When he became aware of the buzzing sound, Saem realized he'd dozed off in the lab. He opened his eyes and raised his head, sighing as his painful neck straightened from the awkward position he was sleeping in. His eyes focused and he realized that the laser scanner finished analyzing a large metallic piece of bulkhead, and the screen next to it was blinking with the results. He stood up and knocked over a steel coffee mug, which clanked loudly as it fell on the ceramic-composite floor.
- "Friggin cups," muttered Saem, "always banging... Damn Deep, not like they can't afford a carpet or something..."
He giggled on the thought of a carpet, remembering how many times a day volatile chemicals get spilled on the floor, chemicals which would eat away and/or burn the carpet within nanoseconds. It would be worth it, though - it would drive the ship's maintenance crew crazy. Not like they needed much of that, they were already pretty unstable, he thought. He tapped the screen, bringing up the scan analysis.
- "Composite alloys, ablative layers, ceramic coating... What the... Bacteria? Hm..." He touched his beard, as he always did when things he was working on got interesting.
Laboratory door opened with a loud hiss sound, making Saem shake for a moment by the unexpected noise. He didn't turn around to see who it was, but judging by the sound the interloper's shoes made, it must have been his boss, Elena.
(to be continued)
