Escape of the Chief Engineer

Posted on Sun Dec 31st, 2017 @ 11:47am by Lieutenant T'Pral

1,057 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Pulling Together
Location: Main Engineering
Timeline: Current

ON

Being the Chief Engineer came with a few benefits. One being knowledge of maintenance cycles. T'Pral knew one of the lesser-used emergency transporters in the stardrive section was scheduled for a maintenance overhaul and had been locked for the duration of shoreleave. Removal of three pads wouldn't adversely affect ship operations, so she had previously approved the shutdown.

She was making her way there, via a limping walk through Engineering. Ostensibly to ensure her department was still operating at peak efficiency, but in reality to obscure her true destination and to provide an alibi for her absence from Sickbay. She knew it wouldn't be approved, and inconvenient questions and delays would be incurred.

She knew that once her absence was noted, her tracks would be traced. There were few vulcans aboard, so it was illogical to try to mask herself by leaving her commbadge behind, or cease using her command codes, or anything of the nature. She didn't really have anything to hide, she just wanted to avoid inconvenience.

Her recovery hadn't quite concluded, so she walked with the assistance of a cane; an ancient technology that still worked surprisingly well. She was dressed in an immaculate Starfleet uniform, as if wearing a less than perfect condition wasn't a possibility.

"Ma'am?" a surprised query came from around a corner, Lieutenant Dixon's unruly ginger mop poking around it. "Are... aren't you supposed to be resting?"

T'Pral stopped in her advance and leveled an unreadable expression to her assistant. "I am well enough to check on my department." She raised her free hand to cut off any additional query. "You are still in charge, Lieutenant, this is simply a walkthrough."

"...Oh," Annie said, clutching a PADD tightly. "Well, get better." She didn't add the panic running through her head and her wish that T'Pral returned immediately to take control once more.

T'Pral inclined her head, "I will, Lieutenant." She limped along her chosen path, leaving Annie in her wake, who turned back to the diagnostic she was previously working on.

The vulcan mounted the port-side lift and activated it to rise to the upper level. Once the lift stopped, the rhythmic thumping of her cane announced her passage. It wasn't lost on Ensign Murphy, who was just as surprised as Lieutenant Dixon to her presence.

"Lieutenant," he greeted her, offering a casual salute with the hyperspanner in his hands. "I am glad to see you feeling better. Did the doctors give you a clean bill of health?"

T'Pral stopped again, becoming a bit annoyed at these interruptions, though her stoic expression did not betray it. "Not as yet, Ensign. I am not returning to work at this moment. This is simply a visit to ensure Engineering remains at peak efficiency."

Ensign Murphy's eyebrows rose, "Surely you could just check the numbers via a console?"

T'Pral's expression did not change one iota, "Are you questioning my leadership methods, Ensign?"

"No, ma'am," he snapped to a more professional demeanor at the veiled admonishment.

T'Pral let him stand there for a long moment. Once she determined a logical time period had passed, she extended a hand towards the flow regulator he was working on. "Carry on, Ensign," she said.

He nodded and ducked back to work without another word, though his head turned to briefly watch her retreat, concern and curiosity crossing his face.

The vulcan engineer was more careful for the remainder of her "tour" of Engineering. She caught sight of petty officers Lanum and Th'zivis before they saw her. Thankfully they were deep into an argument over the proper procedure in adjusting the intermix ratio. She paused behind a meter-wide matter flow conduit a moment while she overheard the argument. They both were correct, in the end. Th'zivis's method was perhaps a bit more efficient, but Lanum's was easier. They'd both get there, in the end... if they ever agreed on a method.

T'Pral lifted her cane and used the second-tier railing to steady her walk towards her ultimate goal. A glance down through the transparent aluminum flooring, and she paused. Fear of falling was illogical - it was the sudden stop at the end that did the damage. She narrowed her lips and proceeded carefully. She wasn't quite at her steadiest yet, and a two-story plummet wouldn't be good for her recovery.

She rounded the upper portion of the warp core and reached one of the secondary access doors. A glance behind her to verify nobody would question her, and she shortly slipped through.

The Deck 34 corridor was, thankfully, vacant. Not many people came through here. Pretty much just engineers, and even they tended to avoid the waste reclamation facilities. Her cane resumed the rhythmic thump-thump-thump on the carpeted deck as she continued her journey. Main Engineering wasn't the only portoin of her domain - much of the lower Stardrive was under her purview, so continuing her "tour" here wouldn't raise many eyebrows.

She didn't dawdle, however, and as soon as she reached the turbolift, called it to her location. Once it arrived, she ordered, "Deck thirty-nine." The door hissed closed, and the car sped downward to her destination.

She was deposited not far from the emergency transporter room that was her ultimate destination. A short limping walk and she arrived at the secured door. Ensuring the corridor was vacant, she intoned quietly, "Computer, unlock this door. Chief Engineer override Tango Omega Eight Eight Nine Thorn, Enable."

The computer beeped an acknowledgement and she opened the door. The transporter room powered up as soon as she stepped in, lights coming on in a stepped fashion. The console was enshrouded by plastic film, the pads blocked by yellow tape. One of the pads was partially disassembled.

The Vulcan pulled the plastic off the console and began a level one diagnostic just to ensure the platform was operable in its current state. To her relief, it was. She then programmed her destination on the surface, with a ten second delay, before limping onto the operational pad.

[Vulcan]

A blue transporter beam deposited T'Pral onto the sun-scorched desert planet. Immediately before her was a short walk to a small settlement; the one in which the explosion occurred. She began her limping walk, her cane clicking quietly in the rocky sand.

OFF


Lt T'Pral
Chief Engineer
USS Calypso

& various engineers...

 

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