Page 156 - The Chronicles Ser2 (6-10)

“Why not; let’s see if they have something I’ve heard about, “Pancakes and syrup” I think it’s called”
He said in response. They left the Lab and headed to the Mess hall; they ran into young Coms Tech
Michael Faraday who was also heading to the Mess Hall for a snack.

“Trok has got me running errands forward and back. This is the first time I’ve had a moment to
myself to go over my notes on the Kryst Probe Sound signals. The Mess is the quietest place on the
ship around this time and I need to concentrate. I find that nothing helps me concentrate better
than eating a plate of Hasperat Rigona with Lava Bread” he said, as if he needed to explain his
presence.

“Do you have a copy of that recording I might have? I’ve heard about these signals and I wonder if
they bear any relation to their language structure. Jennifer and I are at a standstill at the moment. If
nothing else it would prove a welcome distraction.” Hubris asked the young man. Michael ran off a
copy to a data crystal and handed it over. He parted company and headed to the quietest booth to
order. Jennifer and Hubris found another booth and called up the Mess menu archive.

“AHA!” exclaimed Hubris “Pancakes and Syrup. I’ll have a large serving if you please” he continued
smiling broadly. Jennifer ordered the same and two glasses of “Mint Tea”.

“I don’t think the recipe for the Mint Tea is authentic, but I’m feeling adventurous, so why not” she
said when Hubris quizzed her choice. A service droid brought their order and placed the platters in
front of them. The syrup was served in two small decanters and their drinks in tall slender vase like
receptacles. A knife, fork and desert spoon was then
placed beside the platters and the droid left. Jennifer
poured the syrup over her portion, Hubris followed suit.
Taking the knife she sliced into the stack of pancakes and
took up a piece with her fork and put it onto the spoon
with some of the syrup. Together they both placed
portions in their mouths. Hubris was surprised by their
taste; he had expected sweetness, but not the light
velvety texture of the pancakes.

“Oh! This is definitely what I’d call Comfort Food” he
crooned and they both ate greedily.

Tom and T’luha were examining Trok’s spare power unit; T’luha was intrigued by the design.

“You mean to tell me that Trok alone came up with this design modification himself! Incredible!” she
exclaimed “The design is so intricate and exceptionally well executed. I have not seen work this fine
since I studied under the Unat Engineer Tal Maghra before he left for the World Ship!”

“You studied under Maghra! I’m impressed. He doesn’t just take anyone as a student. T’luha I bow to
your superior prowess” Tom said making an overly flourishing bow.

“Stop that! Have you made any progress with the cylinder?” she asked

“There is what looks like a seam at the end where the crescent symbol is. Detail scans indicate a fine
knurled ring around the edge with three equidistant gaps in the knurling, so it could possibly
unscrew, but other than that, no” he replied. He retrieved the scan data and displayed them on the
main viewer. At the magnification the scans were taken it was still not that easy to make out that the
cylinder could open. “We have identified the alloy that the cylinder is made of; it’s got magnesium as
a base, with traces of copper and aluminium. And you were right about the covering, though it looks
like cubic zirconium or enamel it’s not. We found ancient references to something similar from
twentieth century documents; it’s a form of synthetic resin called Epoxy, but this seems to have