[video/action]

[candothat]

Enterprise? Do you read?

[A curly-headed boy, almost certainly not out of his teens, frowns at the screen. His words are rendered somewhat incomprehensible by a thick Eastern European accent in spite of his obvious attempts to annunciate.]

Ensign Chekov to bridge. Uhura? Sulu? …Mr. Spock? Chekov to engineering. Mr. Scott, can you hear me? There may have been a... ah, a malfunction with the teleporter.

Can anyone hear me?

[He sighs and fiddles with something on his device. The video feed distorts momentarily before returning to normal. When the teenager speaks again, his tone is low and words less painstakingly produced as if he’s speaking himself.]

Ai, what is this? There shouldn’t be interference this far out from the magnetic anomaly. Eto piz`dets…

Comments

[what_the_flux]

Well, I do welcome any company, particularly those with a shared interest in science.

[Ahaha... and the awkward bit.]

But no, my work hasn't been published - I had intended to share my research, but that's no longer an option. Unfortunately, I've found that despite my best original intentions, the vehicle simply poses far too many dangers to be used any further.

[candothat]

[He immediately brightens--and ignores the lack of publishing, because lingering on that would be rude.]

I can help with that! The spaceships I am familiar with have many safeguards--a number of things to stabilize them and keep their power from being too dangerous.

[what_the_flux]

Unfortunately, it's not the vehicle itself that's hazardous, exactly, but rather what can be accomplished via its use.

[On the other hand...]

I will, however, still require its use to wrap up some loose ends - perhaps taking a look at it and installing some safeguards might not be a bad idea. Certainly some kind of security feature based on identification wouldn't be at all unwise...

[candothat]

[Saaad.]

Do not rely on fingerprint or DNA security measures. They are easy to fool.

[what_the_flux]

I'll have to keep that in mind.

[ON HAPPIER NOTES.]

Perhaps you would be willing to assist me in developing a more effective means of securing its use? I would still certainly be interested to hear what you have to share; this black hole that you mentioned - and these spaceships. Assuming you wouldn't mind, of course!

[candothat]

I would not mind, of course, but securing your vehicle is, I think, more important than what I may have to say about home.