Helivan Engineering
Posted on Sun Nov 5th, 2023 @ 1:59pm by Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Lieutenant Dovenice Nyx
860 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
First Contact
Location: Helivan Shuttle
Timeline: MD2: Afternoon
Max had met with the Helivans who moved the party down to a ladies only discussion. It was odd, but not a first - he was certain. Some societies thrived under a matriarchal ruling aristocracy system. Knowing next to nothing about the Helivans, it wasn’t much of a reach.
Max had wandered, once things had settled, down and across to the Helivan shuttle for the first time. “Hello?” he called out, knowing Lieutenant Nyx should be working somewhere on the larger sized shuttle.
At the sound of the Captain's voice, the small engineering team turned from their huddle to see who was approaching. The ship had been quiet for quite a while once the other parts of the inspection team had returned to the Intrepid. It was much easier to work without so many distractions.
Nyx picked up the PADD while Edwena, Ch'rhiaqos, and Leru instantly returned to their work. Their meeting had been, fortunately, coming to a close prior to the boarding of Culver. Nyx greeted the captain with a smile and a returned, "Hello?"
Max found the engineering team working on the Helivan ship. Whatever they’d done to damage the shuttle, it must have been good and broken. “Hello Dove,” Max said as he found the Chief Engineer. “How go the repairs?”
"Steadily." Nyx answered with one word and then expanded. "We have the systems mapped out and we know what went wrong. Some of the damage is a bit hard to access due to the smaller size of the ship. And... the people who put things together in here had a rudimentary understanding of what they were doing; so some of it is wrong."
“To be honest, these people can’t stay on the Intrepid, so I guess we ought to get this ship operating. How long to replicate the parts, as they are, and get the ship operational again?” Max asked.
“And don’t forget to give yourself time for the First Contact celebration tonight. Also, engineers tend to skip things like meals and sleep on projects. I prefer my department Chiefs set a good example of a healthy work environment,” Max added, despite the fact that he had been known to overwork himself on occasion.”
Nyx locked her hands behind her back while calculating a few estimates in her head. "We'll need another 12 to 18 hours, leaning toward the higher estimate, considering the tight conditions." She added, "And you forget - don't call me late to supper. I'm not a person who skips her meals, Captain. We can discuss my sleep habits at a different time." Her accompanying smile was shy of innocent.
“Alright, I suppose we can have Delta shift take control of the repairs tonight. I’ll have Callan take over for you tonight with Commander Ripley to oversee the repair work, if that’s acceptable to you, Dove,” Max answered. That would set her hours ahead of starting in the morning.
"Commander Ripley? Who's that?" The genuine quality of her smile faded. She gave the engines a protective glance.
“You haven’t met Chet yet?” Max asked. “He is our Second Officer and he runs half of Beta and all of Delta shifts. He’s a good officer and there’s nothing I wouldn’t trust him with.” Max was firmly entrenched in that belief. Chet Ripley was his Jack of all Trades.
"I haven't met many people outside of engineering yet," Dove said. "The whole crew are essentially strangers to me. If you trust Chet, then I shall trust him too. If I have to redo the work tomorrow, my estimate extends to twenty-eight hours."
“I know that most captains would tell you that’s unacceptable and press you for something that fits their timeline a bit better. I’m not one of those captains, Dove,” Max said. “If you give me an estimate, I expect to hold you to that.”
“Of course, we’re also meant to give them the Disney Experience, if you know what I mean,” he paused as he wondered if she did know what had meant. “Anyway, there’s a reception for the Royals tonight. It would extend your repair estimate, and that’s fine, because I’d like to see you there.
“A good opportunity to meet the rest of the crew,” Max mentioned, calling back to her comment about not meeting anyone.
Dove released her hands to be able to scratch her neck as she contemplated his words. She had no idea what he was talking about with a 'Disney experience,' but could guess in context that it meant having a fun time with the pod people. "What time and what's the dress code?" she asked as she processed 'royal.'
“Seems like I was outvoted, so it’s dress whites and I do believe it starts at 2000 hours, but the time will be on the invite, Dove. I’ll see you there!”
The engineer groaned, "But I look better in gold."
“Trust me,” Max responded as he turned to look back at her. “If I could burn the dress whites, I would. They’re so uncomfortable…’
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