Rattling Around Engineering

Posted on Tue Oct 1st, 2024 @ 12:56am by Lieutenant Commander Christopher Evans & Petty Officer 3rd Class Helliun Inant

1,067 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: To Boldly Go
Location: USS Fenrir

Chris was making his rounds checking on a few of the departments. One he felt he needed to get acquainted with was engineering and the people working that area of the ship. It didn't take Evans long to spot a young Petty Officer working at one of the console and he made his way over and politely interrupted their work with "excuse me."

Hel looked a Chris with surprise, studying him for a moment. Mustard yellow uniform. Lieutenant Commander. Could be Security with the look. Not Chief Engineer, didn't look anything like them. Maybe Ops? Without a doubt a Chief though. She straightened slightly, still not used with men being in command. "Yes Sir?" she asked, a small smile pulling at her lips, showing a hint of teeth.

"Lieutenant Commander Evans" he offered a smile "I know we don't have a Chief Engineer as of yet so I thought I'd see if there was anything I can assist with" he paused for a moment "Operations" he tossed in at the end.

"Oh," Hel nodded and stretched her body out, rolling her neck for a moment. "Well, I always welcome some help. I'm running system diagnostics, make sure we're ready for the official ship wide system tests." She motioned to the warp core. "And make sure this desert queen is ready to keep us all alive."

“Where can I be the most help?” Evan’s ask with a smile and approached a console.

"Oh, take your pick," Hel laughed before she looked at him. "Maybe run a few simulations on the matter-antimatter reaction in the warp core based on our current scans?"

“That I can do” Evans southern accent shined through his smile. “How you settling in” he asked as he started working at the console.

"Well..." Hel considered it for a moment before she chuckled. "Since my last ship is in tiny bits and I have been spending more time sitting on my ass than actually working, really well. I'm finally with a warp core again."

Chris let out a chuckle "Well I can tell you one thing" he still had a grin on his face. "I'm ready to get out there again. I'm not a big fan of sitting in space dock."

"You too, huh?" she laughed as she looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know about you, I find it...boring. You are working, yet not. You are on leave, yet not. So you walk around and wonder...why are you even there. I could have been walking my home desert, feel the sand under my feet, the wind in my face."

“I understand” Evans looked up from his console and gave a nod “but I guess that’s all part of the Star Fleet life we chose.”

She nodded with agreement, looking back at her work. "I know why I chose it. Why did you?" she asked, curious what this man had behind to him land him in Starfleet. Perhaps he was human, loads of humans in Starfleet. She was just never sure what people were. Many looked the same, or similar, to her.

"Both of my folks are Admirals" he glanced up and smiled at her. "I guess I'm just following in their foot steps. Keeping up the family tradition if you will." Pressing a few buttons on the console he asked "what about you?"

"I was an Engineer back home," Hel said, continuing to work as she spoke. "When I was being trained, our people applied to...work with the Federation. Before, for me, space travel was...not something important. But suddenly there was a whole universe out there. Endless possibilities to learn and take things back home. Once I had a child, I was free to go...so I enlisted. There aren't many of us in Starfleet, but our number is growing."

“Well that’s what the Federation is all about” Chris shot the engineer a smile. “Isn’t it thrilling to be out among the stars, exploring new places and encountering new people.” Chris paused tapping in a few commands on his console before continuing “although some of the encounters are not as friendly as others.”

She flashed him a smile that showed her teeth, her yellow eyes catching the light. "Of course not," she said, as if it was obvious. "Some are good fun though. Not that I've really had the chance to go head to head with a Klingon yet. They seem fascinating. But...my people are peaceful. Stars guide me, sometimes too peaceful..."

"Going head to head with an angry Klingon isn't very fun" he looked into her eyes with a smile. "I've only had to fight a Klingon once and let's say I barely came out of it." Chris had finished what he was going at his console and turned his chair to face her "peaceful times are great."

She laughed, shaking her head as she looked at him. "Oh, I never said I wanted the Klingon I was fighting to be angry...just...interested," she raised an eyebrow before she winked.

Chris smiled "I'm interested to find out what our first assignment will be."

Hel considered it, her head tilted to the side. "Well, as an officer, you will find out before me. Sir." She threw the last in with a grin, almost teasingly. It was a word she was still getting used to, that felt alien coming from her lips.

"Yeah I guess you are right" his southern accent shining through as he talked. "Well looks like I'm done with this task. Anything else I can do to help?"

Hel looked at him for a moment before she ran her eyes over him. Considered something. Reconsidered. "Doing anything for lunch?" she asked him instead. "I would say I'd hunt you some, but with replicators...that would be seen as barbaric."

“I’m free for lunch” Chris let out a chuckle “replicated lunch would be more appropriate for today.”

"Well, we should both go and eat. And you can tell me all about how you ended up in Operations," Hel said with a smile, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds to me like there's a tale there."

“There’s always a tell and I’ll follow you” Evans said with a smile and made a gesture toward the main exit.

OFF:

PO3 Helliun 'Hel' Inant
Engineer
[PNPC Hanlon]

&

Lt. Commander Christopher Evans
Chief Operations Officer

 

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