Reed keyed his communicator. "Bridge to engineering."
"Go, big guy.", Jeffy responded briskly.
"What have you discovered regarding the hyper drives?"
"Well, Ensign Hibbard says that the math suggests we probably created some type of time warp", Jeffy said sarcastically, "but a couple other guys are kicking around the idea that we are all just caught
in one of those hypnotically induced dream sequences you're always hearing about.", he added more confidently.
Reed shook his head miserably. "Judging by the read outs we're getting, I think we can discount the mass hypnosis theory, Mr. Jeffy."
"Er...yeah", Jeffy stammered, "that's what I thought, too."
"The question now", Reed continued, "is whether we can duplicate it."
"Fat chance of that.", Jeffy chuckled.
"And why is that?", Reed asked ominously.
"Because we fried the Mercurion cubes when the Origami drive activated.", the engineering officer replied, "We don't have the juice for another run."
"Are you telling me that there are no surplus fuel cells for the Origami Drive?", Reed demanded incredulously.
"That's right , pal.", Jeffy affirmed, "We weren't supposed to use the thing in the first place."
"What about alternate fuel sources?", Reed queried hopefully.
"Negative.", Jeffy replied, "The Origami system isn't compatible with any of the others."
"Is there a chance we could locate some within this star system?", the commander asked as his options dwindled before his eyes.
There was a pause before Mr. Jeffy made any remark. "Earth had a substantial amount of Mercurion before the turn of the twentieth century", Jeffy suggested, "but it's most of it was mined for its
use in the medical sciences, while the remaining portions were contaminated by the extraction of oil from beneath the planet's crust."
"How much of this substance to you require to get the Origami Drive operational?", Reed asked thoughtfully.
"Gee, big guy", Jeffy muttered, calculating in his head, "at least two metric tons of it."
Reed was stunned momentarily. "Why so much?"
"Well pal", Jeffy explained, "mined Mercurion is pretty unrefined. I'm going to have to break it down and recombine it."
Reed turned to his science officer. "Mr. Schultz, see if you can get a reading on any Mercurion of that size on or near the planet's surface."
Schultz was already in the process. His computer screen flashed chaotically as the information he'd requested returned. "I've found a substantial amount in the western portion of the North American
Continent.", Schultz reported. "It's just below the surface, but we won't be able to get to it with our energizers.", he advised the commander, "It's geological make up is too unstable.
Somebody is going to have to go down there and get it."
Reed considered this for a moment.
"Sir, there might be another problem.", Schultz announced.
"What kind of problem, Mr. Schultz?"
The science officer turned to regard Reed curiously. "The Mercurion sample I spoke of before", he uttered calmly, "is beneath an area that seems to be inhabited."
"So your saying its a populated area?"
"Not exactly, sir", Schultz replied, "it seems to be more of a...", he searched for the right word, "...a community."
That caused something of a dilemma for the commander. "Are there any other deposits that we could utilize?"
"None of that size.", Schultz replied apologetically.
Reed turned to Proteau. "Assemble an away team.", he said, "Take Stauch and Broski with you, they could come in handy."
He looked at Schrader. "We need a pilot."
Schrader smiled, nodding. "No problem, sir. I'm yer man."
Proteau spoke up for the first time in two episodes. "Excuse me sir, but who is going to be in command of this expedition?"
Reed looked at the security officer and smiled. "I am."
