Future Favours

Posted on 11 Feb 2015 @ 11:33pm by Commander Andreus Kohl & Lieutenant JG Kalos Jang Ph.D.

1,940 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, Multipurpose Lab
Timeline: MD 43 - 1629 hours

[ON]

It occurred to Andreus Kohl that he wasn't as familiar with this multi-purpose lab as he was with some of the others. The thought struck him almost immediately after he crossed the threshold into the science compartment from the passageway. This laboratory looked suspiciously like a den of engineers, with an industrial replicator in one corner, a micro-holodeck in another, and mechanical tools attached to all of the workstations. Indeed, Kohl though, this was about as far as one could get from Kohl's own areas of research. If he was honest with himself, he'd probably spent too much time loitering in the Geology Lab towards the end of the last mission. He'd been able to justify it to himself, of course, because Geology Labs were the most suitable place to study caves and mines. At the time, it had also been the most suitable place to study Elijah. That wouldn't be the case anymore.

Carrying two tall brushed-steel mugs with him, Andreus Kohl cross the compartment towards one workstation in particular. "Now, tell me," Kohl said as he approached, "What is your policy on favours?"

Kal was deep into working on the energy-absorption nanotechnology that he'd been spearheading, working on the design of the machines. There was an issue with how he'd make sure the machines maintained their power supplies for long stretches of time. As such, he'd been sitting in front of the computer, staring at an exploded 3D rendering of the machine as he tried running through different variables.

He almost hadn't heard Kohl, even though his superior was almost on top of him by now. Kal snapped to reality, and tore his eyes away from his display. "Sorry. Uh..." Favors, he'd said favors, right? Right. "My policy on favors? My policy is they're usually dangerous. What's up, boss?"

"Ohhh," Kohl said, but it was really more of a sigh. He added, "In that case, this is off to a rocky start already." That said, there was a flippancy in his tone, and an undercurrent of hope. Kohl set the tall mugs down on darkened areas of the workstation. They were milkshakes, Kohl explained, one for Kal and one for himself. As he did so, Kohl took a stool from another workstation and dragged it over to where Kal was working alone.

"For one thing," Kohl said in a sense of import, "I'm not here as your boss. I am here as a fellow shipmate asking for a favour." Kohl reached out to tap at the LCARS interface to highlight the chronometer. "And for another, I have arrived just as you're beginning what should be a scheduled break from your duty shift."

"Ahh." Kal grabbed his milkshake and drank until he started to get a headache. "I don't usually take my breaks, but you brought chocolate, so I'm prepared to listen. What do you got?"

Even though Kohl had initiated this meeting --really, he had forced this meeting on the solitary Kal-- and sat himself down at Kal's side, Kohl just stared at the other man. Kohl hesitated. "My... mobility is somewhat reliant on motor-assist medical technology," Kohl said. His body posturing remained relaxed and open, but there was a hunted look about his eyes. "The technology re-routes electrical impulses around damaged nerves to allow me a range of motion close to my previous baseline. Each device is relatively bulky, and its not the most comfortable, nor flattering to the lines of my trousers..."

Kohl cleared his throat when he realised he was drifting off topic. "My experience of medical nanites is how short-lived they are. They're used for surgery, and they're filtered out of the blood through the kidneys," Kohl said. He stopped only long enough to sip at his own milkshake. "The favour I'm asking is to pick and poke at your experiences. Are you familiar with any nanites that could serve in a motor-assist capacity for longer than a day or two?"

Kal took a second to think, set his milkshake down and swiveled his chair around to fully face Kohl. This was a serious conversation, and an interesting one. "No. Not right now there's not. Back at the Academy, there were some promising advances, but it's been slow-going for a bunch of different reason. But, long-term biological nanomachine integration is my holy grail. That's what I want to do, develop machines that can be fully integrated with people. I think it's doable, and I've spent my entire career examining the question. I think I can do it."

As he thought, Kal was drumming his fingers on his desk. "As for whether it'd help you...that'd take medical consultations. I'd need to know how the machines would best be employed. I'd need to know exactly what the damage is. We've had good results in the past for using nanites assisting in surgeries repairing nerve and spinal damage, but we haven't gotten very far. Depending on the severity of the injuries, there might not be anything we can do. But I do believe there's a very good chance we could build the machines you'd need."

Nodding at Kal's optimistic words, Kohl thought it through before he said anything. He sipped at his milkshake, while his thoughts swirled around the part of Kal's answer that had been about the slow-going development of nanotechnology. Kohl's mind latched onto the obstacles, rather than the multiple times Kal had said he could build the machines. Kohl took another sip, and then he asked, "What has been the limitation to long-term nanites?"

"Power source, for one thing. These machines have to stay active in the body, and they have to do work without getting hot and raising your body temperature too high, so the power source has to be just right. That's more in my wheelhouse. I can program them, I can develop them to target these problems, but to make them work forever, that's tougher. Another problem is making sure the body won't reject the machines as a virus. Then there's all the different biological differences between species. What works for me might be harmful to you, and might kill a Vulcan, for instance. So a database of every single known race will need to be kept, and the machines will have to be programmed specifically for that species. It's a big job That's more a problem of logistics than anything, though."

Kal sighed as he got to the last problem he knew about. "Then, finally, there's the moral opposition, people who don't think biological and technological integration should be so deep and long-lasting; who fear we'll all turn into the Borg if we go down this path. So there's resistance to the work at that level, too. It can be hard to push research through because of it. Federation authorities resist certain concepts that have been presented."

When Kal began to speak of the moral implication, Kohl's mouth felt instantly parched. He grabbed for his tall mug as if it were a life-saving oxygen tank, and he slurped a mouthful of milkshake. As Kal went on, Kohl could feel his heart beating faster, and he could only think of one way to take control. "I was paralyzed by a Borg drone," Kohl admitted quietly. "It made me lucky. It meant they didn't assimilate me. ...In the end, it turned out they weren't a part of the Collective. I still can't decide if that makes it better or worse."

Kal nodded and took a second to think about what to say next. If he had strong feelings about the Borg, and he certainly had reason to, then he might not like the idea of integrating with nanomachines. Kal had had some pretty passionate arguments with people over the subject in the past. "So the question is, do you have any objections yourself to integrating with tech to the degree we're discussing? These machines, they'd be part of you, inside of you, adjusting for your motor problems. It'd be part of who you are. It's a bigger change than some people realize."

Kohl's face contorted into an expression like a wince of pained consideration. "I can't say I've put in the emotional-homework to make an informed decision on that. I've thought, and imagined, and analyzed my injury from many angles, but not from that one," Kohl said in a manner that was somewhat detached. "There's certainly an irony to my avoiding assimilation, and then finding myself reliant on living with machines strapped to my legs and lower back... But... on the face of it... No. I don't feel an automatic offense within me at the thought of nanites living in my body."

"Well, that's a good first step," Kal said. "I can work on this for you, if you want. There's a specialist back in the nanoengineering labs, she specializes in medical applications. I can pick her brain. You understand, nothing will happen quickly, but I think we can probably help. I'd be happy to. It'd actually help me enormously with my own projects."

There was a quirk to Kohl's eyebrows that clearly expressed suspicion towards Kal -- towards Kal's enthusiasm to work at Kohl's favour, when favours were apparently dangerous to Kal. Suspecting that the nanoengineer might only be humouring him, Kohl asked, "...How would my nerve damage help with your projects?"

"I haven't had a chance to test long-term nanite integration yet," Kal said. "Remember when I was telling you I wanted to develop a suite of nanotechnology that'd act as a system for protection for the body? Something that'd absorb harmful energy and radiation, even help speed recovery from trauma? Helping you would give me a good run at the concept." It was Kal's passion, and he couldn't hide it when he talked about it. "Besides...it'd help you walk, man. That's a pretty big deal."

"We shouldn't overstate it," Kohl said, a mite defensive, even though he didn't mean to be. "I can walk without the motor-assist bands... You'll be helping me to run, and to dance. And, hey, if my damage can lead to great discovery, that would sure take out some of the sting of it."

"Dancing, then. People tell me dancing is important." He could tell his initial enthusiasm was taking Kohl back a bit, and he figured it was best to measure himself out. This wasn't just spitballing science with a colleague, this was also the potential subject of that science. "I don't want to get your hopes up without knowing all the facts. I'm optimistic of the science on my end. If we can get a good grasp of the medical side, then I think there's something there. That's all I mean to say. I don't want to pressure you into anything you don't want to do because it'd be furthering my goals. It's your body, it's your call."

"Don't worry too much about my convictions, or my sensibilities. If you cross a line, I'll tell you directly," Kohl said. It was a promise, but it was also intended as a reassurance, and encouragement. Kohl took another pull of his milkshake. "But, for now, I'm the one who sat down here. I'm the one who's bribing you with a milkshake. I'm in."

"It's scary that I'm so transparent that you already knew my price," Kal said. "Either that or you're some kind of hypnotist."

There was a tight, but mischievous, grin on Kohl's lips when he shook his head. "I'll never tell."


[OFF]

Lieutenant Commander Andreus Kohl
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Kalos Jang
Nanoengineer
USS Galileo

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