab, his safety with
it's schedules and rituals all in place, looking at his mother with
something akin to panic in his eyes. "You do?" he asked meekly.
“Do you think Mac’s people will be able to figure out your notes?” She
asked as she looked him in the eyes.
"I don't know," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair and looking
around desperately at his world, his notes, his boards, his things. "I
guess....maybe...." he attempted as he finally allowed the eye contact.
Defeated, he conceded her point with one word. "Not." Blowing out a sigh
and looking again at the PADD, he nodded slightly and gave in,
remembering how many lives were at stake. "okay...what time tomorrow?"
Stepping over to her son’s desk N’Ellie called up the stations mainfest.
“0800, it’s the Tempest.” She smirked as she looked up at him. “Mandy
Hale’s ship.”
Gabriel nodded again. At least it was someone who knew and understood.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. There are labs on ships, he reminded
himself, though they weren't his. He fought hard against the anxiety
that rose within him as he agreed. "Okay. 0800. Tempest." trying hard
not to sound as panicked as he felt.
Walking over to her son N’Ellie put her hand on his shoulder while
titling his head up. “No matter what that woman says that is your
younger brother out there Gabriel, your father’s youngest son. You’re
father might have been a quite man but he knew what to do when duty
called, which is why we don’t have him.” She had to pause to shallow the
lump in her throat. “But if you pull the same stunt he did there won’t
be a place in Sto'vo'qor you’ll be able to hide from me.”
Gabriel almost laughed in spite of himself as he wrapped his arm around
her shoulders and held her briefly. "I'll try to remember that." he
assured her before adding with a smirk," Barring that, I'll look hard
for a big rock."
N’Ellie laughed and shook her head. She took a moment to trace the faint
ridges that marked her son’s heritage and picked the padd back up. “If
I’m going to talk to Kaelyre I’d better do it now. It’ll take an hour to
get past all those damn rat dogs.”
Gabriel nodded and downed his coffee. "Let me know how it goes?"
“I will.” N’Ellie replied as she headed for the door. “You’re having
breakfast with me and your sister before you leave.”
"Here?" he asked hopefully.
“My cabin.” N’Ellie replied as the doors slid open. “Unless you want me
to cook in here.”
'You can," he said hastily, looking around as if trying to decide where
to put standard kitchen equipment.
N’Ellie shook her head. “My cabin Gabriel.”
Gabriel sighed, trying not to show his discomfort. "yes, ma'am." he
responded quietly.
“Good, now do what you have to here and you things together.” N’Ellie
called as she walked out the door.
Gabriel watched her leave before turning toward the 2D picture of Louis
Pasteur on his desk. "What have I gotten myself into now?" he asked it
quietly, fighting the panic. Shaking his head, he turned it face down,
mumbling. "Your no help at all." before beginning to gather his
belongings and organize his work areas in silence.
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