It's early evening, not long after the dinner rush at the Galley, when the Interim CMO shows up for her evening shift. As usual, despite her office work, the door is left slightly ajar — Grace likes to try to encourage her staff to come speak with her, whenever it's necessary.
Tonight, there's been a request given to those working out front in Sickbay — that Doctor Kildren, when she arrives, should come have a word with her. The orderlies are curious — a meeting? is there trouble? — but dutifully pass the request on, once Rachel arrives.
Rachel doesn't seem to be bothered by the request at all, though she does pause a moment to go retrieve a file from her cabinet before making her way to the CMO's office. On entry she salutes, her feet coming together, "Doctor. You asked to see me."
Clackaclackaclacka. Grace, despite all her years of practice at a keyboard, still hunts-and-pecks with the best of them. She looks up as the door opens, her fingers continuing for a few strokes before stilling. "Miss Rachel. Please, come in and have you a seat." She rises smoothly to her feet, offering the salute back, then gestures to one of the chairs in front of her desk. "That I did. You left me a note saying you've made some progress in your research. What good words do you have for me today?" She crosses easily to the office door, shutting it behind Rachel once she's moved further inside.
Rachel slides her file across the desk so that Grce can peruse it, "Well, the radiation from Parnassus oesn't appear to have any long term effects on human physiology, save perhaps with particularly long exposure. That is the good news."
Grace settles back at her desk and reaches for the file, opening it with long, slim fingers. She glances from the papers within, flipping them with a dry and raspy sound between glances up at Rachel. "Hain't nothing unexpected there," she agrees with a nod, when the other woman speaks of the hazards of long-term exposure. "There's at least one small blessing in all this. Not nuclear in origin, though? How's this possible? What possible source could there be, then?"
"Not something I could tell you based on readings all done after the fact. I /can/ tell you that it does affect silicon compounds, which is why prolonged exposure could haev some effects on humans. Even then, well it's minimal since most silicon molecules in the body are foreign in origin," Rachel answers, leaning forward, her head shaking, some strands of her dark hair falling in front of her face, escaping her poytail.
"Silicon compounds? That's…" Grace's head cants just slightly, ink-black brows furrowing. "That's passing strange. Passing mighty strange. You're certain of these results, of course." She doesn't sound like she mistrusts the doctor — it sounds more like she's eager for a reassurance. Odd news, and all. "And with Parnassus Anchorage lost to us, hain't no way to research further. Is there more, Miss Rachel?" As if one chunk of weirdness isn't enough.
"Ran the tests three times, so I'm fairly confident, and no, nothign else," Rachel answers, shaking her head again, her hands held together in front of her, elbows on her knees, "And frankly, I''m not even sure where to go with it next."
"Neither am I, I must confess. Neither am I." Grace flips back and forth between a couple pages of the report, eyes restless over the words, before she pointedly closes the folder and leaves it on her desk. "I'll give this another look once I've got shift paperwork sorted out, and maybe some idea will come to me then. If we could reproduce the effect and see if it's solely silicon compounds that it reacts to, that'd be mighty useful, but without the Anchorage as a source of that radiation…" She shrugs helplessly. Not so possible. "I'll come up with something for you."
"Well, I'll be waiting for it when you send it," Rachel answers, nodding her head. she shifts in her seat, moving the edge, lmost about to rise, thinking she is dismised.
"I do appreciate it. Thank you, Doctor." A touch more formality, there, than her usual 'Miss Rachel' — perhaps as a show of respect. "There were a terrible number of secrets in that Anchorage. I hope this will help solve at least one of them." She again pushes gracefully up to her feet and crosses to the door, opening it smoothly for the other woman. "Have you a good night. I'll be in touch with you regarding this as soon as I'm able."