Engineering Roll Call and Tour

Posted on Wed Dec 8th, 2021 @ 6:25pm by Lieutenant Commander Dorian Sheppard

715 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Into The Void
Location: Engineering Deck
Timeline: 0300 hours
Tags: Ull, Hadenbeer, Mell

Engineering Roll Call and Tour- 0300 hours

-0240 hours-

Entering the Engineering deck feels like home to Lt.Cmdr Sheppard. Everything from the comforting hum of the warp core to the subtle scent of ozone brings the Chief Engineer a bit of peace and contentment.

Several crewmen are already on deck, casually chatting or checking monitors. Sheppard just stands off to one side, waiting, watching, and listening. He rests his left hand on the port FIG-5 subflux tranfer panel, and closes his eyes. ‘Slightly cooler than ambient,’ he thinks silently. ‘Perfect’

A Bajoran petty officer steps his way, pausing before clearing her throat to get his attention. “Ahem. Chief Dupree reporting for service, sir,” she says nervously.

“At ease, Chief,” Sheppard says with a warm smile. “This is just an informal meet and greet, right?” he asks. “I mean,” he leans in a little and lowers his voice. “I’m not expected to give a discourse on hyperdynamic chain theory or anything, am I?”

“Sir?” she asks, a bit confused.

“Nevermind,” he says, shaking his head. Not everyone gets his sense of humor. “Has Lieutenant Nguyen arrived yet?” he asks.

“No, sir. I’ll announce roll call when he does,” she explains. “In the meantime, is there anything I can do for you?”

Sheppard considers the request momentarily. “You know what? Yeah,” he says, stifling a yawn. “Coffee,” he requests. “If you don’t mind.”

“Yes sir,” she says. “Extra cream and sugar,” she says, already knowing the Commander’s preference. Sheppard is once again impressed. Just like LaBrea, CPO Dupree has done her homework. He wonders if the rest of his staff is just as competent.

“OW!”

He doesn’t have to wonder for long. Stepping around the corner to find the source of the yelp, he finds a young Junior Lieutenant on her knees with her arm stuck in the wall behind a monitor plate.

“Can I help you?” he asks, taking a knee beside her.

The officer’s cheeks blush. “Uh… oh! Commander Sheppard,” she stammers, brushing a loose hair out of her face with her left hand. “Um, sorry sir. I was trying to adjust the contrast cables, and I dropped my forceps, and when I dug in to try to reach them, my sleeve snagged-“

“-on the jumper breadboard,” he finishes her sentence. “Yeah, I’ve been there. Here, give me your left arm. Keep your right arm bent. I’m going to lift you backwards. Ready? Here we go. Ok…. straighten it now? Good. Aaaand, you’re free.” He stands with her, making sure she has her balance. “All good?”

“Yes, sir,” she says. “Thank you sir.”

Before more can be said on the matter, Dupree is announcing Roll Call and everyone makes their way to the front.

The full Engineering staff is made up of 28 crewmen working rotating 10 hours shifts of 12, with four crewmen on rolling splits shifts. Sheppard does a quick headcount and 15 are currently present, so this whole shebang will get repeated again in roughly 10 hours for the other half of his team. CPO Dupree introduces Sheppard to Lieutenant Nguyen, who then takes over with introducing the rest of the staff to him.

“I’m sorry. I’ll never remember all of your names,” Sheppard says at some point. “So please, forgive me in advance.” His casual demeanor is taken as a good sign by most, but Lieutenant Nguyen is stern faced. ‘A stickler for rules and protocol’, Sheppard will soon discover.

A brief tour of the Warp Bay followed by the rest of the Engineering Deck leaves Sheppard feeling a bit overwhelmed. Not the ship itself, per se, but all the social interaction with over a dozen people all focused on him as the center of attention… He’ll be happy to get back into a normal routine. Nguyen seems to pick up on the Commander’s disposition and brings the affair to a close with a, “Very good all. Thank you. Resume your duty stations.”

Walking the Chief Engineer to the door, Nguyen says, “I look forward to serving with you, Commander. Schedule a one on one soon and we can start to brainstorm strategies. Welcome to the Lionheart.”

“Sounds good,” Sheppard answers as he exits. “And thank you. We’ll talk soon.”

/End Post

 

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