Dread Lady Nathicana
20-10-2003, 06:18
Lorenzo Vettori sat in his small office, his desk and file cabinets cluttered with papers. He had file boxes with more research stacked behind him, books containing information and theories and ideas on shelves, holding down loose pages, and in one case, leveling out the leg on his hand-me-down desk.
Typing furiously, his eyes alight with the dedicated fervor of one wholely devoted to a belief, he composed a proposal to Minister Leandro Pacci, head of Dominion Science.
He's always been one open to new ideas himself. I know he'll see the worth. I can't believe we've missed this for so long.
Printing took longer than he'd have liked, and he drummed his fingers on the battered desk in anticipation. All these years, all the ridicule for his sometimes outlandish ideas, would be validated, of this he was certain.
When all is said and done, it will all have been worth it.
He scanned over the contents, page by page, once more assuring himself that all was as he wished, signing his name in a bold, flowing script to the last, and sliding them all into a plastic protective binder. In his haste, he didn't even bother to straighten his rather disheveled appearance making his way quickly through the halls and up the stairs to Pacci's office.
The efficient-looking secretary there brought him to a halt, asking his business, then nodding as she put through a polite page to the Minister.
"He'll see you," she older woman said with a smile, nodding in the direction of the door, then going back to her filing.
Lorenzo wiped his nervous hands against his courderoy slacks before reaching for the doorknob, turning it slowly, and peering into the room as he opened the door.
The office he hesitantly stepped into was, in a word, comfortable. He noticed that the usual certificates of achievement were absent, replaced instead with various dug 'artifacts', cultural knicknaks, and memorabilia from Pacci's many travels over the years. The desk had many documents laid here and there atop it, though there seemed to be a quiet sort of order to the chaos. The picture of an older yet sill quite pretty woman sat on one corner of the desk in an obvious place of honor, the surrounding space uncluttered, and clear from any items that would block the view of the man behind the desk.
Sitting forward and putting his current reading aside, Pacci smiled pleasantly, gesturing to one of the two comfortable chairs set before his desk.
"Ah, Enzo! It's been ages since I've heard anything from you. What has that mind of yours cooked up this time?" He'd seen these odd proposals before, and as usual, he planned on nodding, smiling, letting the eccentric scientist have his time, then sending him back to occupy himself with further reasearching.
"Ministro Pacci," the younger man said, swiftly stepping forward and taking a seat, his proposal gripped tightly in his hands. "I ... I believe I have something here that could revolutionize communications and data transfer as we know it."
Pacci arched a brow, holding out a hand expectantly. Lorenzo blinked, then handed him the documents, biting his lower lip.
"Talk to me, Enzo. Just what is it you think you have?" Pacci adjusted his round glasses, opening to the first page and scanning as Vettori began to speak.
"What is the fastest one can get information from one point to another?" he asked, his eyes bright, then promptly answered himself. "Instantaneous transference. Now, before you dismiss out of hand, read on, and I'll attempt to explain."
"Quantum entanglement, Leandro. Look there at the summary in paragraph three. It's what Einstein called 'spooky interaction'. Look, given the funding and the equipment, I can do this, I know it. See there, the computations on page two," he said excitedly. "Photons, Ministro. In theory we can take them apart and recreate them elsewhere, carrying an encrypted message. Think of the possibilities. Of course this gets into other possible areas, but for now, focus on the flow of information that would be possible at instantaneous, wireless data transfer."
Pacci's brow furrowed, glancing up on occasion to look at Lorenzo, then going back to his reading, swiftly assimilating the information and this time, actually paying close attention.
"You've been working on this for some time, haven't you?" he asked quietly, nodding at a particular thought outlined in the proposal.
"Quite. Schrödinger was onto something with his realization that such an entangled state could be used to steer a distant particle into one of a set of states with a certain probability. He just didn't take it far enough. Quantum communication channels. And virtually unbreakable because even if intercepted the message would be unintelligible unless it was intended for a specific recipient. Think of the benefits to our intel network there. And the improvement in communication and computer speeds ... good God, it boggles the mind."
Nodding quietly, Pacci continued to peruse the document, holding up a hand as Lorenzo attempted to speak again. "How many others know about this, Enzo?" he asked quietly, finally lowering the document and fixint the younger man with an intent gaze.
"Well ... no one, really. You know they all think me off my rocker. I've been working alone on this for the past couple years, though the theory has always intrigued me." He looked over at Pacci, nervous once again, and showing it. "Why?"
Pacci nodded curtly, picking up his phone. "Sergio Esini? Yes. Minister Leandro Pacci. The entire contents of office two-eleven? I want them boxed immediately, security code cappa five alpha, on my authority. Have them delivered to hangar twelve with a strict security detail. Keep me updated on progress."
Throughout the brief conversation, Lorenzo's eyes widened further. His mouth felt suddenly dry and he gripped the arms of his chair tightly.
"Oh, and Esini, send a couple of your boys up to my office. I have someone that needs escorting." He finished, hanging up the phone and smiling.
"I hope you're up for a trip, Enzo. You're heading to Zelgado."
(ooc: Intro to some tech experimentation, research and the like. Will be posting progress as we come along.)
Typing furiously, his eyes alight with the dedicated fervor of one wholely devoted to a belief, he composed a proposal to Minister Leandro Pacci, head of Dominion Science.
He's always been one open to new ideas himself. I know he'll see the worth. I can't believe we've missed this for so long.
Printing took longer than he'd have liked, and he drummed his fingers on the battered desk in anticipation. All these years, all the ridicule for his sometimes outlandish ideas, would be validated, of this he was certain.
When all is said and done, it will all have been worth it.
He scanned over the contents, page by page, once more assuring himself that all was as he wished, signing his name in a bold, flowing script to the last, and sliding them all into a plastic protective binder. In his haste, he didn't even bother to straighten his rather disheveled appearance making his way quickly through the halls and up the stairs to Pacci's office.
The efficient-looking secretary there brought him to a halt, asking his business, then nodding as she put through a polite page to the Minister.
"He'll see you," she older woman said with a smile, nodding in the direction of the door, then going back to her filing.
Lorenzo wiped his nervous hands against his courderoy slacks before reaching for the doorknob, turning it slowly, and peering into the room as he opened the door.
The office he hesitantly stepped into was, in a word, comfortable. He noticed that the usual certificates of achievement were absent, replaced instead with various dug 'artifacts', cultural knicknaks, and memorabilia from Pacci's many travels over the years. The desk had many documents laid here and there atop it, though there seemed to be a quiet sort of order to the chaos. The picture of an older yet sill quite pretty woman sat on one corner of the desk in an obvious place of honor, the surrounding space uncluttered, and clear from any items that would block the view of the man behind the desk.
Sitting forward and putting his current reading aside, Pacci smiled pleasantly, gesturing to one of the two comfortable chairs set before his desk.
"Ah, Enzo! It's been ages since I've heard anything from you. What has that mind of yours cooked up this time?" He'd seen these odd proposals before, and as usual, he planned on nodding, smiling, letting the eccentric scientist have his time, then sending him back to occupy himself with further reasearching.
"Ministro Pacci," the younger man said, swiftly stepping forward and taking a seat, his proposal gripped tightly in his hands. "I ... I believe I have something here that could revolutionize communications and data transfer as we know it."
Pacci arched a brow, holding out a hand expectantly. Lorenzo blinked, then handed him the documents, biting his lower lip.
"Talk to me, Enzo. Just what is it you think you have?" Pacci adjusted his round glasses, opening to the first page and scanning as Vettori began to speak.
"What is the fastest one can get information from one point to another?" he asked, his eyes bright, then promptly answered himself. "Instantaneous transference. Now, before you dismiss out of hand, read on, and I'll attempt to explain."
"Quantum entanglement, Leandro. Look there at the summary in paragraph three. It's what Einstein called 'spooky interaction'. Look, given the funding and the equipment, I can do this, I know it. See there, the computations on page two," he said excitedly. "Photons, Ministro. In theory we can take them apart and recreate them elsewhere, carrying an encrypted message. Think of the possibilities. Of course this gets into other possible areas, but for now, focus on the flow of information that would be possible at instantaneous, wireless data transfer."
Pacci's brow furrowed, glancing up on occasion to look at Lorenzo, then going back to his reading, swiftly assimilating the information and this time, actually paying close attention.
"You've been working on this for some time, haven't you?" he asked quietly, nodding at a particular thought outlined in the proposal.
"Quite. Schrödinger was onto something with his realization that such an entangled state could be used to steer a distant particle into one of a set of states with a certain probability. He just didn't take it far enough. Quantum communication channels. And virtually unbreakable because even if intercepted the message would be unintelligible unless it was intended for a specific recipient. Think of the benefits to our intel network there. And the improvement in communication and computer speeds ... good God, it boggles the mind."
Nodding quietly, Pacci continued to peruse the document, holding up a hand as Lorenzo attempted to speak again. "How many others know about this, Enzo?" he asked quietly, finally lowering the document and fixint the younger man with an intent gaze.
"Well ... no one, really. You know they all think me off my rocker. I've been working alone on this for the past couple years, though the theory has always intrigued me." He looked over at Pacci, nervous once again, and showing it. "Why?"
Pacci nodded curtly, picking up his phone. "Sergio Esini? Yes. Minister Leandro Pacci. The entire contents of office two-eleven? I want them boxed immediately, security code cappa five alpha, on my authority. Have them delivered to hangar twelve with a strict security detail. Keep me updated on progress."
Throughout the brief conversation, Lorenzo's eyes widened further. His mouth felt suddenly dry and he gripped the arms of his chair tightly.
"Oh, and Esini, send a couple of your boys up to my office. I have someone that needs escorting." He finished, hanging up the phone and smiling.
"I hope you're up for a trip, Enzo. You're heading to Zelgado."
(ooc: Intro to some tech experimentation, research and the like. Will be posting progress as we come along.)