"Professor." Tarul was at the next workstation, surrounded by holo-displays charting the progress of a dozen different experiments. "I am perturbed."
"By what?" T'Shal put the PADD down and turned towards her assistant.
"The queries we have received from the Madagascar. They are complete and comprehensive."
"That is only to be expected. It is correct procedure."
"I am unsure of that, Professor."
T'Shal quirked one eyebrow. Tarul was a useful assistant, a methodical researcher who could concentrate for hours on the most minute data elements... but he rarely spoke out of turn, contradicted, or criticised. "Specify your concerns," she said.
"Admiral M'eioi and her team have requested full details of all our current projects, and the hypothetical and theoretical work from which those projects originated. That is only to be expected, I know. But they have requested primary and secondary references, and details of the accreditation status of the journals and institutions involved."
"Accreditation status? That is unusual, I agree."
"It is as if they do not trust our data. I do not mean that they are testing our conclusions in the normal process of scientific inquiry. The steps they are taking -" Tarul paused. "It is possible that they suspect actual fraud in our research process."
T'Shal actually allowed herself to frown at that. "Academic fraud? For what possible reason?"
"I do not know, Professor. But it seems to me that their approach is - inherently adversarial. It is not a question of assessing and evaluating our findings. Admiral M'eioi and her team act as if they know already that we are incorrect, and are simply trying to prove it."
"But we are not incorrect. At least, so far as I am able to determine. This behaviour is puzzling."
Tarul hesitated. Then he said, "The problem may not lie with our particular set of research endeavours."
"Elucidate."
"Our work is presented to Admiral M'eioi's team in the context of the triaxial hypothesis. This is principally espoused by Professor Karabadian. It is conceivable that the Starfleet team has queries over his academic credentials."
"That is possible." T'Shal paused, considering. "But it seems insufficient. The project's data is presented as a whole. A consistent whole. To reject the triaxial hypothesis as spurious... would mean that our own work has been done on a faulty basis. We would know, if this were the case."
"Yes," said Tarul. "It is, then, possible that Starfleet thinks we do know, and are proceeding regardless."
"That would be a futile and illogical waste of effort." T'Shal stood. "I should consult with my peers concerning this. If they have reached similar conclusions to yours -"
She put her hand to her forehead. "I should consult," she repeated.
Tarul rose to his feet. "Professor? Are you well?"
"I am -" T'Shal blinked. "A sudden headache. Nothing more. Possibly a result of orthostatic hypotension - I may have been sitting for too long in the same position." She straightened her back, walked towards the door. "I will first consult with Academician Shemosh."
---
The Deltan smiled politely. "I understand," he said in soothing tones.
"There has been no formal accusation of misconduct," T'Shal said. "My assistant has formed the impression, though, that the Starfleet team harbours suspicions."
"It's a possibility," said Shemosh. His workspace was small, much smaller than T'Shal's lab, and very clean and tidy - almost spartan in appearance. He had switched off his workstation's display when T'Shal entered; she had no idea what he was currently working on. "Starfleet is not a pure research organization, not by any means. They're required to be alive to all sorts of possibilities."
"I am not a party to academic fraud," said T'Shal. "It would be illogical to be affronted by the suggestion, but I must concede that I find the idea unwelcome. Furthermore, I see no reason why Admiral M'eioi and her team should entertain such suspicions."
"It's not unusual, when you consider that we are privately sponsored by Mr. Vansittaert," said Shemosh. "It is hardly unheard of for privately funded research teams to... deliver what is expected of them, by their paymasters."
"That is illogical in itself. Mr. Vansittaert has made private facilities available which can facilitate our research, meaning that publicly funded resources - such as those of the Vulcan Science Academy, for example - can be devoted to other, no less worthy, ends. It would be illogical to refuse Mr. Vansittaert's assistance, once offered."
"Quite," said Shemosh.
"And it would be illogical on Mr. Vansittaert's part to reject correct findings merely because they do not accord with his preconceptions. True, he is human, and humans are given to illogic at times - but he is a highly successful human, and such success cannot be attained by an ill-disciplined mind."
"True," said Shemosh. "And I'm sure Admiral M'eioi will realize that, eventually. I wouldn't let it distract you, Professor."
"Nonetheless," said T'Shal, "questions have been raised, and must be answered. It is an inconvenience." She put her hand to her brow. "I will have to re-check and re-confirm many of my initial postulates."
Shemosh shook his head. "That's an unnecessary waste of your time, surely," he said. "Starfleet has all your basic data, all your interim research papers. Let them do the re-checks for you. It's their job, after all. Don't let them distract you from the real work that needs to be done."
"Perhaps you are right," said T'Shal. "I will consider the matter in depth." She rose, abruptly, to her feet. "Thank you for your time, Academician Shemosh."
"My pleasure, Professor. Please don't hesitate to call me if there's anything else I can help you with."
Shemosh watched as T'Shal left. When the door shut behind her, a faint frown appeared on his hairless brow. He touched a control on his desktop, and white noise suddenly flooded the air. He waited a moment for the sonic field to establish itself, then he keyed a sequence into the intercom.
"Vansittaert," a voice answered promptly.
"T'Shal was here," Shemosh said shortly. "She's perturbed by some of Starfleet's questions. She's thinking of reassessing her basic research."
The human's voice sounded anxious. "I hope you've dissuaded her!"
"I've tried. And I will go to see Karabadian now, and get some help from that quarter. But T'Shal has a highly trained mind - and Starfleet, damn them, seem to be asking the right questions."
"Stall them. We have to stall them. We're so close."
"I know. I hope we'll be able to complete in time." Shemosh sighed. "One way or another, it looks like they're going to find out the truth."
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