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Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes.
Henry J. Kaiser
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Beka was taking Lise's and Harper's kidnapping especially hard, not that it didn't upset me. Harper was the only one on this ship who was capable of repairing the systems. The Andromeda was an asylum for Lise until she figured out what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go. I was responsible for her safety. They were both little more than children in their own respects.
I watched Beka fighting to supess her emotions. She wasn't much use to any of us in this condition. "Beka, you've done all you can here. Why don't you go take a break?"
"I need to be here, Dylan." She was evidently losing control inside, but her strong exterior remained.
"An hour or so won't hurt anything. If we find anything, I'll tell you. Please, Beka. Don't make me order you to do this."
She slowly exited the Command Deck, as if she had been defeated on some level, and was taking a last look at the battle field before that moment of doom came. I knew there was nothing I could say or do for her, except find Harper and Lise as quickly as possible. If they were still alive to be found.
"Tyr, you have some experience in engineering. Do you think you could modify the sensors?" I asked.
"No, I don't think I would be successful if I tried."
"There has to be another way, then. We need to know if Harper and Lise are still on Utrecht. Specific humans can't be located." I paced around the Command Deck. I wasn't going to rid myself of this habit any time soon. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way," Rev said.
"What do you mean?"
"Concentrate on another aspect. Looking at things from a different point of view sometimes makes it all clearer."
I didn't understand what he meant, but I tried to think about the situation objectively instead of from the view of the concerned captain I was. "It isn't any clearer."
"The sensors...we should concentrate on something else Andromeda can find, if she can't find a specific person," Tyr said.
I thought for several moments. She couldn't find their bodies. I was certain she couldn't find their clothes, and for all we know those might have changed. What can she find? She said she could find specific mechanical devices. Mechanical devices. I suddenly knew what I was overlooking. "Harper's cerebral port! Rommie, can you find that?"
"If I know the frequency it outputs. Trance should have it in her medical records."
I walked down to Medical Bay. Trance wasn't there. There were only two other possibilities for her location. And I knew she had to be in Hydroponics. I walked into the beautiful garden. It had calming properties, and I understood why she spent a lot of her spare time here.
"Dylan," she said as she looked up from a flower.
"Trance, do you have any scans of Harper in your medical records?"
"Of course. Have you found them yet?"
"We're working on it, but I need to know the frequency of his cerebral port to continue."
"The frequency is .061270," she said.
"How do you know that?"
"I've had to monitor his cerebral cortex where the port connects to his brain when he's had some more severe infections that can cause brain damage."
".061270?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, Trance."
She smiled. "I know if there's anyone that can find them, it's you."
I repeated the number to myself over and over again on my way to the Command Deck. The second I arrived, I said, "It's .061270, Rommie."
"Calibrating sensors to detect the frequency. He's still on the planet, but I can't pinpoint his location exactly. I do, however, know he's on the second continent."
"Could we set the Maru up to detect him?"
"Yes. But he isn't necessarily alive. His port would still emit the frequency after his death."
"He isn't necessarily dead, either. Let's get the Maru ready."
Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes.
Henry J. Kaiser
-------------------------------------------------------
Beka was taking Lise's and Harper's kidnapping especially hard, not that it didn't upset me. Harper was the only one on this ship who was capable of repairing the systems. The Andromeda was an asylum for Lise until she figured out what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go. I was responsible for her safety. They were both little more than children in their own respects.
I watched Beka fighting to supess her emotions. She wasn't much use to any of us in this condition. "Beka, you've done all you can here. Why don't you go take a break?"
"I need to be here, Dylan." She was evidently losing control inside, but her strong exterior remained.
"An hour or so won't hurt anything. If we find anything, I'll tell you. Please, Beka. Don't make me order you to do this."
She slowly exited the Command Deck, as if she had been defeated on some level, and was taking a last look at the battle field before that moment of doom came. I knew there was nothing I could say or do for her, except find Harper and Lise as quickly as possible. If they were still alive to be found.
"Tyr, you have some experience in engineering. Do you think you could modify the sensors?" I asked.
"No, I don't think I would be successful if I tried."
"There has to be another way, then. We need to know if Harper and Lise are still on Utrecht. Specific humans can't be located." I paced around the Command Deck. I wasn't going to rid myself of this habit any time soon. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way," Rev said.
"What do you mean?"
"Concentrate on another aspect. Looking at things from a different point of view sometimes makes it all clearer."
I didn't understand what he meant, but I tried to think about the situation objectively instead of from the view of the concerned captain I was. "It isn't any clearer."
"The sensors...we should concentrate on something else Andromeda can find, if she can't find a specific person," Tyr said.
I thought for several moments. She couldn't find their bodies. I was certain she couldn't find their clothes, and for all we know those might have changed. What can she find? She said she could find specific mechanical devices. Mechanical devices. I suddenly knew what I was overlooking. "Harper's cerebral port! Rommie, can you find that?"
"If I know the frequency it outputs. Trance should have it in her medical records."
I walked down to Medical Bay. Trance wasn't there. There were only two other possibilities for her location. And I knew she had to be in Hydroponics. I walked into the beautiful garden. It had calming properties, and I understood why she spent a lot of her spare time here.
"Dylan," she said as she looked up from a flower.
"Trance, do you have any scans of Harper in your medical records?"
"Of course. Have you found them yet?"
"We're working on it, but I need to know the frequency of his cerebral port to continue."
"The frequency is .061270," she said.
"How do you know that?"
"I've had to monitor his cerebral cortex where the port connects to his brain when he's had some more severe infections that can cause brain damage."
".061270?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, Trance."
She smiled. "I know if there's anyone that can find them, it's you."
I repeated the number to myself over and over again on my way to the Command Deck. The second I arrived, I said, "It's .061270, Rommie."
"Calibrating sensors to detect the frequency. He's still on the planet, but I can't pinpoint his location exactly. I do, however, know he's on the second continent."
"Could we set the Maru up to detect him?"
"Yes. But he isn't necessarily alive. His port would still emit the frequency after his death."
"He isn't necessarily dead, either. Let's get the Maru ready."
