Subject: Grail - The Great Brightness' - `Lab Report'

<<Stardate: 47307.29- 15:13>>

<<Stellar Cartography>>

François sat back in his chair while Hillary Singh checked the data

again. He was pooped. It had been a long shift the night before and he

had worked like a demented today. The doors to the Stellar

Cartography lab opened and Alison Donucci walked in.

François and Alison hadn't spoken much since the brig

incident, keeping their conversation strictly professional and

saying as little as possible. It had been a cold ten days.

"So what have you got?" she asked as much François as Hillary.

The latter was the one to respond.

"Here Lieutenant," she said, pointing to the viewscreen, "now

that we are closer to the Great Brightness, our sensors have been

able to pick up more information and also a possible way through.

If we navigate the gravitational borders in this manner we could

get up to the last star. However, this last one blocks any exit using

the borders, but with a well calculated trajectory, we could use it's

own gravitational pull to get us around it and out of the Great

Brightness."

Donucci frowned, "This is definately good news, but the data

from the sensors is still unreliable because of the interference."

François cut in, "That's right, but hopefully we'll be able to

confirm this route with the information from the probe we will be

lauching tonight. We'll know where to look."

Taking a moment to take in all the information Alison tries to gather

her thoughts to make sure nothing is overlooked, then turns to François

and states.

"Lieutenant DeMontigny I would like to know what effects the immense

gravitational pull will have on the integrity of the ships structure."

Pausing to complete her thoughts, "You should coordinate this with

engineering."

"With all this radiation do you know if the shields will protect

the ship and the crew?" asks Alison. "Exactly how much time

will we be saving by taking this route.?" Staring strait at François

searching for any signs of the smugness in her subordinate that could

cause concern for her.

François grinned at his superior, obviously enjoying knowing more than

she did on the situation. "All in all, we will be saving almost of month

of travelling. As for the radiation, I suspect we will have to keep the

shields at maximum during the whole time, but I still have to verify

this with Science and Engineering. I'll have a report ready for our

meeting with the captain tomorrow at 0900 hours."

"I'd like a chance to familiarize myself with what you come up with

before the meeting." Alison requests, not wanting to be embarrassed by

any blunders in François work. "Please make sure you double check your

facts lieutenant."

DeMontigny put on a hurt expression. "Chef, you wound me. After all, I

am the best helmsman on the ship. If I made mistakes, who knows where

we'd be!" He smiled as he left the lab with his usual smile on his face.

Joint post by

Lt. Alison Donucci

Lt(jg) François DeMontigny