Made of Stone (Backpost)

Posted on Thu Jul 23, 2020 @ 11:18pm by Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD & Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant JG Aergad Halvor

1,630 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Binary Suns
Location: Weapons Lab
Timeline: After “Cuts, Butts & Coconuts”

The weapons lab was where unknown weapons were tested and broken down. It was secured for testing and would need a security or department head override to enter. Halvor was mostly humanoid again. Some of his skin was pink where some of the grey skin had fallen off. He was reviewing the weapon's energy signature. Tapping his comm, "Halvor to Anderson and Levesque, I'm in the Weapons Lab. I need a Medical and Sciences Consult if you two have a moment."

Weapons Lab or Explosives Lab would normally be used by Sciences. Before he joined Starfleet, he was Xhaldian Special Forces.. Before that,he was an MP, specializing in Security and Operations Technology, things like likes and security systems. He barely passed the Engineering and Science Requirements to go to the Academy. He would not have made the cut without the Recommendation Letter and Starfleet Medical and Starfleet Sciences wanted to poke and prod him. The rifles were held in special clamps so the computer could fire the triggers.

Looking at the data, if he understood it, the phase rifle works on a frequency deadly to Xhaldians and his transformation was triggered to protect him. He wasn't sure and needed smarter people than him. He tapped his comm, "I promise I didn't hurt myself."

A few minutes later, the doors to the weapons lab opened. "Si cet idiot a tiré cette arme, je le tuerai," Nicole growled quietly at Camille, gripping her black bag in frustration. "What are you up to, Mister Halvor?"

Halvor answered, "Exactly what I said I would do. I took apart the weapon, scanned it's components, put it back together, and replicated one. I have been firing it on samples of replicated Xhaldian, Human, Vulcanoid, Klingon, and Ferangi DNA. I also fired it on samples of my grey skin that had fallen off." He motioned to the panel. "I think something about the star system my planet is in has effected our biology. Xhaldian samples are burned far worse. The grey skin grew. I did the experiment just like I was taught to do biology at the Academy. I don't understand the data. Probably because I'm an idiot, but not deaf." He was snarky, but the entire time at the Academy, he always heard his race wasn't smart enough to be there, he didn't earn his place. Of course, he didn't understand all the French, just the word Idiot.

"Wasn't a literal pejorative," Nicole said, her voice softening slightly. "I don't know the word for 'foolhardy.'" She put her bag down on a counter. "But to be messing with that thing alone is dangerous. You should've had someone in here with you in case something went wrong. What if it had set you off again and you couldn't go for help?" She sighed and shook her head, snapping her bag open and pulling out her tricorder, flipping it open and scanning him carefully.

Getting scanned, Halvor looked at her, he raised an eyebrow, "I'm not firing it. The computer is firing it." He pointed to the other side of the blast wall which had a force field in it. The computer's timer went off. "Acknowledged computer. Flag the record with my voice print." He grinned, "Unlike a furry member of the science department, I don't override safety procedures. Apparently, under his fur, he is pink." SRT, RRT, and HRT tell stories about each other.

He pointed to the panel. "The computer disables weapons if someone is on the other side of the blast wall."

"Nonetheless," Nicole said, letting her chastising stand.

“What is this about, Monsieur Halvor?” Camille asked impatiently. The lab was a joint operation of Science and Security, and she didn’t like when someone outside either department tried to use her equipment without clearance.

Halvor looked at her, "I got a C in Sciences, on average at the Academy. I was really good at Security and Operations, better at combat."

"I assume you're trying to analyze the properties of the weapon?" Nicole said.

Halvor answered, "Properties of the weapon. The energy matrix. The reaction to synthesized flesh, and my own skin as it fall off." He was referring to the rock hard grey skin falling off.

"To what end?" Camille asked.

Looking at Camille, "I got shot with this. My body absorbed the energy and forced me to transform. I had just had my treatment the day before. With your," he looked at Nicole, "modifications to my serum, I should have been able to go close to 10 or 12 days without changing. Even then the change would be slow. I changed immediately. I need help understanding why."

"And you're sure it's the weapon specifically?" Camille ventured. "And not a reaction to being shot generally? Or being shot with this new serum in your system?"

Halvor looked at her, "Do you know what Security Officers, especially SRT, RRT, and HRT officers do fo fun? We shoot each other on stun and see how long it takes to get up. We replicate 21st century tasers and stun guns, and get each other. While there is evidence my body absorbs the energy then, I haven't shifted, if I had, Dr Anderson would had to opportunity to yell at me."

How barbaric, thought Camille.

"Oh, I still reserve that right," Nicole said. She looked at the weapon. "So what have you learned?"

Without much thought, "I don't think I would want to be shot with this thing, if I hadn't been altered." Halvor showed her the data panel. It had the data from the scans after the shoot test. "The power supply has a unique radiogenic frequency. It does heat, light, and concussive damage. It burns and would break the ribs a standard person shot with them. I thought it might be something we could use to trigger a transformation, if one was needed. However, it looks like it would be a nasty death for Xhaldians, who weren't altered." Even altered as he was, it would be nasty for him eventually, but the Science was beyond him.

Nicole sat down at one of the monitors and began going through the readouts. "Fascinating," she said. "Cami, come take a look."

Camille stood over Nicole's shoulder and looked at the readouts too.

"Look at the radiation signature. It almost completely neutralizes the isotopes in his serum. No wonder he reverted so fast." She pulled up another scan of the energy weapon's beam. "A focused laser shot, but nothing like Starfleet ever had, I don't think. It certainly would disrupt cellular bonds a lot more painfully...cause burns. Hell, a high setting would put a hole right through someone."

"Which means..." Camille began to say.

Asking the question, "If I hadn't been experimented on in my youth, I would have died? My mutation saved me." This is what he looked like until aliens, non Xhaldians, used probes to force mutations in some of his people. That forced mutation turned him into a large grey monster. Crusher's cure didn't work on him because the hypospray didn't work, but that was decades ago. "Score one for being a living weapon." He didn't sound excited about it.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't die," Camille said with a slight smile. "We need to look more at these figures, but under no circumstances is anyone going to shoot you in this lab. Point à la ligne." She wasn't certain that that was what he was going to do, but putting a stop to it then and there seemed prudent.

"Furthermore," Nicole said, "I don't want you handling the weapon. Let security assist you and secure it, or transport it. The less exposure risk, the happier we'll all be. All right?"

Looking at her, "Tactical Operations works hand in hand with Security. I will make sure someone other than me handles the weapon and the reproductions, transport, and Securing them, per your orders Ma'am." There were times he filled in for Security when they were short.

"Très bien," Camille replied with a nod. "Now, please be on your way. Nicole and I will secure the lab while we await security to come and collect the weapon."

Halvor nodded, "The computer is set up for another test if you two want to adjust settings and experiment some more." He might have been similar to human before he was experimented on, but he had been the big grey monster longer than he was human. He turned to head out. He was the only Xhaldian in Starfleet, other than his adult son. He still felt like people didn't want him here, that they thought he wasn't smart enough, only good for being a big grey violence machine.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Nicole said. "I'll definitely be putting this through more tests." She gave him a polite smile as he left. She shook her head and took Camille's hand. "Mon chere there's no sense in both of us waiting. Why don't you head back to our quarters and change into something comfortable, and I'll meet you there and get dinner going, hm?"

Camille smiled and nodded. “Don’t be too long.” She walked to the door and called behind her as she did so. “Today’s French lesson: we say ‘ma chère’ if it’s to a woman.” She was out the door before Nicole could reply.

Nicole smiled as Camille walked out, then when the doors closed, counted to ten slowly, then stood, walked down the now-empty corridor to the firing room and removed the weapon from the robotic grip. She holstered it under her uniform top and walked quickly to her private lab to add it to her study.

[End]

 

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