The Engine Room

Posted on Fri Jun 19th, 2020 @ 8:39am by Civilian Resident Judah Capek (NPC) & Second Mate Colleen Branagan & MERCHANT RANKS N'Tach Oro-korinko (NPC)

1,412 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Proving Ground
Location: Engineering- Second Star
Timeline: 2 days Pre-Launch

-Start-

{Fala's office}

Fala wanted to spit as she read it.

If I wanted to see combat I'd a joined a military. Pay out my contract if you expect me to walk away silently.

-Chris Callahan


The notion of payout enraged her sensibilities, to pay out for a contract but not receive the work was a double loss. Her budget was already managed by the slimmest margins, this first run would be crucial to their operating budgets. Every member of the Second Star Transport line had invested their whole net worth and still they scraped for copper.

Fala stood, her rage giving her sweats all over and she needed to move. Kas wasn't on the bridge, but Quinton was. She clucked her tongue in frustration. Kas was easier to deal with, she didn't ask so many questions.

"Quinton!"

He grimaced at the name being said in her usual screech, "Holy.. Yes Fala?!"

"Christopher Callahan has resigned. We cannot afford to replace him, we will need to meet later as to why but we cannot be delayed."

Quinton saw the meaning in her eyes when she said they'd discuss it later. Just like he trusted Kas in things outside his kin, he trusted Fala as well.

"Did he say why?"

Fala sighed internally, "It was the combat in Engineering, he was not pleased to have such a thing happen in his department."

He looked exasperated, "Well, can he come back, what if we offer-"

Fala cut him off again with a clucking tongue and stern voice, "No. We are not offering him a damn thing for breaking contract."

"You just said it, we can't replace him or launch without an engineer so..."

"Launch is in two days, without a Chief Engineer. Perhaps our rent free resident Klingon can stop drinking his way to the bottom of a barrel each night, just a thought."

Quinton swallowed, N'tach had been a problem lately. He had also saved them before, was the reason the ship ran so well now, and had proven loyalty to them over Starfleet. Fala was right, but they had to make sure he was up to the task.

"The most qualified on board would be... Akio, Judah, Colleen. I'll have them meet N'tach and assemble the team, put the pieces together in time for us to get out of the Starbase without them noticing all we are up to."

Fala nodded, "Fine, make sure Colleen double checks all the work. Have we had any more troubles out of N'tach?"

"Well, it's hardly been a day, but he was on time for the shift meeting this morning. Seems he is able to work, I think its leisure which kills him."

Fala understood, she agreed as well. A man needed work sometimes, they got sloppy and ill with nothing to do.

"Agreed then, N'tach will oversee the department, with QA from Sciences to ensure system efficiency. I'll redraw the ship command path." With little else to say she simply turned and walked back the rear of the bridge, and her office lounge.

***

{Engineering}

N'tach felt a grim satisfaction. Chris had resented him, and now Chris was gone. The short call from Fala had been to the point, and he apparently started immediately. The engineering department was in shambles so this also meant the end of his vacation period though he appreciated that. His life in Starfleet had not served his purpose, and this post had seen nothing beyond a paycheck for his time. He expected to make a decision as to where he was going next soon, but for now this would occupy his attention.

This ship was a mess, and after the melee, there was so much to fix. Many crew still recovered from the fight, mostly superficial injuries and they'd be back by a day or two. Half the time he lacked the tool and had to innovate a solution or rig a workaround. This was not the work he envisioned doing in his older age, thankless and for no accolade.

"Judah, can you resolve now?"

Fixing the holoemitters had taken all of his time up to now but having Judah back made the repairs go faster. The rangers had shot them out of the ceiling when Judah had proven formidable. Now, for whatever reason, he couldn't get the resolution to allow for a confinement field.

"Negative, annular confinement fails in proximity due to Beta radiation sources generated from ... I think open EPS sources."

N'tach pounded the panel under his fist, they had to repair the ship to get the hologram to help them repair the ship. He would fail in his first mission if the ship delayed its launch! Frustrated, he had to ask himself, What must I do then?!

Branagan, still figuring out where she fit into things, swung into the engine room and looked around. Things were a bit of a mess. "Hello?" she called out. "Looking for the boss down here. Anyone home?" She began to pick her way through the scattered pieces of what appeared to be battle debris. What in the galaxy had happened down here? She leaned down and picked up a tool lying on the floor, frowning. Obviously, something was seriously wrong ... or had been.

N'tach tinkered, but this was all broken beyond tinkering. He looked at her in disbelief, "I have been given all of this to make ready in fifty two hours. And I cannot even make a hologram resolve into focus. With four fully functioning emitters." The only other engineer had learned to stay away from N'tach to avoid being given orders and was nowhere to be seen. The others were off duty or recovering in medical. N'tach was in over his head and too proud to ask for help.

Cheerfully, Branagan said, "Good thing I came down, then! I'm here to help. Normally, I'm a scientist, but that gives me some good engineering skills, too. Since you're in charge here, point me at the most critical problem you can pass off, and set me to work."

She laid the tool she'd picked up carefully in a rack where it seemed to fit and came closer to the Klingon. He wasn't as formidable as some she'd worked around, but he was still large. Nevertheless, his clothing bore the same smudges and burns she was used to seeing on Starfleet engineers, so she felt quite at home in his company.

N'tach didn't want to scare another one off. Though an immediate list of tasks came to mind, strategy more than anything forced him to choose. She was a cheerful Starfleet type, that was good, he didn't have to explain as much.

"I am N'tach, the master of engines, no... I do not know my rank now, but Chief Engineer will suffice."

"ChEng N'tach, it is, then," Branagan agreed. "My engineering strengths lie in computers, structural integrity and damage control, but I can do anything, especially if it comes with a manual. Put me to work, ChEng! And, uh, point me toward some tools, maybe?"

Her cheerfulness clashed with the Klingon word, or maybe it was just his opinion given his foul mood. Starfleet had exhausted him emotionally, trying to curtail his habits and mannerisms to accommodate their frailties. But Colleen awoke a different result.

Contagious ebullience was not always so bad, he nodded once, before speaking to her,"To hear Klingon from such as you does my heart well. Thank you for your help."

He pulled a crate around him into the center of the floor. Many lengths of long tools poked out akimbo. They were supposed to be stored along the walls in their slots, now many of them had red/brown coloring. A simple glance would confirm that it was blood, many of these tools had been used for melee. "I'd be delighted for your help, use these, sanitize them first, and focus on signal leaks from the EPS taps. If we can restore the Holosystems we can have Judah assist, and they are interfering with his projection."

"Aye, Aye, Sir!" Branagan grabbed the end of the crate and began to pull it toward the sanitizing station. She was pretty sure it was blood, not rust or paint or some other substance, on the tools, and she'd definitely want them sanitized before she used them ... and maybe herself, too, but that wasn't happening.

by:

Second Mate Colleen Branagan - Science

Chief Engineer N'tach- Engines

 

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