Lieutenant al-Kwaritzmi’s log, fourth day in the Underspace, morning: the Dopterian captain has arrived and is being escorted to the Koruba‘s Main Engineering. Commander Mir Durbus and I have gone again through my entire analysis and are confidently sure in it. For this meeting, Sublieutenant Dhae is going to be joined by Lieutenant Nivarek, whose name I just learned, acting chief of security.

The Dopterian entered the dark and green-lit Main Engineering of the Romulan Bird-of-Prey and looked around with an air of superiority.

“I have brought the cobalt and the rubidium, as you asked” she said. “Now, will you tell me what this is all about and why I should part from it?”

Dopterians shared much with their relatives, the Ferengi: amongst it, guessed Iskander, was greed.

The two Romulans looked at each other with unease.

Commander Mir Durbus seized the silence to insert herself in the discussion with a tone that was jolly to a parody. “How lovely for you to come, Captain Larqueck! You can’t imagine how happy we were when you said that your merchant ship was carrying the elements that we need! Please come in and look at our analysis.”

The Dopterian advanced and quickly looked at the wall monitor, where the whole engineering situation had been laid in display.

“I understand none of this. I do business, not engines” she said, finally.

“I can break it down for you if you want to know why you should part with it” said Mir Durbus. “We can get out of the Underspace only if all of our ships emit a tachyon shower. However this ship’s power source – the artificial singularity – has been damaged. It can be repaired, but we need materials. Which you have.”

The Dopterian looked unconvinced. “Is it really so simple? Is that the story with which you expect me to gift you such a quantity of precious resources?”

“Tut tut, Captain Larqueck, tut tu!” exclaimed Mir Durbus. “You either want to discuss the engineering details, or you don’t! Do you want to know why it is cobalt and rubidium that we seek? I’ll be overjoyed to go through every single minute technical detail.”

Larqueck looked dismayed, but didn’t seem to have a good answer to that. “Does your Federation starship not carry these elements? Why is it us who have to part with our precious cargo?”

“We provided hundreds of kilos of duranium, tungsten, transparent aluminum, gadolinum, ytterbium and borosteel” remarked Iskander quietly. “We are not carrying enough cobalt or rubidium, though.”

Larqueck didn’t acquiesce. “That may be. But surely you have something to compensate us with. This hasn’t to be a gift when it can be a trade.”

Finally one of the Romulans couldn’t take it anymore. Lieutenant Nivarek spoke, his voice high and crystalline in contrast to Dhae’s raspy and chocolatey tone. “What is the value of your life, Captain Larqueck? What is the monetary value of dying of hunger in the Underspace? You are going to invest these resources for your own survival, so that you may get out of here and seek your silly profits back home. Or not. Take your cobalt back to your ship and die asphyxiated while cradling it.”

Mir Durbus changed hue of blue. “I wouldn’t have said it like that –”

Nivarek snarled slightly. “This is a Romulan Republic ship and I am going to decide how much I lower myself in obsequiecence to a Dopterian.”

Captain Larqueck for a moment seemed about to leave the room, but then sighed. “I am going to get reprimanded for this by the Coin Admiralty but I can’t be seen going out empty-handed. You have to give me something. Anything.”

“A hundred kilograms of Argyllian powder,” said Nivarek at the end of his patience.

“What a horrendous rip-off, but it saves my face. Have the resources.”

Everyone nodded and some thanks were uttered.

“How long is the repair going to need?” asked the Dopterian.

“The new virtualizing interface has to be grown via epitaxy” said Iskander. “Forty days.”

The Dopterian’s face went first through unbelief and then fear. “We do not have that much time, human.”

“I’m sorry. It can’t happen faster.”

“Our ship is not going to last for forty days. We’re stuck here if you don’t repair this Romulan carcass, and we’re stuck here if you take forty days.”

___________________________________________________________________

Lieutenant al-Kwaritzmi’s log, fourth day in the Underspace, evening: Commander Siouinon’s careful mapping of the time distortions in the Underspace has turned out to be a life-saver. She has just boarded the Koruba and we’re discussing her idea.

Commander Siouinon, looking tired and vexed, pointed at the map of the Underspace, brightly coloured in greens and purples, shining almost painfully in the dark Romulan Main Engineering.

“That is the best spot, according to my analysis” she said.

Dhae and Nivarek looked at the map and at the spot. The spot was not far from where the Koruba was, in the direction of what could be maybe described as the wall of the Underspace – where the time distortions were stronger, more chaotic, more invasive.

“What is the time dilation in there?” asked Lieutenant Nivarek.

“It oscillates between thirty and eighty” said Siouinon. “A minute out for us, here where time is still quite normal, is going to be on average almost one hour for anything that is in that spot.”

“The repair is going to take only one day from everyone else’s point of view” evaluated Dhae. “And the distortion is very localized. Only a small part of our vessel will experience it.”

Everyone nodded.

“It is a good plan” said Nivarek. “We’ll plot a course immediately.”

“There is only a small hitch” said Commander Mir Durbus. “The epitaxial growth – the repair – has to be regularly monitored, and not only by a computer.”

“Are you going to request that one of you stays here, on our ship, learning our secrets, for forty days?” said Nivarek, brow furrowing. “I do not like it.”

“Sure, darling Lieutenant, I know you don’t,” retorted Mir Durbus, “but I am not going to request it. I am going to offer it. Refuse and let your black hole engine get fixed without supervision, if you wish. It is not the Redding that’s going to be gravitationally torn apart and devoured by its power source.”

Goodness me, everyone is so nice today, thought Iskander tiredly. The day had been filled with negotiations and tense discussions, all which came down to reminding each other that failure to collaborate meant dying of something in the Underspace.

“You underestimate – ” started Lieutenant Nivarek.

“The Denobulan Durbus is right” intervened Sublieutenant Dhae, taking no joy in the words. “The epitaxial growth needs to be monitored. I am going to be stay here in Main Engineering for these forty days while the repair is underway, but need the assistance of an engineer.”

“Well, a scientist does see reason!” exclaimed Mir Durbus. “I am going to – ”

“Not you, Commander. You are far too important for the Redding for you to leave it for one day unattended” cut in Dhae again. “I request that it is Lieutenant al-Kwaritzmi.”

Well, of fekkin’ course I’m the one who has to stay for forty days in this dark Main Engineering with a Romulan breathing down my neck, thought Iskander.

“Splendid”, he forced himself to say, and smiled.