Oliver and Tanya
"There's something I don't understand," Oliver said.
"What's that?" asked Tanya.
"If no one makes teleporter amplifiers because it's so sensitive, how do you know how to make them?"
Tanya stared at him, then she grinned - the first one he had seen from her in a long time.
"When the colony ship crashed, we downloaded the files," she explained. "The teleportation amplifier was included in one of the files. There was an attempt to make one when I was still training, but it ended badly. Very badly."
"Oh. What makes it so delicate?"
Tanya paused, considering her words.
"It's both a physical and telepathic device. The physical side of it must be completed and as perfect as perfect can be before I even consider touching it. You see, a teleporter teleports by thinking about it, so they have to be able to use the amplifier with their mind. That's why telepathy is involved - because that's the only way that a teleporter can connect."
Tanya sighed.
"It gets worse. Like all machinery, they need maintainence. Regular maintainence. Everytime you do something physically on it, it needs to be recalibrated telepathically."
"So, is that why you have all the telepaths here?"
"Yes. We can't afford for me to be the only one who knows how to do it," Tanya answered. "And besides, considering the delicacy, it's important to have a team - more likely to notice problems before they occur."
Oliver nodded.