Hypothetically Speaking

Posted on Thu Nov 19th, 2020 @ 8:10am by Lieutenant Nevada McKay & Lieutenant Victor Barclay de Tolly & Lara Barclay de Tolly

Mission: Season 4: Episode 2: Rest And Relaxation
Location: Research Lab
Timeline: Current
1320 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Lt. Commander Victor Barclay de Tolly and his eight year old daughter Acting Scientist Mate Laura Barclay de Tolly were walking to the research Labs. He looks down at his daughter Lara who was reading off her IPADD. "I see you are reading up on Lt. McKay."

"Sure am Dad," Laura says in a perky way. "She is super cool. I agree with her there should not be a ban on genetic engineering. Plus she is into plants and such. Bet she will be a great role model for me."

"Don't you break enough rules already," Victor saying grinning a bit.

"Dad," Lara says as Nevada walked up, "If Cochrane did not break rules, we will be a still pre-warp society." Lara seeing Nevada says happyly. "Hello Lt. McKay."

Nevada glanced up from her Console and gave a warm smile. "Good Afternoon Mr and Ms. Barclay," she said with a cheerful tone as she shifted herself up into a better posture. "What brings you down to the Labs today?" she asked warmly as she casually shifted herself to Alter what her console screen was Displaying.

"Lara suggested to me that she wanted to work with on a theoretical project where taking a communication badge that was from decades ago to add the software in to a genetically silicon carbon cells to see if it is possible to create artificial life," Victor says as he hoped he said it all.

Lara emphasizes, "Theoretical of course in a simulation. Is that possible?"

Nevada blinked in shock at the dump of information before she shrugged. "I...uhm...Well Its possible, thought it would be an effort in futility as any Carbon Cells that have a High content of silicon would undoubtedly be very short lived." she said before she slowly leaned forward. "Unless you're wanting to try and Recreate a Horta or a Tholian's cells, or anything from their Home world."

"That is why we will do it theoretically," Lara says again. "We will create in a simulation if the lab here has that capability. I know the ramifications if we actually did it. I just want to be prepared if something like this ever happens."

Nevada hummed softly. "I...would be up to help model such a simulation, though my genetic expertise is mostly limited to botanical cells," she said after a moment of thought. "though...the Question is are you trying to model this with Nanoprobes?"

"No nanoprobes," Lara as she thought what if a futuristic Communication Badge had nanoprobes. "First simulation will be technology that existed couple of decades and we could eventually do a simulation with the hypothesis that future communication badges might have nanoprobes."

Victor never thought about what she just say but knowing what he knows, it us theoretically possible. "How long have you had this project in mind Lara?"

"About a year ago," Lara answers.

"I see," Victor exhales. "Lara this is your project so you might need to ask her how much time she has on her hands to help you. You will be doing most of the work."

"Dad," Lara says with her hands on her hips. "That was on my to do list to ask her." Turning to Nevada, she asks, "Do you have very little time, some time or a lot of time?"

Nevada laughed at the exchange. "Right now I have no major projects that are time sensitive," she said with a warm smile. "I've got a couple side projects i'm working on right now, but they're not overly important ones."

Lara turns to her Dad. "Dad, I can handle it from here. You can go now."

"I see," Victor says as he looks at Nevada. "Mam, I will go now. Any trouble let me know." After he received a nod he left.

"My father told me a long time ago, I will know when he needed to go," Lara says smiling. "He is the best father. I have a project outline already written up but I need to add a few more items to it. May I give it to you after lunch so we can discuss this unless you want to help me add the new parameters.

Nevada shifted in place and Hummed. "if you have the Proposal I'd be happy to take a look at it after lunch," she said with a slow nod, a small Flicker in her vision reminding her that she did need to eat today.

Lara brings up her IPADD. She speaks to it. "VIOLA, send Lt. Nevada McKay file mark McKay Project Proposal." Minute later her console beeped indicating a file was received. "After you make your notes, we can run it by Arianna."

Nevada nodded as she tapped at her console pulling it up to briefly browse over it. "I don't see that we'd need Authorization to run a simulation," she said softly. "Unless Fleet com is watching..." she added under her breath.

"Understood," Lara says giving Nevada an adorable smile which at times makes people forget how smart she is. "Lt. Nevada, I bet you were like me when you were young."

Nevada laughed softly. "I still am young," she said with a soft smile.

Lara facepalms herself with both palms. "I mean when you were young like me. I read your profile. I feel rules slows me down. Someone once told me that there was a rule that children are not to be super smart. Of course there is no rule. My Aunt Mira says children should be encouraged, not discouraged."

Nevada laughed softly. "I Was the opposite as a kid...I wanted nothing to do with learning, I Ran away from my parents when I was sixteen," she said with a slow shake of her head.

"So you had knowledge all bottled up and then one day, you let the genie out of the bottle," Lara hypothesizes. "If I am getting too personal, let me know. I have a habit of being curious, just like your tattoos. Is there a story behind them?"

"My dad told me I couldn't get tattoos, I told him to fuck off and got them," Nevada laughed softly. "then Starfleet told me to get rid of them, and I told them to fuck off and got more."

"My grandfather Pyotr has them," Lara grinned. "He told me the other day, "Lara, find a guy with tattoos. Tattoos mean commitment."

Nevada laughed and shook her head. "they used too, Now a days Removing a tattoo is very easy," she said slowly. "Just be careful what you get if you do get them," she added. "I got arrested for one of mine."

"Well if my opinion counts," Lara says talking with her hands, "Yours show character. I like them. Do you have many friends on board? My friends are my age and I just want to have friends I can relate to if you know what I mean. I do like what your profile says you are in to like Botany and does not matter what else you are in to, my friendship is unconditional and my gut instinct is you would make a great one."

Nevada tensed up. "I don't...really have any friends on board...I tend to usually keep to myself...I would suppose that's one of my biggest flaws," she nods slowly with a quiet sigh. "I don't really make friends very often."

"Well consider me your friend," Lara says offering her hand in friendship. "I use to keep to myself, reading books and doing projects. I made an Android one time to keep me company but it got damaged, so downloaded her AI into my IPADD. Her name is VIOLA." Lara opens up her IPADD which kind of looked sophisticated when you looked closer at it.

The two of them shook hands as two people who had usually kept to themselves now each had a friend they could relate to now.