Scientists, Soil Samples and Plate Tectonics... Oh My!

Posted on 02 Apr 2014 @ 12:13pm by Alethea Coleman Ph.D & Lieutenant Elijah Williams IV, M.Sc.

1,676 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, Geology Lab
Timeline: MD -4 - 1620 Hrs

[ON]

Dr. Coleman walked slowly down the corridor of Deck 4. The glass vials in her pockets made a tinkling sound as she walked. She had grass stains on her white pant legs and more than a few splotches of dirt on her white jacket where she wiped her hands off. She was just going to make the next uniform she put on just as dirty so she didn't bother changing. The looks she was getting from people started to make her question if perhaps she should go back to her quarters first. She didn't like drawing attention to herself. After calculating the amount of walking going to her quarters then back to the geology lab would entail she decided to just continue on to the lab.

Within a few moments she was striding into the space looking for a device, equipment or crewmember that would give her the information she required. Her face was passive and she looked around the room with a slight scowl. When she'd spotted the Starfleet officer her scowl turned to a bored expression that made her seem as though she was upset about something.

"Hello...you--" She was terrible with names and couldn't for the life of her remember his. She absently ran her hands through her graying blond hair as she tried to recall. Social interactions was always a struggle for her. "Are you busy?" Her voice was slightly monotone and quiet.

Elijah looked up from a PaDD and set it down on his work station. The woman who stood before he was older, but she looked striking and she held herself well. He wasn't really good at sizing people up, so he knew he could be dead wrong in what he saw or perceived. He shook his head, busy was a relative term when you worked in a lab. "What can I do for you?" he asked in as quiet as tone as the woman's.

Coleman studied the man's face. She was a naturally suspicious woman and she seemed to be sorting out if the quietness of his voice was to mock her or because he was a quiet talker like herself. The silence between them lasted perhaps just a moment longer than was normal for a social interaction; no one ever said she was a good conversationalist after all. She stepped forward, and offered Elijah a quick flicker of a smile out of politeness, before it disappeared again. She jammed her hands into her pockets and produced five glass vials of soil samples.

"I need these cataloged and stored under my name." She offered him three of the vials, putting the other two back into her pocket.

"Alright." Elijah took the three of the vials that were offered and peered at them. He turned slightly, placed the vials on his workstation and picked up a PaDD. "And can I get your name please?" the older woman hadn't offered a name when she first approached him. He could tell she was sizing him up, but was unclear as to why.

"Dr. Coleman." She replied smoothly. "I don't have time to analyse those samples yet, but I need to measure particle size, moisture, trace minerals, etcetera. I'm doing a comparative analysis so I will be bringing more when I can." Again, her tone seemed bored and her face remained passive. She continued to stare at Elijah's face as she spoke.

Elijah punched in the information the doctor had provided then nodded. He offered the woman a smile, "I'll be happy to help you out." Which was the truth, he was always glad to help out others if he could. "I'm Elijah Williams by the way," he just gave his name, she could see his rank pips on his collar.

Her eyes narrowed briefly as if assessing the genuineness of his offer to help. Most young people she had experience with didn't willing help out in a project they weren't task with. "This is a side project of mine until Pendleton makes it official." She warned, giving the young man a chance to back out. All she really needed was someone to help run soil tests so she could gather more data elsewhere. She liked his enthusiasm, even if her passive expression didn't convey such.

"Alright, no problem," Elijah said. He rummaged his memory for the name Pendleton and remembered that was one of the people who he reported to. There were so many new names and faces to memorize. "I understand completely."

Coleman took a moment to look around the space again, before returning her attention to Elijah once more. "Are you a technician here?" She had no idea what it was he did and didn't want to seem as though she questioned his abilities. Though that was a concern at the back of her mind.

Elijah shook his head. "No, I am the geologist," he said. He didn't take offense to the question, nor did he show it. "I am a new transfer to the ship, most people don't even know I am here."

She pulled her head back a little in surprise and made a 'hmn' noise. He seemed too young to be a geologist, but she always had a hard time figuring out young people's ages. They were all children in her mind. She cocked her head as if considering something. "Those samples were taken from the Arboretum. I can't confirm it yet, but I'm not convinced the soil is as healthy as it should be. The soil drainage systems are working fine, but I want to compare the samples over time to be sure. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the results of the tests." She put her hands in her pockets and rocked back and forth on her heels. "If you find anything at all, that is. It's just a gut feeling at this point. Could be a nitrate issue for all we know."

Watching the woman's body language had been interesting to Elijah, it was almost like a reflection of his own body language. Hands in pockets were a Starfleet protocol no no so that was slapped out of him practically since day one of the Academy. Though, he found himself doing that once again while off duty and in civilian clothing. "I'd be happy to share my thoughts on the results," he said. "As you said it could be a nitrate issue, but it never hurts to be sure. It is the arboretum after all, we want to be sure all the plant life in there stays healthy."

"Indeed." She flashed him another quick smile. She wasn't one for small talk and was about to offer him a parting remark when something on a table next to them caught her attention. "What are you working on here?" She asked. Her curiosity was in contrast to her bored expression.

Elijah looked to where Coleman had indicated. He was sure the conversation they were having was coming to a natural end, he wasn't very good at small talk. "Oh that..." the corners of his lips pulled up into a smile. "It's a plate tectonic project I am working on. It is something that I was working on when I was back on Earth, I was lucky enough to be able to bring it on board with me. The planet I had been studying has a high concentration of plates, but very little seismic activity and even then the seismic activity the planet does have barely registers on a Richter scale." He shook his head as he looked at the tiny 3-D model he had created of the planet. He looked back to the woman. "It's my hopes, that learning more about this will help me develop a way to stabilize more seismic active worlds."

She stared at Elijah's face as he explained his project. Her face remained passive even if she nodded occasionally at what he said. She took her hands out of her pockets and folded her arms across her chest. "It would have an impact on the terraforming industry as well." She noted, more to herself. She squinted at the 3-D model. If she was impressed by it, her expression didn't show it. "Have you published anything on this subject?"

Elijah shook his head, set the PaDD down and crossed his arms over his chest. "I haven't, not as of yet but I am hoping that will change as I collect data." That was a big goal of his, though he would never openly admit that he wouldn't mind seeing his name in print. Secretly, for him, it would be a way to show his parents he made the right decision. It truly would be a big middle finger to them.

"Don't hesitate." She shook her head, more to herself than him. "If you have a theory, write it down and submit it to your peers. You can always publish more about the subject later." She stared at the model for a moment before she brought her eyes back to the young man. "If I waited, I wouldn't have published any books, or anything for that matter." She offered another flick of a smile before it disappeared. "Just do it."

It was advice to take to heart. Elijah was still new to all this or at least new in the scheme of things. He would definitely follow through with this now. "Alright," he shook his head. "I will, thank you for the advice."

She shoved her hands back in to her pockets, quickly walked back a few paces and nodded, "I will be back for those samples." She said in her usual bored tone. "Ta." She turned and made for the door.

Elijah nodded then said, "Good bye." He would definitely take Coleman's advice. He gave a quick glance to his work, then turned to a work station to continue what he was doing before.

[OFF]

Lieutenant JG Elijah Williams IV
Geologist
USS Galileo

&

Alethea H. Coleman Ph.D
Ecologist
USS Galileo
(PNPC played by K'os Beaumont)

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