When the cat's away, the engineer doesn't get to play

Posted on 05 Mar 2020 @ 3:02pm by Ensign Mimi & Petty Officer 2nd Class Donald Andrews & Petty Officer 3rd Class John Hollenday
Edited on on 06 Mar 2020 @ 4:16pm

2,497 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 7, Engineering
Timeline: MD 01, 1130 hrs

[ON]

After the debriefing and a quick visit to sickbay to take care of the worst of her burns Mimi headed to engineering to see where she could help out with the repairs the ship needed after her battle with the Tholians.

As she passed through the double doors she spied Donald nearby.

"Hey Donald, can you use me anywhere to help with repairs?" She asked.

Donald looked up from his station. "Welcome back Ensign Mimi," He replied. "We could certainly use our help, we have quite a few staff injured,"

John emerged from a tube as he heard the name and dropped to the deck dropping his took kit along the way. He ran, literally and scooped Mimi up in his arms and kissed her.

"Sweetie are you alright?" he asked finally noting the missing spots of fur.

Not expecting to be swept off her feet Mimi clung on hard to John as he lifted her. "A little..... cooked but I am alright." She replied.

Donald smiled then secured his station, "I'll leave you to it John."

John only spared a glance, "if you don't mind there is still some work on that conduit up there." He pointed in chin in the general direction of where he had been working.

He waited a moment while Donald gather the dropped tools and disappeared up the tube, then turned back to Mimi.

"Well," he sort of drawled in that southern way and held her out. "Let's have a look at you. Bit of singe here and there but looks good otherwise. Come on, Donald and I got a little table area set up. We have been taking lunches and dinner down here trying to get this bucket patched up. A little replicator as well so help yourself." He led the way holding her hand to a place tucked around one of the main plasma conduits. A small table was there and perched on one end was said replicator, the wires strung up and patched into places. "So tell me all about it!" He ordered a coffee and took a seat waving in general to the replicator and the seat opposite.

"It was unusual, the planet was nothing like I thought. We hit an ion storm before we landed and just made it." Mimi replicated herself a chicken sandwich, her stomach grumbling with anticipation.

John just leaned on the table with his elbows the coffee really forgotten just looking at her and listening. He nodded slowly while she talked and then quietly said, "Just eat up, you half starved cat," grinning as he called her that. "Then finish your story."

"Well," Mimi continued after taking a bite. "We went out to a big crater where a piece of a starship had landed, there were signs of proto-matter everywhere then Petra found a Starfleet symbol and a registry number for the USS Reliant."

John had no idea what all that meant except a big hole in the ground with a crashed ship. "Huh! Tholians got another one I guess. They said the Trial did not make it back either."

Mimi nodded a little sullenly. "As we were leaving we saw her, Tholian ships all around her."

"So three ships the hot assessed bastards took out and almost this one. Hope the big wigs will call in the cavalry and we go get some pay back."

"I am not sure" Mimi replied. "I think they now have a better idea what started all this there were a lot of suggestions of talking with the Tholians."

"Talk! Talk! Holy mudsucking idiots! Oh you blew up several of our ships and we are so sorry, mind if we talk it out a bit?" Really? Well hope someone knows what they are doing. Sometimes I swear some of these officers," John looked and smiled at Mimi, "with current exception, would not know how to pour piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel!"

Mimi shrugged slightly. "It is complicated, the Reliant was destroyed a long way from here yet a piece of it ended up on the planet and the proto-matter has changed things and the Tholians have come in to try and stop it.."

John made a face. It was sounding way too complicated as far as he was concerned. "Well they have a funny way of trying to stop it. This nut buster is just going to let it slide then and hope that the Tholians decide not to blow us all up." He softened his look and put a hand on hers for a moment. "Just glad you are back and alright."

"Me too," Mimi replied. "things were a little..... tense down there. And up here from the look of the damage we took."

"I am surprised we are even here. This little ship trying to go toe to toe with THREE," he emphasized the word, "Tholian frigates. Thought we were only going to try to jam up their sensors and let the Trial take care of the major fight but might as well been trying to pitch hay with the tines broke off. The captain was pitchin' a hissy fit with a tail tied on over it all but we managed to get away, the Trial not so lucky." John made a face. "Last I heard she got hit in the scuppers and left dead in space."

Mimi nodded. "She was in very bad ship, surrounded by Tholian ships and caught in a web."

"Well just glad you got away. Anyway, you finish up there, I guess before the higher ups skin us best get back to work and get this ship going. Feel free to come help as you are fed and rested." John stood up and then looking around quickly leaned over and kissed her between her ears. He loved the velvet softness and nuzzled for a moment. He then patted her on the back and headed off.

"Hey, I am here to help now," Mimi said as John turned away, "where do you need me?"

"Well when you finish up, I got a place that is a bit tight that needs some circuit repair. Right between a couple of needed active circuits if you are willing to give it a go. I will grab some tools and meet you in a few." John wanted to make sure she had a chance to catch up but the repair was critical.

"Sure." Mimi quickly finished off her sandwich as John left to fetch the tools he needed.

John did as he had said and was waiting with a tool kit near an access tube for her. He opened the door and waved, "Alright, ensign, this one and about twenty meters up. I will follow to help guide you."

"I am ready to go." Mimi smiled at John before heading into the tube conscious of how much her boyfriend would get to oogle her but as she crawled.

"After you, three decks up and then about twenty meters down the horizontal to your left." John made a bit of a bow and waved a hand as he said that. The tubes were a one person at a time thing, the intersections being about the only place where a few people could sort of crowd together.

Mimi started to climb the ladder, even this far into the bowels of the ship she could see little bits of damage from the Tholian weapon fire. "It looks like we took a beating." She told him.

"Yeah she did, little above a scout ship like this trying to shield the Trial against three full frigates or was that four. They don't tell us much but just expect we keep everything going. Probably why almost no captains coming up from Engineering. They would not risk a ship so much. Anyway, sweet cheeks, one more level and wiggle that cute thing to your left."

John did enjoy the view and though she was vastly his superior officer, he figured no one else would be noticing the friendly banter.

Quickly clearing the last level on the ladder Mimi shifted into the Jefferies tube. "How far down here?"

"About a six meters." John said following. He was sorely tempted to tickle her feet but restrained himself. Maybe once they got things fixed there might be a bit of time for some fun. "Careful wants to spark and don't want that pretty fur of yours singed any further."

"I will be careful." Mimi crawled down the Jefferies tube till she reached the section in need of repairs, she touched the panel to start removing it and just as John had warned her about a jolt of static electricity lept across her fingers. She yelped quickly pulling her hand away.

"Told you," John quipped dryly from a bit further back. "You alright?" he then asked with genuine concern.

She nodded. "Just a little jolt, I am fine." Looking back towards him she saw all the fur on her tail stood on end.

John was smiling like a proverbial Cheshire Cat. "Oh! I like that, do it again! Mrrrrooowwww......." he then laughed. "Sorry but it makes your tail look delightful!"

"Focus John," Mimi said though she couldn't hide a smirk, she smoothed the fur of her tail back down and reached out to the panel again safely pulling it off without another shock

"Alright, but maybe have to get a TENS machine. Anyway, if you can try to reconnect circuit alpha ten, the sort of blue one back to the main panel to your left." John started to get serious on the business at hand.

"I see it," Mimi said reaching into the circuitry. "I can see why you asked me to help, I do not think you could get in here with your hands, it is..... fiddly."

"That is why I asked you, but be careful, that was just the static build up. There is a lot of juice in those circuits and cannot turn them off without having the most of the ship go dark. Captain and all expect we can keep a ship going and operational while they still are playing games. Never hardly see what it takes and how dangerous it can be." John groused then shut up so Mimi could think.

"You do not see many engineers go to command after engineering," Mimi grabbed some tools from Johns toolbox then rolled onto her back and reached back into the circuitry. "I think all Captains should have some time in engineering, then they can know better how hard it is to keep a ship going."

"I won't disagree with you sweet cheeks," John replied enjoying the view but also concerned that it was delicate and dangerous work. "You get that done and I have some trout I have been saving for a special occasion and this calls for that something special."

"Sounds good to me." Mimi's tail swished gently from side to side as she worked.

John just chuckled. He did but was hoping for some other more romantic time. One seldom got a chance to go fishing on Earth and it fact it was his sister who had sent it before they had departed.

"I think I have it." She said after a little more fiddling.

"Good let me check," he replied. =^=Donald, we got power on C8D5 circuit now?"

=/\= She's lit up like a Christmas tree John, we're good.=/\=

=^= Thanks!=^= John replied and began to sidle backwards. "Guess you got that fish dinner. Might be a bit, got us working double plus shifts down here since we are so thin on Engineering staff."

Mimi packed the tools she'd used back into the toolkit. "If I am not needed elsewhere I will help where I can down here."

"We will take all the help we can get," John made a face. "One of these days this ship is going to need someone but a couple of nut busters!" He growled that last one out. While he did not care for officers and such most of the time, he had to admit that his knowledge was limited and these were complicated machines.

"I can see about having a few crew from Ops help out," Mimi suggested. "but I can not promise anything."

"Coming from an officer might help as well, thanks sweet cheeks!" John replied with a genuine grateful tone and got to the wider junction and stood and held out a hand to help her.

Taking Johns hand Mimi clambered onto the ladder that would take them back to engineering. "You are welcome."

John slipped off his jacket for a moment and then laid it as though he needed to do something on the camera that recorded the area. He then pulled her close and kissed her. "A bit of something as reward and also I missed you terribly."

"Hey, they have already seen you... sweep me off my feet and kiss me so I do not think they will mind." Mimi held John tight as he kissed her.

"I just don't need an audience especially when supposed to be fixing the ship. Now where was I?" Oh yeah," he really did then sweep her off her feet and kissed her while holding her tight with one hand and with the other stroking that spot she liked so much.

Mimi purred slightly when Johns hand rubbed a spot between her shoulder blades. "I have been gone barley a day," She told him. "I did not think you would have missed me that much."

"Already more than enough," John replied and then gave her a tight squeeze. "Crap, best get back to work. Hopefully, time later if the higher ups don't blow us up first."

"Maybe later." Mimi said smiling. "Now if you put me down I can help you some more, where to next?"

John did as she requested and sighed before picking up his jacket. "Alright Ensign, ma'am, this way. There is a junction box that needs some work. I got it mostly working but could use some tweaks." He was all formal again.

Mimi straightened her jacket after John put her down. "Lets go."

"Alright but if the captain don't give us some long R&R after all this I swear I am going to put us dead in space. Toss me in the brig if they want, but then as sort handed as they are in engineering what good would that do them." John was really more making a bluff. He would not do any such thing. "Anyway, ma'am, just blowing off some steam," he said after a moment.

He made a motion with his hands and turned down one of the tubes. "This way."

[OFF]

--

Ensign Mimi
Operations Officer
USS Galileo-A

PO2 Donald Andrews
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

PO3 John Hollenday
Engineer's Mate
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Warraquim]

RSS Feed