Engineering Blues

Posted on 17 Nov 2021 @ 5:32pm by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kala Gorvel & Petty Officer 2nd Class Donald Andrews & Petty Officer 3rd Class John Hollenday
Edited on on 17 Nov 2021 @ 6:07pm

1,041 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 7, Main Engineering
Timeline: MD 01, 0954 hrs

[ON]

Donald looked up from his engineering panel as the announcement came over the bridge speakers that the ship had finally arrived in the vicinity of Regula I.

"Hey, looks like we're finally there." He called out to the nearby engineers. "Better get the checklist out for docking and power down procedure I bet that's what they want next."

"Well hot damn!" John replied. "I wasn't so sure this baby was gonna get this far. This puppy needs a big overhaul really and not somethin' like a nut buster like me can do. Well, leave that to the station guys." John patted a section of the containment area of the warp reactor. It all looked pretty normal but if one really did diagnostics it would show up.

“Not entirely to the station guys” A tired looking Kala said entering engineering. “I’ll be in and out of the ship keeping an eye on the station jockeys.” She said jokingly, taking a spot on a disused shell of a console they’d stripped for part.

He finally quipped, "Wonder if the Galileo is ever gonna get a real honest to goodness officer ranked engineer. We been limping on between you and me and a few others."

"I've no idea," Donald replied, not turning away from his panel. "you'd think with those other ships following us they could spare us a few. Though I like it this way, we know what we're doing and don't have an officer getting in the way."

“We don’t need any officers.” Kala commented before going on, “I mean look how well we’ve managed without one and don’t you think they’ll just upset this fine dynamic.” It had been a running thing since the department was left with just unlisted officers. “besides arnt you this week designated ‘officer’” She added another new tradition they had adopted where each week a new NCO was the designated officer to represent their department.

"No I am officer in charge, now hop to it Ahole. I getcha. Still anything too serious and well we would be pretty hard pressed. Heck, Andrews they should make you an officer, at least boost you up the ranks a bit for all keeping this place going. Captain probably does not even think about us down here except, 'I need more power! Get those phaser banks back on! I need warp right now!' So we get 'er done and as far as the upper crust cares it is just magic. Forget that it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears keeping it all together."

“And duct tape” Kala injected, having learned the phrase from her cohort early on in their mission, when the Galileo was seemingly limping along and being held together with anything that they could spare.

"And brains, what of them I have left after scattering some of it across the deck." Donald said referring to his fall during the Tholian incident.

"Well you never had any to began with," John teased. "So no big loss there." He laughed at Donald's expense.

Kala couldn’t hide her smirk at the banter between the two men, she was thankful that after such a mission she had been accepted into their ranks, she looked back up from behind her long straw like hair (it wasn’t always straw like) that hadn’t fallen in front of her face another reminder that they needed this break.

"Cheeky fucker." Donald said but chuckled as well. "Come on, get going through the checklist."

John just laughed again. "Alright, alright, just giving you crap. Heck as I said, without you this place would not have made it as far is did. Hope the higher ups are paying some attention. Alright, give me a section and I'll get started."

"Take life support, if you see Lucrete send him to check the SIF system and get ready for the switchover to external power." Donald instructed.

"Got it boss," John grabbed a PaDD to go through the list. He noted that he actually had the easier job. All they had to do was more or less note where there were problems for shipboard. Right now, the ship was running on the stations power and support.

Kala who had come to fetch a tool kit, which she’d forgotten to pick up and didn’t realise until she was half way to her job waved a goodbye to the men as they went back to work. She wasn’t joking when she complained about their working dynamic, everything was so easy as if you could have a fleeting chat, joke and not a split second later they were back to being serious again.

The mission was going to leave her scarred but mentally and… her eyes wandered to her arm where a long scar marred her arm, a scar only still there because she wanted to be reminded of the hardships they went through and secondly because at the time medical were doing just as bad as they and she wasn’t going to take much needed resources away for the sake of looking pretty.

Finally she found her toolkit and waved again before leaving engineering herself, one last job before she passed out in bed.

The lights in engineering changed to a slight blue hue alerting them all the external power supports and umbilicals were in position and were providing the primary power for the ship.

"Lets begin the warp core shutdown sequence." Donald called out to what engineers remained and left his chair for the primary warp core control panel, he fired a message up to the bridge to inform them they were beginning the shut down.

Between them they gradually closed off the matter/antimatter injectors shutting down the flow of reactants to slowly starve the warp core of its fuel, The low thrum and blue glow of the warp core decreasing in intensity until it stopped entirely.

"Plasma venting complete." Donald eventually said as the final step of the shutdown process was completed. "Well done everyone."

[OFF]

--

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

PO3 John Hollenday
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Warraquim]

CPO Kala Gorvel
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A

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