Engineers and Flight Controllers and Sports Fans
Posted on Sat Jan 8th, 2022 @ 11:01am by Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair & Lieutenant Commander Brandon Pratt
2,485 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
Handling the Fallout
Location: Deck 03 Boardroom Offices
Timeline: Morning after Jane’s Busy Day, before staff meeting and “All-Nighter”
Brandon had finished speaking with his overbearing, overprotective earth parents. They were concerned that he wasn't contacting them enough and losing their psychological grasp over him. He left with shivers down his spine. He had finished a workout trying to exude the stress from the parental contact via subspace. The pressure was still there. He felt like they were picking into his everyday life.
"I'm a Lieutenant. A Full Lieutenant. I command an Engineering Team on a Starfleet Vessel!" Brandon reminded the two Pratt's kindly as his patience would allow. "Please cut the umbilical cord!"
Those words were ringing in his mind when he entered the Deck 03 Boardroom Offices. He had an important meeting with Lieutenant Sinclair. Rumor had it. Jane had been involved in communique with Captain and Commander regarding the issue of the missing Fighter Deck, Shuttle Bay Tool Assemblies, and supplies. This was all supposed to be looked over by Starbase staffers, yet things worked glacial once you left Space Dock.
Taking a seat in the board room, Brandon had with him his Engineering cohorts. Lieutenant Terrance "Terry" Johnston. An El-Aurian with quite the sense of humor, in rather odd enough ways. "Lieutenant. Terry... How is your morning?" Brandon set down his padd and silver stainless steel mug on the tabletop.
"It has been a rather fitful morning. I addressed an intergalactic forum on Engineering typologies of reference material."
"It's about time we're getting a new updated compendium of tool and process listings from the Academy and Departments. What is the ETA on the progress with the symposium to finalized voting for amendments?" Pratt had curiously asked, taking a seat at the far end of the table.
"As everything. Everyone has opinions on what, when, how, and how many, what type of tools, and even what type of tooling substance gradients should be retrospective. It's a labor-intense exercise." Lieutenant Johnston had shrugged with a slight grin. "I have the time on my hands, so to speak."
Brand had broken into a laugh with his coffee, half of it spitting onto the table. "Do not do that. You know how semi corny jokes get the best of me-"
Just then, the doors had opened early in the morning, revealing another attendee to the "Missing Tools and what to do about them" meeting. It was Jane from Ops.
"JANE!" Brand had stood up. "please take a seat. I would have replicated a spread for you, but... I got lazy." He then sat back down. "The replicator is making fine morning chocolate croissants." Pratt offered, gesturing to the replicator in the boardroom right near him.
"All good, Brand," Jane said with a laugh as she took his advice and went to the replicator. "One chocolate croissant and a vanilla latté."
She took her food and drink to the table, sat down, and crossed one leg over the other to talk to the engineering team.
"Well, Commanders Takahashi and Misono are on the case about our equipment. I think they think it's part of a conspiracy. I don't fully understand it, but they're definitely engaged on it. If we can get a few items back from Spacedock, I'm sure they can get some others from friendly ships. We might be stuck re-replicating a few things ourselves though."
Brandon was total catatonic on the whole conspiracy assumption. He didn't know all of the facts either, so he let his mind digress about how the tools went missing. "Missing could mean misplaced." Brandon shook his head, offering something. He didn't want to jump to conclusions and blame some people that shouldn't be, be it from the Starbase.
Relaxing, Brandon took a drink from his silver mug of coffee and placed a Nicorette gum stick in his mouth. He was trying to quit.
Nodding, Brandon smiled. "I have faith they will come up with something," Pratt had let his fingertips and knuckles atop the table tap for luck.
"Here is one part. I did a research event in the engineering programming and hours of servicing logs for the Myogi. I have an identifier on the officers who had covered those shifts. In theory, they should be able to account for the mistake they have made." Brandon shrugged.
"Hopefully," Jane said, uncertain. "That assumes it was a mistake. My impression is that the removal was decided by Spacedock Operations. Whether the failure to replace the equipment in a timely manner was a choice or a mistake, that I'm not so sure." She sipped her latté. "At this point, I'm honestly less concerned about accountability and more about solving the problem.”
“True. I agree.” Brandon nodded as he thought, taking a drink of his coffee. He was setting it down. “So we have industrial replicators at overdrive. We can’t let that happen more than 11% daily, as we know which becomes quickly unsustainable for crafting, creating those types of alloys needed for said mechanics.” Pratt shook his head at the resource usage and re-purposing of personnel to oversee those operations.
Jane nodded, listening.
“That will take more personnel to be working the industrial replicators. But if we can make do with what we currently have, we have a lot of tasks that will be slowing things down the road for the Myogi when it comes to operational readiness. This is not good. I don’t like this.” Pratt had growled as he got up from his seat and flexed his shoulders in his back, releasing the pent-up stress.
“So, what are immediate needs. And what are needs that can be deferred on your end, Jane?” Brandon had asked.
“Priority should be tools,” Jane answered. “I have a list of fairly simple small to medium sized tools that can be replicated. We can defer a lot of spare parts and replicate those as we need them. The bigger things, I’ve already notified Commander Misono. Machines complicated enough that replication is much harder. The small-scale warp coil relaminator and the warp field stress simulator. She’s going to try to source those for us.”
“Good work, Lieutenant.” Brandon had wanted to know himself what was going on with the idea since he had talked with Jane back in the Shuttle bay.
“The laminator, if you get it sourced through federation depot listings, try for less coil oxidation hours!” Brandon jested. Then shrugged. “I am in Engineering. I get to see if power usage of the replicators on the master systems. That shows me if a load is on the system, what with replicator usage. Meta complex computer simulation charting shows that the requested supplies will be well within available onboard energy reserves and offsets.” Pratt had reported to Jane. “We are lucky to be a competent class of starship with such engineering technology facilities onboard, Lieutenant.”
Relieved rather. “I think we should be A-OK for now.” As an Engineer for the Federation. There was never an unplanned moment. “What do you have to state, Lieutenant?” Brandon was interested in what Jane had to say.
"Nothing else to report," Jane answered. "It sounds like we have a good plan. It's just a shame we have to go through this process at all."
"May I assume the Captain and Commander have possible suspects and motives for the misplaced hangar tools?"
Brandon was perplexed. He had never seen anything like it before. "It's the first time I've seen such lack of unprofessionalism. Starfleet's name is professionalism." Pratt raised a brow at Jane. "You know something, don't you. Your so quiet?" Brandon lent a big grin forming as he was about to laugh and how quiet she had been about not telling him why this happened, right?
Jane let out a laugh. “I regret that I don’t, sir. I think the Captain has some ideas. I bet she and Commander Misono know more than they’re letting on. I don’t think they took command under the best circumstances, so it wouldn’t surprise me if there were some disgruntled officers trying to send them a message.”
"A disgruntled message in a roundabout way harms the internal operations of a Federation Starships fleet's practical readiness. That is a stern message to take. I hope these screwballs or whoever in charge hung up on the wall by the neck of their shirts and phaser practice on them." Pratt offered rather grouchily.
He then took a drink from his coffee. "Besides that. How goes things Jane?" Brandon was a friend of Janes, and he was happy to talk with her, even if it were a moment. "How has the dating scene been lately?" Brandon raised a brow upward, showing curious intrigue. "Remember, if you ladies forget what there is to do, I can help remind you both." Pratt had gestured with his hands at the table.
Jane couldn't help but grin and laugh. "Things are going well! I actually have what might be a date tonight," she said with a wink. "Just dinner. It might be just be dinner between friends, but I think it might be more than that. And hey, if it goes somewhere, I might take you up on your offer! So you know all the fun things to do?"
"I'm just being your friendly neighborhood engineer!" Brandon winked at Jane.
"And I do appreciate the friendliness," Jane said, a bit more seriously. "I'm glad to have made a new friend so quickly after coming aboard. Once we're out in space, we should find something fun to do. You can show me your idea of fun!"
"Fun! She asks." Brandon states. "Uh. Hi. I'm Brandon. I enjoy long walks on the holodeck. Warp cores, Hockey, Football, Virtual Educational institutions, in my off time I teach at the University of Wayfair, Earth." Pratt said solidly.
“Wot?” Jane said with a laugh. “Really?”
"I'm totally shitting you, Jane!" He jested, furrowing his brows a bit, having had so many people fall for that.
Jane burst out laughing as well. “Well in that case, hello! I’m Jane. I enjoy holo-fiction, fast ships, and watching sports, mostly football, though I expect from your accent you might call it soccer, and I once shot a man in Reno just to test my stun setting.”
"That's great Jane!" Pratt had replied enjoying Jane's enthusiasm. "I hope your stun setting was acceptable?.. And Hockey?!" Brand did a double-take, his eyebrow twitching upward a moment. "That's not you didn't say that word, Jane?! Hockey as in like Earth? You another human!" There were only three people in this whole sector that liked, nor knew of the game!
“I do enjoy watching hockey,” Jane admitted, “but I don’t play. I like watching most sports. Football is the best though. That one I like to get in the field for. Go Proxima!” Her favourite team wasn’t the best, statistically, but they had the best heart.
"So, as you play? Are you into Football? You mean like American Football. You mean like European Football, as in Soccer, correct?" Pratt had gestured, communicating with his hands were his thoughts... "And then in the Defense Forward, I was offered a 4th shot, and an open net, but it just didn't materialize Jane!" Brandon broke into another hockey story.
30 mins later...it was followed immediately by the story of Jane attending the match that brought her beloved Proxima into the Cross-Planetary Football League’s second tier. The feeling seeing her home team play at Wembley against the Paraguayans. The winners would win a league promotion, priority draft picks, and most importantly, glory. The loser would go home and return to the inferior league the next year. She and thousands of other Proximans sat there for ninety minutes of tense waiting, followed by a shared common joy she hadn’t experienced since her first race win.
“They hadn’t stayed in the Champions League,” Jane admitted. “It was sad to see them relegated back down two seasons later.” Then she grinned. “Still, we keep trying. And most importantly, we keep beating the Alpha Centaurians!”
“That is a great story. I love to hear that.” Brandon had taken a drink from his mug of coffee as he narrowed his eyes at Jane, remembering. “Proxima was at Second Tier, and then a few seasons later. They were relegated to the backbenches.” Pratt let his finger slowly run across his padd, doodling in thought as he often did in good conversations like this. “I remember that game; I was just in High School. And I think I had watched it at a local pub! Fancy that.”
“At Wembley stadium. That must have been an experience. The place is an Icon! Just think this, Jane, though. One thing I had learned from sport. Hockey, Snowboarding, Mountain Biking… Competing is a privilege. Make the most of the opportunity by pushing yourself to the limit of your abilities.”
“Very well said,” Jane replied with a nod.
“At least you had shown the Paraguayan’s and the league that you’re an upcoming, competing force that will need to be reckoned with. You will see them up there once again. How long is it till the next series? The CPFL Champs? We should cheer for them and make a virtual holodeck fan page!”
“My god yes!” Jane said. “We should be able to stream the games to the holodeck too. Next best thing to being there.”
“Jane, that would rock. We could get a lot of the crew to join in. I’m on the Federation Inter-Planetary Hockey League myself. Just as a potential. There are very few tournaments, so I train with other subspace coms via the holodeck. Do you do the same for Soccer Jane?” Pratt was interested.
"No, I don't play much anymore," Jane admitted. "Just a big fan. I haven't even had the chance to race since '91. They really don't let you join holographically for those."
“My god yes!” Jane said. “We should be able to stream the games to the holodeck too. Next best thing to being there.”
“Jane, that would rock. We could get a lot of the crew to join in. I’m on the Federation Inter-Planetary Hockey League myself. Just as a potential. There are very few tournaments, so I train with other subspace coms via the holodeck. Do you do the same for Soccer Jane?” Pratt was interested.
"No, I don't play much anymore," Jane admitted. "Just a big fan. I haven't even had the chance to race since '91. They really don't let you join holographically for those."
Brandon had listened. It came to the point in the conversation where it seemed, they would need to act on their meeting. “Thank you for the update, Lieutenant.”
“Any time, Lieutenant,” Jane said with a smile.
Posting by (in order of appearance):
Lieutenant Brandon Pratt
Chief of Engineering, USS Myogi (NCC-65918)
Lieutenant Junior Grade Jane Sinclair
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Myogi (NCC-65918)
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