<<Thanks to Rangi and Terek for this very nice JL! Was fun!>> ====== Astrometrics, USS Chimera ===== Still not much sure about the informations about the X!Chi from the federations databanks, Shane decided to consult Science and medical upon this issue. Afterall, it proove itself to be a vital point during their mission and its far more better to be safe then sorry. Leaving the bridge in the capable hands of LT. Foster, Shane went down towards Astrometrics. he knew that the Science staff will be gathered in that place .... and in the first line it was a question for them. Maybe a medical point of view could be of help and Shane decided to ask Rangi for help as well. The door leading into Astrometrics hissed open and Shane entered the room. It was always like entering a faery tale ... Astrometrics was by far the most futuristic room on the ship. It was a pitty that Shane had always so little time to spare to enjoy all the Wonderland. Looking across the room, he searched for the CSCiO ... but seeing no trace of her, he turned towards a bajoran Ensign beeing on duty there: "Ensign, I am searching Lt. Oriana, do you know where may i find her?" Another day on duty in the Astrometrics. Another day of hard work. Fortunately they managed to tune up almost all sensor systems and others were functioning at least on the 95 percent so it seemed that they'll have ship ready on time of the arrival to the Marsh. As they got closer to their mission Terek decided to take some home study about this area of space and about the race which they are supposed to encounter. Now he was sitting in the lab and thinking about what he had found out and that he didn't like that info at all. Suddenly doors swooshed open and let inside the Commander Guzman. He was looking for Lieutenant Oriana, but she finaly took some rest after she probably spent last week on duty, because Terek wasn't able to remember a shift where she wasn't... "Sir, lieutenant Oriana is off duty. She'll be probably in her quaters...." Answered Terek to the commander's question, wondering what is going on... Shane looked blank at the Ensign for a moment before noding. He realised how unusual it was not to find their vulcan CSCiO on duty ... but afterall she was the same a 'human' like Shane himself. And humans need rest ... even Oriana. "All right Ensign ...." SHane had a bit problems recalling the names of the newer crew ... "Weranis" he tried. "If you have time now, i would like to discuss a certain theory concerning the X!Chi with you and Commander Summers." Seeing the agreement from the Bajoran male, Shane tapped his commbadge ... +TAPS+ Guzman to Summers. Commander, could you please come to Astrometrics as soon as possible? There is a point i would like to discuss with you and Ens. Weranis. Wondering what required her attention in astrometrics...a place she rarely visited..Rangi made haste there. It was some minutes later when the door slid open and she entered the large room. "I'm so sorry...i was delayed." she said beaming a smile at Shane. "Slight problem in the lab. Ensign.." she added looking at the science officer with a smile too. {So commander wants to discuss some theory about X'Chi... that should be interesting.} thought Terek feeling relieved that he took a look in to the library systems. But then commander titles Terek with his first name Weranis.{Oh prophets... I wonder if anybody haven't explained this man how is it with the Bajoran names....} thought Terek little kicked out of thoughts. He has to say something. So when commander called doctor he took the oportunity of some quiet time, leaned closer to the commander and said in polite tone: "Sir if I may have a request. Please call me Terek. Weranis is a private name and Bajorans are quite sensitive on using it." said with smile to commander, hoping that he didn't make him angry or something, but as a Bajoran he had to say something. Also he wondered if he also calls Keylor, Bretam. But then the Doctor arrived, smiled at them so he said "Good afternoon Doctor" and smiled back. {Terek? Erm ... Jesus ... Yes! The guy's right} Shane thought suddenly remebering a conversation that took long ago. It was where the General tried to explain the whereabouts of Bajoran names. The point was that they used the first written name as the surname instead of the second like humans. And aye ... Bretam said something alike ... the second name was a name for using in an family or close friends circle only. {How confusing!} he thought. Noding towards Terek he said: "Of course Ensign Terek, my fault". Turning to Rangi he smiled warmly at his beloved and said: "Commander. Thank you for comming." Looking from Rangi on Terek and back again he started: "The reason why I asked you two to counsel me is a theory i've read in a Federation Science report about the X!Chi. There was written that the X!Chi form a collective mind resembling a mind of an hive. The suggestion there said that the intelligence of the hive is rising and lowering with the number of the X!Chi present in the hive. Could that be possible?" he asked. Rangis expression grew serious whne she heard him mention X'chi. "I've been reading about that too." she said "..and wondered what they can achieve. I mean...it said a single X'chi has little intelligence...but times a thousand...five thousand...it increases dramatically. What do you think ensign?" With a grateful smile he nodded to commander's response and then listened to why he summoned them there. As he and Rangi was talking, Terek was remembering to the fact he has read in the database about X'Chi..."Yes, I've read it too. If this theory is true than we'll probably have to deal with about..." he thought how many X'Chi can be aboard the Nova class starship..."how many, 60, 70 specimens? How intelligent they can be?" He looked back on the Doctor. Shane shook his head slightly: "I would count 10 times that number. Afterall, they had to board the Gott from somewhere, so I suppose they will have an other possible cloaked ship nearby or something." He looked at Rangi as well. "You think so?" she asked doubtfully, hoping he was wrong. " I was thinking of that old game they used to play...to illustrate multiplication. one grain of sand on a single square doubled on each successive one...you end up with kilos of it. is their intelligence like that? its .... frightening." she added feeling rather foolish but the idea of three metre tall grasshoppers was not something she relished. The idea of the exponentialy growing intelligence was really terrible... "It would mean that if there is that number of X'Chi as you suggested commander..." Terek looked on XO and counted in his head a little {600 X'Chi would be intelligent as... oh great...maths...it can't be true... 360 000 human colony} "... so their intelligence would be as human colony counting 360 000 individuals?!" said Terek shocked with this idea and imagining what would encounter with such inteligent organism look like... Shane remained to stay calm, but the imagination of an foe with such an intelligence shook him somewhat. He shrugged: "Its just a suggesiton, we dont know eighter the exact number of the X!Chi nor the multiplicator factor for their hive intelligence. But the basic question is still ... does it all means that with every disabled X!Chi individual the collective will become more ... dumb?" he asked and crossed his hands on his chest. "I dont know...does it?" Rangi replied." I cant think that losing one or two would make that much difference...I mean..if they learn to do...whatever...they wouldnt forget it would they because their numbers drop?" It was an worrying yet intrigueing question. "Do they have weapons?" she asked. 'clockwork' of Terek's was almost hearable as he was thinking... suddenly with the last thing the Doctor said an idea iluminated him. "If you say that with every lost individual they would become more dumb. Well what if it is true, then what if it is like this? Every group that encouter's something new learns and their learned skills transmits to the another... like a part of a brain that controls one body function... but kill that group and will criple the whole body. Could it be that way? Or do they have some collective mind where they store all knowledge which single individuals have learned? Like Borgs?" said Terek surprised with himself being able to form such wild theory, almost expecting laught from senior officers... SHane remained silent for a moment, trying to get the idea. "Thats a very interesting question Ensign" he said finally, "A vital one i would guess. If the X!Chi are just members of a group that share their brain capacity and memory then the action of disabling the individuals really could affect the group's intelligence greatly. " Looking at Rangi he finished: "Beeing it the other way around ... one "mystical" nexus or a queen that is independent of the "drones" could prove to be a more tough case. Rangi ...." he asked, "Do you think there is a way how we might discover with of this 2 alternatives is the right one?" "None that springs to mind." she answered and looked at him apologetically."I keep thinking of bees.....they protect their queen...perhaps X'chi do too.....but its hardly the same. Its really more something you should ask Oriana...or Ens Terek" "Well if the X'Chi would be like a bees they would have some queen, but as far as we know form the former confrontations, they seem to have nothing like that. So it would offer the theory that their consiousness exists only like a link between individuals and when that link is broken so dies with it also part of their consciousness and also part of the knowledge which was integrated in this link. It reminds me an old system theory by Isac Newton. He claimed that a complex can be described as a cumulation of its part and their characteristics... later it was proved that complex consists of characteristics of its parts and also of the newly created ones in the links between those individual parts." suddenly Terek realized that he is talking aloud, because this was his thoughts he heard coming from his mouth... Shane smiled slighty as the young Ensign spoke. It remainded him on the good old days when he himself was so young and eager. Pleased that the eagerness and ethusiasm was still rpesent in the crew Shane replied: "Good work Ensign. That theory looks quite good to me. But I need to know that for certain. I suggest you and Lt. Oriana will cooperate with Commander Summers and try to discover the truth as soon as possible. You are sure aware that this could proove to be a vital point, maybe a point that could save numerous lives." Rangi nodded at once. " I really hope we can have some idea before we meet them face to.....face. I dont want to think about the damage three meter high grasshoppers can do." ====== End of log ====== LtCmdr. Rangi Summers CMO USS Chimera & Ens. Terek Weranis ASCiO USS Chimera & Cmdr. Shane Guzman XO USS Chimera