Checking In With the Chief

Posted on 22 Sep 2012 @ 3:50am by Lieutenant Lilou Zaren & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn

2,276 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, Sickbay
Timeline: MD08 - 1020 hrs

Lilou was running on fumes; a near constant supply of heavily caffeinated tea was keeping her eyes open and her motor functions running, but it was a close thing. While her body's energy might have been flagging, her mind had been sharpened by the events of the day; she felt the impulse of adrenaline, hyper alert and exacting about every detail. It helped, considering the work she was doing. Organizing repairs on one hand and performing them on the other gave her plenty of opportunities to avoid thinking about... well. Everything else.

Not everything else, she corrected as she stepped off the turbo lift on deck four and crossed the threshold of Sickbay. She didn't want to see any doctors or, more accurately, didn't want them to see her. She needed a compassionate, misunderstanding look from a health professional like a hole in her head. But the memo on her PADD had said that Quinn was awake and asking for her, and she had no choice but to go. She wanted to see him, even though she was scared of what she might find. The short trip from Main Engineering to Sickbay had been frankly filled with visions of him, mangled and missing pieces, laid out on a biobed, and raging at her for not getting to him quicker, for burning his arm, for whatever other injuries she might have bestowed on him while she was trying to get him out through the tubes and back to Sickbay. Or worse, that he wouldn't be able to rage at all. No. He'd asked for her. He could speak. He could speak, she reminded herself. That was something, at least.

So she kept her eyes down in Sickbay, carefully avoiding eye contact with the medical officers, which wasn't all that hard it turned out. They had plenty of actual wounded people to look after.

"GIN!" yelled Markum triumphantly, followed by a series of chuckles and curses. "I told you, you will never beat the old man."

"Okay, okay." replied a young man's voice. "I need to get back to work, dad."

"Sure, son. Be safe out there, and have fun. I love you."

"I love you too dad, tell Tarish I said, hello." the screen went blank and Markum sat back against his bed. He moved his right arm up and attempted to grab his cup of water. Even though the arm looked completely normal, it was moving in short, almost robotic motions towards the beverage. "Damn it," cursed Quinn as the cup tumbled onto its side. Only the lid kept the fluid from spilling out everywhere.

Lilou ducked down and grabbed the cup as it rolled towards her. It was so good to hear his voice, to see him awake and alive with blood in his cheeks, with an arm instead of a missing, bloody, smoking stub... she pressed her lips together to keep from bawling at him and instead offered the cup with a quick nod. "Lookin' good, Boss."

Quinn looked up at Lilou, then let out a large grin. "Well, about damn time you got your ass up here to see me, Peers." he said with a chuckle as he took the cup with his left hand and put it back onto the bedside tray. "Yeah, thanks. How do you like my new arm? I'm on my way to being a cyborg."

She tried to smile, "Did you get them to give you a hyperspanner attachment? Because if they do those, I might go do something heroic and get one myself."

"More like stupid." replied Quinn as he looked down at his cybernetic attachment. "I...umm...I never got to thank-you for saving my stupid self, Lilou." He looked up to the young woman before him. "Thanks....I'm upset that you risked yourself to do it, but I will forever be grateful to you."

She shook her head quickly, "You don't have to- I mean, you don't- you're not- I just wanted you to- we need you. I'd do it again in a second; I'm just glad you're alive-" Her lower lip trembled and she bit it to stop herself from crying. "I'm sorry. I wish I'd- does it hurt?"

Quinn used his left hand and grabbed Lilou's hand. "Hey, it's okay....and no, it does not hurt. Not even a little. It never did. It's just....weird feeling. I can see it, but it isn't always moving like I want."

"But it will; they said it will?"

With a nod, Quinn reassured Peers. "Yeah, it'll be fine. It's just going to take some time, that's all. Of course, they said I may have some trouble with meticulous manipulations. I guess some of the nerves were beyond repair. So..." Quinn smiled at Lilou and squeezed her hand. "...it looks like you're the new Chief Engineer. At least until I can regain full use of my robo-arm."

She shook her head furiously, "I'm fine with assisting, sir. Even if that means being your spare hand for a while. As soon as you're ready to hit the bridge again... well. I wouldn't mind if you took a look at some of the repair designs we're working up. You see things more clearly than I do."

"Sure, Peers. I'd love to see what you've been up to?" replied Quinn. "I will be on mandatory light duty for a while. That means bridge duty only, so, while I'm playing on the Bridge, rubbing elbows with the big-wigs, you'll have to run engineering."

"I'll do my best, sir, but I hope you're back at your desk sooner rather than later. Selfishly. Completely selfishly." She tried to smile. "Ameen put together some plans for a potential short-term redesign to get the ventral phasers operational again. If you're looking for a little light reading."

"Sounds a hell of a lot better than reading the instructions to self catheterizing and soap enemas." Quinn said with a smile and a wink of an eye.

She wound her hands together, pulling a stool beside the bed and perching on it. "How are you staying so calm?"

"It's my way of dealing with stress." Quinn replied. "It's the only time I'm not wired. Besides, it's out of my hands now. My stupidity won't kill me after all."

"Does that mean you're always stressed around me?" she asked, quirking a brow at him. "I've never seen you off balance."

"No," Quinn smiled and let out a chuckle, "no, you are one of the few that doesn't stress me out. Besides, now you're getting a taste of what to expect when you have your own ship to keep going...along with the staffing problems, department head meetings..."

Her own ship? Lilou wound her hands together. "What- I mean, how was it for you, on your first- how did you learn how to manage it all?"

"It's not that hard, really. Not when you know what the hell you're doing." replied Quinn. "You're a smart girl...I mean smart woman, Peers. You have the knowledge base, and the experience. You only lack the confidence...and that will come in time as you are forced to deal with stupid people, and life or death situations. I know you can do it, Lilou. That's why I made you my assistant. If nothing else will give you motivation, know that if you screw up, I'll make you work with Willis full-time for a month." Quinn gave a sincere smile.

That didn't sound like a punishment to Lilou's ears. She'd actually grown to appreciate Willis' cheek; it pulled her out of her own head. But there was no reason to let Quinn know that. She met his eyes. "Thanks, Chief." She paused, forcing her gaze to stay with him instead of inspecting his reconstructed hand once more. "Did they say when we get you back?"

With a shake of his head, "No idea. Couple weeks a the least I'd imagine. Bridge duty only, so they say. Not like they are going to give me the keys to the car though."

"What to the what?" she asked, confused.

Markum chuckled for a few seconds, "Keys, to the car. It's a very old Terran saying. Cars were the mode of ground transportation back before First Contact was ever made. Nineteenth to...say the twenty-first century. The were like shuttles, but ran on rubber tread tires, and used gasoline for combustion...well...the earliest models did. Anyway, the keys were what you placed into the vehicles ignition to start them. No keys, no transportation." Quinn pulled himself up and sighed. "Peers, you really need to read more. When we get back to Earth, you'll have to come to the ranch in Utah. I have one that runs on only two wheels, called a motorcycle. They are great fun, and loud."

Lilou lifted a brow. "I read all the time. Just... you know. About things that are useful." Her lips twitched into a tiny smirk. "Two wheels, huh? I've never been to a ranch." And the idea of that much blank sky was terrifying, but being invited to Quinn's home made terror worthwhile. "I'd like that very much."

"Great, as soon as we get back home," Quinn noted with a smile, "You get a motorcycle ride, Peers. Just don't fall off like Willis did. Damn fool."

"Willis fell off?" she asked, curiously. For all Willis' tomfoolery, he'd never struck her as clumsy. "How long have you two known each other?"

"His entire life." Quinn replied with a smile, and a twinkle in his eye. "His father was my best friend, and the smartest man I ever knew. When I transferred to the USS Quirinal, I found out Artie was going to be serving on her too. So, I promised his old man that I'd look after him. After Bill died, I kinda adopted him as my own I guess. He and my son, Markus, get along just like brothers too. He's a good kid. Reminds me of his father....just uglier."

Lilou chuckled. "He's not that bad. I mean, he's no Ferengi. That's something." She folded her hands together. "I don't know how I'd have managed without him. He and Slak have really shown their true colors since the worst of it." She cocked her head to the side, kicking her heel idly against her stool. "He's lucky to have had someone like you to look after him. Even if he didn't get all your cunning and charm."

"Yeah, well...." Quinn replied with a slight blushing on his cheek, "that's only because he's married now and no longer allowed to drink Talarian Brandy. You have a great group of engineers working for you, Lilou. Treat them well, but remember, they are not equals. If they screw up, it's your ass, not theirs. The buck has to stop with you. You have final say down there, while I'm up here. And if someone gives you a hard time about doing something your way...I find throwing a hammer at them will usually open their eyes to see things from your perspective."

"Er..." she bit her lip and squinted at him. "He's not allowed Talarian Brandy?" she asked, glancing towards the door. "Why?"

Quinn noticed the look that Peers was trying desperately to hid. "I can't seem to remember, now that I think of it...or was it Andorian Whiskey?....meh, it's of no consequence, really. Not likely he'll get his paws on some anytime soon."

She bit her lip. "I... kind of... might have... had some in my bunk?" She cleared her throat. "You should have seen him this morning. He was on a roll. And he was coming up on a break, after he managed to reactivate the port nacelle all on his own. I thought he deserved it..."

Quinn's eyes nearly shoot out of his head. "Dear, lord. No. He has a...reaction...to his head when he drinks it. In other words, he gets stupid. The last time he had any, I had to pull him out of an Admiral's bedroom window back at the Academy. He apparently got drunk on it and went home with the Admiral's daughter. Thing was...it wasn't the daughter at all. It was the Admiral."

Lilou straightened. "I should check on him," she said as she stood. "Come back soon, will you? We need you."

"I will." Quinn replied with a smile. "Keep the chair warm, but don't get too comfortable in it, kid. Oh, Lilou, thanks for stopping by."

She nodded, quickly, "I'm not even touching the chair, Chief. That's all yours, safe and sound and waiting for you." She saluted him and tapped her combadge as she turned to go, =^=Peers to Willis, report in, please.=^=

=^=
I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;a
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

I'm very good at integral and differential calculus;
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
=^=

Quinn wrinkled his forehead and chuckled. "Have fun with that one, Peers. His clothes are probably scattered across Main Engineering for all we know by now. Good luck."

[OFF]

MWO Lilou Peers
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Master Warrant Officer Lilou Peers
Chief Engineer
USS Galileo

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