Engineering
Posted on Wed Feb 8th, 2023 @ 6:58am by Ensign Nusien & Lieutenant Commander Anahera Chernova
Edited on on Wed Feb 8th, 2023 @ 7:01am
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Carthage Rises
Location: USS Carthage - Main Engineering
Timeline: MD001 1130 hrs
Nusien had busied himself with getting to know his ship. Not the people on it but the ship itself. Like most engineers he felt that every ship had a personality. They had character and the Carthage was no different. He was deep into his work and paid no attention to who entered and exited main engineering.
All three of his hands were currently at work on getting the matter anti-matter conversion up to where he was happy. As and Edosian he preferred everything to run above normal parameters.
Anahera entered Main Engineering. It was one of the places onboard that she felt at home. She loved the hum of the machines.
As she looked for the CEO, she saw a young ensign fresh out of the Academy, struggling with a hover lift full of crates filled with machine parts. Approaching him she asked. "Can I help?"
The ensign said. "Thank you, ma'am. I can't seem to get this thing to move."
"Okay. I'll have a look." Pressing a button, she said. "Try it now?"
The ensign pulled it and it moved easily. "Thank you, ma'am."
"You're welcome, Ensign." She said. "The 'park' button seemed to be stuck."
"I'll look into it, ma'am." He said.
"Before you go, could you direct me to the Chief?" Anahera asked.
"He's over by the Core working on the matter antimatter conversion rate, ma'am."
"Thank you." She said and headed towards the Core.
Finding Ensign Nusien, she asked. "Isn't that mixture a little 'rich'?"
"The richer the mix the better the efficiency..." Nusien's almost robotic voice sounded. He did not turn around to see who spoke. His hands kept moving at breakneck pace over the controls. "I intend to have this ship running better than any other ship in the fleet."
"An admirable goal." Anahera said. "Need any help?"
It was a rare instance that someone with three arms needed more, and yet Nusien had arrived at just such and instance. "Believe it or not an extra hand would be useful right now. I could use someone to monitor the intermix."
"Of course." Anahera said moving to the right console. "Its fine at the moment." She said reading the data on the monitor.
"Please let me know when it rises to above two to one ratio." Nusien said as he gently nudged the matter antimatter mix in the warp core. "If I can get the ratio to stabilize at two to on then we can achieve higher levels of warp at a quicker acceleration. Never know when something like that would come in handy. Eh?"
"Okay, will do." Anahera said. "How are you going to account for the added stress on the hull?" She asked.
"There should not be any added stress. The intermix only comes into play during warp, and during warp the ship's mass is lessened by the warp field. It is how we are able to travel at warp nine for so long for example." Nusien had just realized that he had not even looked to acknowledge the newcomer. After one last tap on the controls he turned to see who had arrived. When he noticed it was the Commander he was more than a little embarrassed. "My apologies Commander I did not realize it was you." He came to attention while he kept one hand on the intermix controls.
"No apologies necessary, I didn't introduce myself." Anahera said. "Good day, I'm Anahera Chernova the new XO. I dabble in engineering myself. My father was among the civilian engineers that built the settlement that would eventually become the moon's Armstrong City." She added.
"That is quite the achievement for your father. I am Ensign Nusien the newly assigned Chief Engineer." He reached to shake the Commander's hand with one of his hands while continuing to work with the other two.
"Nice to meet you Nusien." Anahera said accepting the offered hand and shaking it. "I once fought along side a Edosian before joining Starfleet, his name was Dail, for a peace loving race, your people can be quite ruthless in a fight." She added.
"Hmmm... Yes that is because we train in fighting skills and techniques for the knowledge, not for the use. It is something that we never plan on doing, fighting. So it is not foremost in our thoughts." The humming of the warp core got a small amount louder, and the pace of it quickened. "Yes there you see. We are now the most efficient ship in the fleet. As I said I would settle for nothing less."
"Good work, Ensign." Anahera said. "So, tell me why did you choose to to join Starfleet?" She asked.
"As the Vulcans would say it was simple logic. I wanted to fix things and see the stars. So, Starfleet was the most logical place to go. The other reason that I joined was for the challenge of it all. Thus far I am proud to say I believe I rose to the occasion." Nusien turned for the first time to fully look at the Commander now that the work was done.
"Indeed." Anahera said. "For me, the choice was enlist or remain a guest of the President in sunny Auckland, New Zealand." She said. "I was only given the choice because Starfleet needed experienced personal after the Dominion War, and I'd showed commitment by volunteering of the SAR teams following the Breen attack."
Nusien nodded his ascent. The mention of New Zealand piqued his curiosity. "So you were an inmate and released due to the need for experienced officers?" If he had the right of it Nusien suddenly was not sure about this assignment. He did not know if he wanted to serve under a former convict. "May I ask what it was that you did?"
"Smuggling, and mercenary actions." Anahera said. "I helped those that Starfleet was unable or unwilling to help due to diplomacy and bureaucracy." She said. "For intense I provided medical supplies and food to Bajorans during the Cardassian Occupation of their planet and acquired data that proved an arms dealer was selling weapons to both sides in an interplanetary conflict. I also ended up destroying his main factory, but I evacuated the place first."
It had often been said that Edosians had no filter and Nusien was no different. "So why then did you join the organization that refused to help the people that you felt needed help? If it were me I probably would have remained where I was."
"Well, I'm not one for sitting around navel gazing, and I thought I could do more good from within Starfleet rather than from in a cell, however comfortable it is. It was the logical choice." Anahera said.
"Agreed Commander. Perhaps Starfleet needs more people like yourself who are willing to help those that the fleet would normally be unwilling to help. But who am I to talk I am but an Ensign." Although it did not sound like it this was Nusien's attempt at a joke. Humor was perhaps the only thing that Edosians did not fully grasp.
"Yeah, but you're a remarkable Ensign, Nusien." Anahera said. "Otherwise you wouldn't be a CEO. Starfleet doesn't hand out senior staff positions to just any freshly minted Ensign."
"Perhaps, Commander, perhaps..." Nusien said as he rose to all three of his legs. "Well I believe I have earned a break. This ship is already running with better efficiency then over half the fleet." He smiled or it was the closest an Edosian had to a smile.
"Agreed, I'd like to join you, but I've got a few more people to check in with." Anahera said. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Nusien." She added.
"The pleasure was all mine Commander. I am sure I will be seeing you soon." Nusien said and then headed for the door. He was proud of what he had accomplished thus far and looked forward to what was to come.
A Joint Post By
Ensign Nusien
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Carthage
Lieutenant Commander Anahera Chernova
Executive Officer, USS Carthage
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