What About the Scientists? (Part 4)

Posted on Tue Mar 16th, 2021 @ 9:15am by Lieutenant Remy Boudreau & Lieutenant JG Paris Deville
Edited on on Fri Mar 26th, 2021 @ 10:19am

1,393 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Caverns of the mind
Location: Conference Room

[PREVIOUSLY]

Paris cleared his throat, as if preparing for a big presentation, before looking back to Remy, as he spoke slowly going back to his more serious tone. "Nicoles here..." he pointed to her while his focus was still on Remy. "Not that long ago, just said that the people in the cave have developed a tolerance to the gas from living with it for to long. This gas, whether cave specific or in every cave, seems to be just in the caves. Its not in the atmosphere, so it's safe to assume only the cave dwellers, have developed this tolerance for it. Yes?" He motioned to Remy as he asked the question.

[CONTINUED]

'You can make the assumption as you wish,' Remy shrugged.

"Now, in my flyovers while running scans of the planet for you guys, I notices small but still primitive settlements. Groups of other primitive looking people who are also native to this planet. Let's call them the Non-Cave dwellers, for the benefit of distinguishing the two groups." Paris looked down slightly as is preparing his next thought before looking back up to Remy and continuing. "This planet seems to have a seasonal cycle, so using Earth's history as a baseline, the groups may do as Earth's primitives often did and migrate with herds of animals or just to keep up with the common dangers that comes with seasons. Placing these non-cave dwellers in a more nomadic role."

The cave dwellers may also do the same. Once hunting in this area becomes scare, or animals move to avoid colder seasons, they may follow the animals to keep from starving. Going back to Nicoles analysis from before she stated that the cave dwellers aren't affected by the gas because of their built up tolerance for it, so its save to conclude the drive to remain in the cave and return isn't as strong or maybe even non-existent. So, there is a possibility they may more on to another cave leaving the one we found open."

"Now, here is where my head sees relevance where yours may not, when it comes to the gas." Paris looked to Amber briefly, as if trying to make sure over everyone else, she saw his concern to at least ensure someone knew it and didn't treat his question less like an annoyance and more seriously. "What's to keep the non-cave dwellers, in the middle of their migrating or hunting, from stumbling into these caves and being effected?" He looked from Amber, to Remy, as he held his hands out slightly in a questioning way. "If Nicoles analysis is to believed, and no one here has any reason to think otherwise, living in the cave provided the cave dwellers a tolerance while. A tolerance the non-cave dwellers, to our knowledge anyway, does not have because they haven't used the caves for shelter. Isn't is safe to assume this gas may pose a danger to them and they may be in danger of being pulled in by its sway just like out Scientists?"

He looked around the table at everyone before adding. "Knowing if this gas is essential to the development of the planet can give us insight as to its importance. Unless we, or even a team sent by Starfleet, looks into this we have no way of knowing if the gases being released in the cave are originally supposed to released into the cave. Something may have happened, in the planets history recently that caused its normal way to expel the gas to get blocked and, due to it having no other place to go, the cave system was its only method. By happenstance, or dumb luck, the cave dwellers were exposed and overtime developed their tolerance."

Paris looked to Amber, before looking back to Remy, before ending with. "I said before, I'm no scientist, so this may all be just me jumping to conclusions. Maybe I don't have all the facts or see it like a scientist does, but there is enough here, to build a firm theory. The gas being released through the caves, whether all of them or just a few that are connected to the one we and the scientists found, is suspicious to me. the cave dwellers tolerance may not have been on purpose but by complete coincidence due to them just being there at that time. The Non-cave dwellers, to our knowledge, may not have the same tolerance and if this gas was a threat to our people its a threat to them as well." As he sat back down, he placed his index finger on the table, as he continued to speak to Remy. "That is where my head is at, brah. That's my concern. I see this gas being a harm to the ones not immune to it who will remain here when we leave. To our knowledge this gas maybe a result of something we weren't here to witness. All I am saying is, if this gas isn't meant to be released in this fashion, we find a way to release it safely to the atmosphere so the inhabitance will not be effected the same way. Maybe even give them more of a fighting chance when they choose to move on and hopefully grow in their development. It's a theory, Remy, but its a sound theory. Feel free to beat me down with it if you want or break it in half, but its a concern I have with an outcome that may stunt others who live here." As he leaned back in his chair and simple added, softly as he grabbed his PADD and put it on his lap. "The floor is yours, Boudreau."

Boudreau pinched the bridge of his nose momentarily. 'Lieutenant, I'm not sure whether you're not paying attention because you think it's beneath you, or whether it's because you don't like what you're hearing.'

'Firstly, you have a hypothesis, not a theory. You lack the necessary data to make your assertions. So far we have established that the indigenous population encountered by our Away Team has a natural immunity to the chemical compound that is generated by the gas. Our Away Team, and our scientific observers, did not. That is the extent of our knowledge, and we have fulfilled our assignment with the exception of extracting the scientific team, which should, and will, be the overriding focus of my department.

'You're not alone in having concerns about the chemical compound. But suspicions aren't facts, and coincidences are a way of life - it is a cosmic coincidence that Earth lies squarely in the inhabitable zone of the Sol system.

'If you had listened to understand rater than riposte, perhaps you would have heard several of us around this table emphasize the need for a long-duration observation mission.

'Planetary ecosystems are overwhelmingly complex and the data we have found thus far could take decades to put in it's right place and use to extrapolate any reasonable hypotheses, or provable theories. That is beyond the current capabilities of this vessel. Moreover, it's an unfortunate reality that we cannot interfere with the development of a pre-warp civilization. That is our Prime Directive. It applies equally whether interference is for the good or ill of a planet's species.'

"Well, Lieutenant Arrogance, I did say several times that I could be wrong and I was opened to being told that I was. A part you clearly ignored or just didn't hear." Paris said with a smile as he laughed lightly. "Which is understandable given your need to always be right even when you forgot the one underlining part to my thing that you have yet to explain." He cleared his throat slightly before finally saying. "Gas only found in caves. How do indigenous population that don't live in or use the caves have the same immunity if they have never had exposure?"

'Again, we'll need a long-term study to probe the hypotheses we've made so far,' Remy said, matter-of-factly. He was on to Deville's game. He was bored and sore attention wasn't being paid to him. 'Planetary ecosystems are complex, as I've said. I apologize if I sound like a broken wheel.'

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant JG Paris Deville
Chief Flight Control Officer

Lieutenant Remy Boudreau
Chief Science Officer

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