Elias walked into the department with a mug of steaming coffee in hand and a PADD in another. He greeted several of his colleagues on the way to his office. Arriving, Elias sat down and started to do the manual calculations once again for the apertures, but he got curious. Tapping on his com badge, Elias asked, “Comescu to Ortov, meet me in my office. I also got some information from the Intel department.”

Zion, responding to Elias’s call, began to gather his things, and make his way into Elias’s office. On the way, he thought to himself. “I am starting to form doubts on the idea that we’ll be able to convince a senior officer to give us access to the information we need to make the necessary configurations to the starship’s shields. It seems to be a more complicated situation than I had originally thought. Due to all the risks involved. I doubt anyone would want to be responsible for potential disasters, that could possibly occur with such a mission.”

 Zion then said to himself with the intention of giving himself a moral boost. “This mission may be dangerous, but with high risk comes great reward, or at least that’s what I’d like to believe. We should be able to solve the problem on our own, but we’ll need a new approach. Hopefully Elias’s information from the intel department, carries solution to our dilemma.” Zion picked up the pace and walked with greater anticipatory excitement into Elias’s office.

Having arrived at Elias’s office, Zion asked Elias, “How do we fair in terms of progress towards the adjusting the shields?”

With great eagerness Zion inquired, “Has the intel department given you the information that could possibly work?”

Elias shrugged and responded with, “Well, I think this might work now. The information given suggests that we could utilize other species technology to improve our device. Oh, by the way, new information and reports have come in. I have yet to check them, the ships finally got their systems back online to connect to the database.“

Zion arrived at Elias’s office, and he immediately went to overview the data on his personally holoscreen Analyzing the data, Zion saw in two parts, first the information from the intel department, the specs from the alien technology that might be of use. And secondarily from the reports from the starships that returned from the exploring around the nexus.

Elias went to the replicator to get some coffee while waiting for Zion to come to his office, “Computer, coffee, black with cream.“ Elias surprisingly went for something lighter today, coffee with cream? What was going on, is stress getting to him? The simulations have been such a pain to test out with all the changing variables that Elias himself still doesn’t understand.

Zion reading off of Elias’s research into the simulations, began to put together the picture, by combining it with his research. “It’s all coming together now!” Zion claimed. Thanks to the new data, and the research from Elias, a possible solution is viable, one worth simulating, Zion believed.

Elias went into his office and saw Zion, “Oh my friend, you are already here! What have you got for me? New reports or information I hope, we certainly still need those.”

Zion began to discuss with Elias the possible solutions for the simulation, “We can add our combined research, and the new data from the intel department and ship computer data. From the ships that were able to connect to the starbase, after their voyage exploring the nexus’s horizon. A solution for the shields and their configurations are viable. We just need to run the required simulations to verify them” Zion said enthusiastically.

Elias looked at Zion while in deep thought, “I mean, now that we have this information I think I can simulate it in the computer now. An away mission will be possible soon to test out the device to close the aperture.”

And with that, Elias and Zion went back to the Holodecks to try out the new additions, with both of them hoping that it will eventually work after going through all the possible combinations.