Zedd and P
Nov. 1st, 2005 01:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gone_byebyeAs Ray closed the door behind him, P and Zedd exchanged glances. "Well?" said Zedd.
P stood a little straighter, both arms behind his back. "Sir, I've been serving with this organization for the last six years, and I have to admit- I have no idea what to do."
Zedd sighed. "That makes two of us," he admitted. "You know, you drill and drill and drill for every kind of dimensional irregularity and possible incursion, up to and including mirror universe infiltration, but it never really prepares you for a situation like this."
"If you ask me, sir, we ought to isolate him-"
"Not flash him?"
"I wish, sir." P shook his head. "We're short on manpower right now. After what happened with the Terblincks and Mauna Kea-"
"Don't remind me." Zedd grimaced. "We're just lucky they were as good as their word and got the flow diverted. I was not looking forward to getting a city's worth of weregild out of them."
"None of us were, sir," said P quietly. "The 'gild on X, F, and Kappa was bad enough."
There was a moment of silence. There was always a moment of silence.
"You're right, though," Zedd said. "The situation's bad enough without locking down someone who's a functional equivalent to at least half of what Rho did."
"Frankly, sir, this Stantz guy's way more than that. You saw the dimensional work he's been doing."
Zedd glanced down at his desk and picked up one of the papers. "You really think he can fix a portal disjointure problem it took an entire team of Pilantroids half a year to stabilize?"
"He built a portal, sir," said P. "With one collaborator- a human collaborator, I might add- and a single textbook. And that containment field of his-"
"Mostly the local doppelganger of Spengler's work-"
"Doesn't matter, sir. He knows how to do it. That kind of d-physics is outside even Rho's capability. I say we isolate him and have him take a stab at doing real design work as long as he's here. If it works out- fine. If it doesn't- flash him and drop him on Spengler's doorstep."
Zedd nodded. "Fine," he said. "But there's one other thing you're forgetting."
"Field work," said P with a slight grimace. "I know. We still can't-"
"Actually, I think we can. Anybody who can think on his feet fast enough to whack off a battleprince's primary grappling arm's got a lot going for him. Especially if he's really done the kind of snatch-and-grab you say he says he's been doing for the past two years."
P blinked. "Oh, hell no-"
"Hell yes," Zedd returned with a slight smile. "Go on. Get him and Sleeb down to Reverse Engineering. Have Sleeb show him the ropes-"
"Sir, there is no way I’m gonna take an unclassified, untested newbie-"
"He's only a newbie in terms of the details. He knows the work. Get Sleeb to walk him through the designware and have him start in on the d-portal and containment field work. When he's done, I want to see you and him at the practice range. And I want you two ready for business." Zedd sat back, satisfied.
"With all due respect, sir, up yours."
"Yeah, like I haven't heard that before. Chop chop, P."
P stood a little straighter, both arms behind his back. "Sir, I've been serving with this organization for the last six years, and I have to admit- I have no idea what to do."
Zedd sighed. "That makes two of us," he admitted. "You know, you drill and drill and drill for every kind of dimensional irregularity and possible incursion, up to and including mirror universe infiltration, but it never really prepares you for a situation like this."
"If you ask me, sir, we ought to isolate him-"
"Not flash him?"
"I wish, sir." P shook his head. "We're short on manpower right now. After what happened with the Terblincks and Mauna Kea-"
"Don't remind me." Zedd grimaced. "We're just lucky they were as good as their word and got the flow diverted. I was not looking forward to getting a city's worth of weregild out of them."
"None of us were, sir," said P quietly. "The 'gild on X, F, and Kappa was bad enough."
There was a moment of silence. There was always a moment of silence.
"You're right, though," Zedd said. "The situation's bad enough without locking down someone who's a functional equivalent to at least half of what Rho did."
"Frankly, sir, this Stantz guy's way more than that. You saw the dimensional work he's been doing."
Zedd glanced down at his desk and picked up one of the papers. "You really think he can fix a portal disjointure problem it took an entire team of Pilantroids half a year to stabilize?"
"He built a portal, sir," said P. "With one collaborator- a human collaborator, I might add- and a single textbook. And that containment field of his-"
"Mostly the local doppelganger of Spengler's work-"
"Doesn't matter, sir. He knows how to do it. That kind of d-physics is outside even Rho's capability. I say we isolate him and have him take a stab at doing real design work as long as he's here. If it works out- fine. If it doesn't- flash him and drop him on Spengler's doorstep."
Zedd nodded. "Fine," he said. "But there's one other thing you're forgetting."
"Field work," said P with a slight grimace. "I know. We still can't-"
"Actually, I think we can. Anybody who can think on his feet fast enough to whack off a battleprince's primary grappling arm's got a lot going for him. Especially if he's really done the kind of snatch-and-grab you say he says he's been doing for the past two years."
P blinked. "Oh, hell no-"
"Hell yes," Zedd returned with a slight smile. "Go on. Get him and Sleeb down to Reverse Engineering. Have Sleeb show him the ropes-"
"Sir, there is no way I’m gonna take an unclassified, untested newbie-"
"He's only a newbie in terms of the details. He knows the work. Get Sleeb to walk him through the designware and have him start in on the d-portal and containment field work. When he's done, I want to see you and him at the practice range. And I want you two ready for business." Zedd sat back, satisfied.
"With all due respect, sir, up yours."
"Yeah, like I haven't heard that before. Chop chop, P."
