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"Condensed Power"
[Previous Post Ashley's "When Kzinti Minds Collide"]
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<<Since the invention of the atomic bomb, mankind has researched increasingly smaller ways of generating increasingly larger explosions.>>
- Said by Professor Ornstein, Dean of Philosophy and Ethics, Advanced Research Institute, MARS

Setting: USS ANUBIS: Main Engineering
Stardate: 63073.1530

"Hey big guy!" Elliot called out as he and Ensign Mitshiba entered the Oltharian's domain. Immediately Elan turned to greet the two officers with a deep and respectful bow.

"How may I be of service, friend?" the CEO inquired although he suspected that he knew the answer having looked into the task given to the aCSciO.

"We are having a little power issue," the COO explained rather vaguely as he and Akira moved to stand on opposite sides of the Engineering Control Island with the Oltharian standing at the end nearest to the warp core.

"The warp core is functioning within established parameters," the Oltharian stated without losing a beat. "I am not reading any power fluctuations anywhere within the ANUBIS' systems."

"Our problem is about something entirely different, and a whole lot smaller" the aCSciO stated. "We need to provide power to a portable quantum field generator that will envelop a single individual during our visit to the trading post within the YUDARA SECTOR."

The Chief Engineer grinned ever so slightly as he gazed back at the ANUBIS' COO and aCSciO. After a few seconds Elan reached for his comm badge and summoned the ship's Avatar to join them. Almost as if she had anticipated the call, the female-formed android appeared around the corner mere seconds after the CEO had requested her presence.

"Annie," the Oltharian began, "thank you for coming. Ensign Mitshiba and Ensign Thomas are looking for a way to generate power to a portable quantum field generator. I suspect that this generator will be used to shield the individual away team members from the effects of the temporal distortions that we will most surely encounter while outside of the protective armour of the ANUBIS while in the YUDARA SECTOR."

The artificial woman met the gaze of each of the mentioned officers before she returned her attention onto the figure standing at the end of the Engineering Control Island. "I guess this means I am to be the answer," Annie dryly announced, not a hint of emotion in her voice, not that anyone had expected there to be any.

"You know how we can accomplish this?" Akira inquired, the aCSciO having laced her words with enough emotions to fill in the void created by the Avatar.

"I do not *have* the answer," Annie corrected. "I *am* the answer."

"Wait a minute," the COO interjected. "You are going to tell me that your power system is powerful enough to feed a quantum field generator?"

"Actually, yes," the ANUBIS' Avatar stated in a way that almost bordered on gloating. "I am not a pink, furry, battery powered rabbit aimlessly wandering the decks of this ship Ensign Thomas. My continued functioning is granted by a miniature Quantum Singularity Reactor."

"WHAT?!?" The COO exclaimed.

"Wait a minute," Akira gasped. "You are going to tell us that you are powered by a miniature black hole?"

"The equipment is remarkably similar to the Romulan's core power source for their vessels with a few modifications made using Cytherian technology," the Oltharian explained with distinct pride as he had been directly involved with the creation of this technology. "These advancements enabled us to greatly reduce the size of said reactor while increasing the stability of the containment field."

"If the containment field should collapse for one reason or another," Akira began, still under the shock of what she had just been made aware of.

"You would blow up with the force of half a dozen quantum torpedoes," the COO continued while he unconsciously took one large step backwards.

"Actually the force of such an explosion would equate that of 9.125 of our quantum torpedoes," the Avatar corrected in a matter-of-fact manner. "But the security protocols currently in place within my programming are set to prevent the ANUBIS from suffering from such an eventuality," Annie added as she ever so slightly tilted her head to one side as she looked onto the Oltharian CEO.

"In the case of a field destabilization," Elan further explained, "Annie is programmed to use any and all means available to her to get as far away as possible from any life form. Currently this involves a site-to-site transport into deep outer space."

"How stable is the containment field?" Ensign Mitshiba inquired, a little perplexed by the fact that she had been standing only meters away from a miniature black hole.

"Since my initial activation the field has not fluctuated more than .01 microwatt," Annie announced without any hesitation.

"Our best calibrated phasers have a variance a hundred times that," the COO exclaimed with amazement despite his still very visible fear.

"I assure you that the process is exceptionally safe," the Avatar stated as she called up the designs onto the screens of the Engineering Control island. "With some additional modifications it should be feasible to have a similar reactor contained within a small device that could be attached to an officer's belt."

With that the team went to work with the occasional quizzical glance finding its way onto the Avatar.
 
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette {f_charette@hotmail.com}
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
 
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
And
 
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA