Katriel had watched all the proceedings, the strange gadgets and A'Printa's admonishments, with an impressively neutral expression on her face. On her instructions, though, Katriel reached for the metal device and, shooting a commiserating look in Ensign Esox's direction, she fit it back on her head, snugly.
"Whenever you're ready, Ambassador."
A'Printa calmly took the red crystal in her hand and studied it closely, without the use of gloves. She ran her fingers over the crystal, studying it's surface and texture. After a few moments, she calmly looked up at Katriel and held one end of the crystal out to her to touch.
"In simple terms, we're going to initiate a two-person interface. The moment you link with the crystal, I'll do the same. Then I can do a comparison of the simultaneous link, filter out your betazoid pattern, and be left with the actual residual neurogenic radiation pattern used by the Waydi and this crystal. Do not make any attempts to contact me telepathically during the exchange. It needs to be simultaneous, yet independent. Besides Lt..."
A'Printa pauses and gives her a half smile. "I don't think you'd enjoy the experience of a direct link with me at the moment." As she finishes, Katriel will notice A'Printa's left eye begins to change. The iris shifts to a purplish grey hue as small micro-cables surface from the sclera. The pupil retracts and is replaced by a clear lens, which emits pulses and forms a 3x3 inch holographic overlay directly above the left eye. Numerous symbols and images appear within the field, most of which likely make no sense to either her or Esox, especially from their angle.
"We're ready when you are..." A'Printa finishes with a polite smile.
"In simple terms, we're going to initiate a two-person interface. The moment you link with the crystal, I'll do the same. Then I can do a comparison of the simultaneous link, filter out your betazoid pattern, and be left with the actual residual neurogenic radiation pattern used by the Waydi and this crystal. Do not make any attempts to contact me telepathically during the exchange. It needs to be simultaneous, yet independent. Besides Lt..."
A'Printa pauses and gives her a half smile. "I don't think you'd enjoy the experience of a direct link with me at the moment." As she finishes, Katriel will notice A'Printa's left eye begins to change. The iris shifts to a purplish grey hue as small micro-cables surface from the sclera. The pupil retracts and is replaced by a clear lens, which emits pulses and forms a 3x3 inch holographic overlay directly above the left eye. Numerous symbols and images appear within the field, most of which likely make no sense to either her or Esox, especially from their angle.
"We're ready when you are..." A'Printa finishes with a polite smile.
Katriel stiffened her spine against the instinctive, physical recoil that she wanted to make. Then she took a moment or two to do the same for her mental fortitude as well.
For good measure, she shut her eyes before she reached a hand out to the crystal and touched just her fingertips to its ruddy surface.
For good measure, she shut her eyes before she reached a hand out to the crystal and touched just her fingertips to its ruddy surface.
As Katriel touched the crystal, she could sense… something. She could feel the crystal, sense the crystal, as she’d done before. But this time there was a difference. There was another… No, not one. Or was it one? Something felt… off. Not frightening. Not alarming. It was just off, for lack of a better way to describe it. In her mind, she could hear the crystal and another… a quiet whisper made of… was it a single thought? She sensed a mixture of curiosity, amusement, followed by playful teasing…
In her mind she saw an elderly man quietly sitting on a stool, outside a set of double doors, apparently waiting for somebody. Katriel hears a childish giggle from the other side of the doors, which prompts the man to look up. He smiles, leans heavily on his cane, and stands hunched over, obviously crippled by advanced age. In his other arm he held a book. It was worn with age, just like the man, made of a smooth leather binding.
Engraved on the cover was the title, in a golden trim, which read… ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Then just as suddenly, an arm smashes through the door, palm upwards, right in Katriel’s direction. The arm was that of an assimilated Borg. With a series of whirs and clicks, the fingers close into a fist…
Which immediately shunts Katriel back into the laboratory, her fingers no longer on the crystal. On the other end, A’Printa calmly regards the red crystal as her eye powers down and resumes its normal form. “I didn’t expect the, um, bleed through. Sorry if anything unnerved you Lt.” A’Printa mutters somewhat sheepishly. “But, I got the readings I needed. You can remove your headband.” She sets the crystal down on Tinker, or whatever the device was called, and it immediately begins precision cuts on the crystal itself, apparently taking physical samples.
A’Printa regains her composure and looks towards Esox. “Ensign, here’s a list of substances and quantities that I need. A friend of mine did extensive research on Tholian development. Let’s see if we can duplicate his crystal growth experiments and build upon the research. You see, the crystals are the key. That’s the technology we have to use for this to work. Good work, by the way, on identifying the radiation and setting up the testing equipment. Your findings helped get me thinking about using the crystals as a medium.”
In her mind she saw an elderly man quietly sitting on a stool, outside a set of double doors, apparently waiting for somebody. Katriel hears a childish giggle from the other side of the doors, which prompts the man to look up. He smiles, leans heavily on his cane, and stands hunched over, obviously crippled by advanced age. In his other arm he held a book. It was worn with age, just like the man, made of a smooth leather binding.
Engraved on the cover was the title, in a golden trim, which read… ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Then just as suddenly, an arm smashes through the door, palm upwards, right in Katriel’s direction. The arm was that of an assimilated Borg. With a series of whirs and clicks, the fingers close into a fist…
Which immediately shunts Katriel back into the laboratory, her fingers no longer on the crystal. On the other end, A’Printa calmly regards the red crystal as her eye powers down and resumes its normal form. “I didn’t expect the, um, bleed through. Sorry if anything unnerved you Lt.” A’Printa mutters somewhat sheepishly. “But, I got the readings I needed. You can remove your headband.” She sets the crystal down on Tinker, or whatever the device was called, and it immediately begins precision cuts on the crystal itself, apparently taking physical samples.
A’Printa regains her composure and looks towards Esox. “Ensign, here’s a list of substances and quantities that I need. A friend of mine did extensive research on Tholian development. Let’s see if we can duplicate his crystal growth experiments and build upon the research. You see, the crystals are the key. That’s the technology we have to use for this to work. Good work, by the way, on identifying the radiation and setting up the testing equipment. Your findings helped get me thinking about using the crystals as a medium.”