Preparations

Juran leaned gently on the control console, watching eagerly the results of the current simulation.

"What are you doing ?" Lieutenant Na'akae asked, as he approached the console Juran was standing at.

"Running a few more simulations on the slipstream drive." Juran answered "I want to make sure we don't end up blowing a fuse at a crucial moment." Juran continued with a slight grin.

Stelv simply raised an eyebrow, spun around on the spot and started tapping on a PADD he had been carrying and started to slowly walk towards another console.

"That won't be necessary…" He said smugly "….my calculations are accurate and we have completed all the preparations".

He spun around again to look towards Juran.

"We will be able to travel at T-Warp 12, as planned." Continued Stelv, in a tone of voice much too confident for Juran's liking.

"I realise that…." Juran responded, giving a quick glance towards Stelv, before focusing his attention on the console in front of him again. "….but these simulations are at T-Warp 16".

The last statement grabbed Stelv's attention, and he jolted to attention.

"We have not even tested the modifications yet, are you trying to get us killed !?. Captain Taybar already knows our situation, the current modifications are fine !" Stelv protested, with a slight sound of anger in his voice.

"Look..." Juran stated, standing upright and facing Stelv, he was starting to get impatient with his co-worker "….when a job takes an hour to complete, a Captain wants it done in 30 minutes, and when a Captain says she wants T-Warp 12, she'll be planning on going much faster" Juran continued while loosening his stance and bending again to lean over the console. "Trust me on this, it's a fact of life."

Stelv didn't answer, but Juran could feel that he still wasn't happy about what he was doing.

"Anyway, I would be more worried about what we're running into rather than what I'm doing." Juran added.

"What do you mean ?" Asked the Andorian, temporarily taking his attention off what Juran was doing.

"Well... we've got about fifty Jem'Hadar coming our way for a sleep over, we're gonna be hunting even more Jem'Hadar...." Juran looked around Engineering quickly, before standing up and walking towards Stelv.

He dropped his head slightly and continued quietly ".... and I don't mean to spread rumours, but I've been hearing a lot about assassination attempts and some sort of secret organisation making its way onto this ship". Juran lifted his head and backed off slightly "I don't know the full story, just what I've heard.... I think we're in for a good few sleepless nights".

Just as Juran finished an alarm sounded from the console to inform him that the simulation had ended. Juran returned to the console and tapped away for a moment, before transferring the data onto a PADD. Stelv just stood there standing staring into at nothing in particular, thinking about what he had just heard.

"Take a look at these and tell me what you think." Juran announced thrusting a PADD towards Stelv "I've created an algorithm that will automatically activate the secondary computer core to process additional anomalous readings, and make corrections, before the main system gets overloaded."

Stelv took the PADD and started to read over it.

"I'm also recommending converting some of the adjacent bulkheads to become make shift energy conduits, to act as additional buffers in case of any large energy spikes." Juran continued.

"These modifications appear stable…" Stelv answered "….but I don't recommend using them for an extended period of time."

"Agreed." Juran replied "I'm going to present my recommendations to the Captain and Lieutenant Luwall." A lump appeared in his throat as he said the Lieutenant's name, he wasn't very keen about approaching her since his previous encounter in the mess hall.

"I will run some more simulations…." Replied Stelv keeping a deadly serious face "….Just to make sure."

Juran tried hard to suppress a smile and simply nodded back, before turning and leaving.