The life of an Engineer

Posted on Mon Jan 25, 2021 @ 12:20pm by Commander Ajani Carter & Staff Warrant Officer Jax Grenhorn & Lieutenant Commander Ethan Brash & Master Chief Petty Officer Symmons & Master Chief Petty Officer Etzel Hannis & Crewman James Bashforth

Mission: Episode 2: Rising Tides
Location: Main Engineering
Timeline: MD 06
1841 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Jax was under one of the many consoles that had blown out when the Port Impulse engine had been struck. Not badly enough to do any damage to the engine but it had sent a power serge through the number 4 EPS line which had pretty much meant the death of 5 consoles in engineering alone. The one she was trying to fix was linked to the MSD, which is why that was out as well. Thus here she was, covered in soot and lubricant replacing a dozen parts inside of the large table at the center of the engine room.

"Shit" she yelped as she snagged the back of her hand on a shattered part she had yet to replace... Not the first time; her hands and forearms were covered in small cuts and scraps. This one was bleeding a little more than the others, "bollocks" she muttered and she extracted herself from inside the table.

"Someone bring me a med-pack" she called out while examining the wound.

Basher had his head under the crawl space by the warp core when he heard the call for help. With one hand he held a glowing red optronic adjuster to the plasma control circuitry. With his free hand he rumaged around the pile of tools lying by his wait for a med kit. He clattered around fuitlessly knocking instruments of Ll shapes and sizes every where until his hand landed on the smooth hard surface of a smaĺl medkit. "Bingo was his name-o." He exclaimed to himself with a wide smile. Quickly finishing up his task he slid back out into the glow of the warp core to see Symmons standing over him.

"I dont recall a crewman called Bingo." Symmons stated in a deep melodic voice while blinking both sets of eye lids. He looked down at Basher puzzled. Basher just grinned and sat up. "No crewman Bingo Chief, it's an expression like...." he trailled off as Symmons interupted. "Like Barney Gravel?" He asked. Basher laughed loudly. "Yeah like Barney Gravel." He agreed mischievously as he leaned forward to grab the med kit. But as Basher went for the med kit so did Symmons. With his superior size and speed Symmons snatched the medkit up in his claw. "I'll be taking that, it seems someone else is in Barney Pebbles." He said with a wink before turning to take the med kit to where Jax was seated.

Jax looked up with 'grabby' hand out stretched "Please" she said in the sweetest smile she had ever used in her life. The Master chief was her new boss and she wanted to confuse the shit out of him by being nice, polite and a little playful. It would serve her well when she dropped a tonne of bricks on him later on.

Symmons blinked a couple of times at Jax. The sweet behaviour was a little lost on him. Most crewmen he had worked with were either brusqe or thought they were comedians. But all the same Symmons extended the med kit toward Jax, to his horror he could feel the smooth hard casing begin to slip from his claws.

Wobbling from side to side Symmons hastily tried to grab the med kit, but he only made matters worse as he awkwardly juggled it in his claws for a few seconds before he and the med kit fell to the floor with a clatter. A Dermal regenerator, a hypo-spray and various other instruments scattered across the deck.

Basher who had been observing the whole interaction wailed with laughter. "Would you bloody Adam and Eve it!" He cried out. In between fits of laughing he picked up the various medical implements and put them back in the case.

Symmons slumped himself up against a console and looked apologetically at Jax with his large black eyes and shrugged.

"There ya go treacle." Basher stated As he managed to successfully pass the medkit into Jax's lap.

The doors to Main Engineering opened to reveal a blue woman in a yellow-shouldered uniform. The Andorian led the way at the front, then stepped aside to make way for a train of four cargo containers.

“Where to, ma’am?” One of the crewman asked her.

Etzel Hannis looked down at the PADD in her hands, swiped to confirm something, then pointed to a spot that was out of the way of the main flow of Engineering crew, “Over there, and make sure you set that down,” she emphasized, “very slowly.” Several moments went by as she directed each pair to strategic positions, then double-tapped check marks next to each entry, marking the end of an inventory transfer.

Her antennae turned before her head did as Etzel looked over at the group of engineers nearby. She swiped something on her PADD, then walked towards them, noticing that the new Chief of Engineering was with them.

“Mr. Symmons,” She greeted the Saurian, offering the PADD for his inspection, “would you please finalize this transfer? Sign here,” She showed him, “here, and here.”

Symmons blinked a couple of times at Etzel and studied her face and grade. Being the only other Master Chisf aboard he assumed she was the quarter master.

Promptly and elegantly he swiped up the padd into his claw and analysed the details with his large black eyes. "Looks good to me." His melodious voice replied. As he offered a thin lipped smile.

Symmons double checked the last couple of items on the list and with a few audible clicks of claws and chirps from the padd signed off on supplies. "It's all there thank you Miss Hannis." He replied pleasantly.

“Thank you.” She offered a sliver of a polite smile and a nod. “These are the parts that were requested-”

She stopped in her tracks, noticing the woman sitting on the floor, fidgeting around with several small cuts, some of them bleeding. Her antennae curved forward a little as she crouched down next to her. “Are you alright?” Etzel asked softly.

"Yeah" she said with the dermal regenerator in her hand "The console bit me, once i have this sorted" she motioned with her sliced and diced hand "I will get back in there and bite the thing back" she smiled. Kax went back to trying to repair her hands.

“Hey,” Etzel moved a little closer, gently but firmly removing the dermal regenerator from Jax’s hand, “be careful, you don’t want to tense your muscles when you use that.” Her blue hand lightly but firmly held Jax’s arm just under the elbow, leading her to rest the hand on Etzel’s knee, “Relax your muscles and breath slowly. Let me get this for you.”

Jax allowed Etzel to help her. She really had no real clue how to use the thing, not that she would admit it. She was a damn fine engineer but repairng her body, well that was another matter altogether.

An anti-bacterial cloth was taken from the medkit and was swiped over the largest of the cuts, wiping away the blood. Next, Etzel took the dermal regenerator and held it in her palm with a curved grip, with the business end as close to her thumb as possible. Slowly, meticulously, she moved it perfectly along the shape of the hand around the wound, moving back and forth as the tool did its’ job with exceptional efficiency.

“There.” The Andorian said as she let go of Jax and began putting the medkit back together. “That should heal nicely.”

"Thank you Ma'am" Jax said and disappeared back into the table crawl space. Jax shouted out from under the deck "Did someone reboot the port targeting sensors for phaser array five yet?" she pulled another blown gel pack. Somehow this table had taken the brunt of the power spike, all the micro-bioneural gel packs had been destroyed.

"Grenhorn move now!" Symmons growled as he stooped to grab Jax by the arm. Grabbing the top of her arm in his claw like hands Symmons hastily yanked her away from the console and slung her across the deck.

Jax was about to slug him, mainly for calling her a Grenhorn. But she now heard the high pitched whine of an overload building and understood, the big dinosaur had heard it before she had.

But as Jax was protesting an energy discharge in the shape of a white lightning bolt leapt from the open console. Symmons looked down at Jax as if to say 'I told you so' and stormed off to the 'pool table' with Basher hot on his heels. "Whats up guv?" Basher asked but all he got was a dismissive wave of Symmons claw.

"Well crap" Jax said "Thanks Chief" she stuck her head back into the deck... she was kinda fearless like that. "Ah" she said seeing the problem. She sat herself on the edge of the deckplate "There was a cascade overload, without the gel packs to regulate it the discharge took the only other option, the table"

With his hulking reptilian figure hunched over the console his claws made a scratching and beeping noise as he worked. His round black eyes scanned diagnostic results from circuits and relays and units all through the ship. He huffed and tapped his comm badge angrily.

"Engineering to the armoury, can you please send The Chief Tactical Officer down here before he gets my staff killed?" He requested with a frustrated musicality in his voice. There was a pause and then a puzzled young voice piped back in through the comm badge. "He should be with you shortly Engineering, anything I can help with?" Symmons just shook his head."No, I just need your boss down here to clean up his mess Engineering out."

But as soon as the words left his mouth he realised that nobody would be coming. Symmons had worked in Engineering long enough to know that ops and flight control were the only other departments that pulled their weight when it came to fixing things.

With a swift motion he grabbed a padd of the pool table and wrote up a repair schedule for tactical. "Crewman Bashforth, take Ms Grenhorn with you and begin these repairs." He ordered while thrusting the padd in Bashers direction.

Basher took the padd and gave a wide grin. "Aye Chief, we'll have 'em tip top and ship shape in no time." He replied. But Symmons just looked at him blankly. Basher chuckled. "Never mind guv." He grinned while walking away. "Looks like you're with me darlin." Basher chirped as he walked past Jax to find a tool kit.

Jax narrowed her eyes at the younger man, "That's Staff darlin to you sunshine" he said, partly playing along and partly reminding them she was the deputy Chief of Engineering. She nodded towards the doors, "Go on" Grenhorn grabed her kit, which was very well maintained.

Symmons watched the exchange between his two colleagues and shook his head. "Primates!" He muttered to himself as he returned to his work.