Enigma Variations

Posted on Sun Jan 29th, 2023 @ 2:04pm by Commodore Samantha York & Lieutenant Casey Washburn

1,051 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Storm
Location: Shuttlecraft Amitra, CO’s Ready Room
Timeline: Immediately following Staff Meeting

The Shuttlecraft Amitra disengaged it’s FTL drive, cruising for a few hundred thousand klicks before it’s pilot accessed the subspace communications array. It has been a short hop from the Majestic, but Lieutenant Casey Washburn was ready for a fresh start on a new vessel. And since the Calypso had a vacancy for Chief Engineer, that was his destination. A few keystrokes later, the channel was opened.

“Calypso, this is Lieutenant Casey Washburn. Bringing your Chief Engineer and a replacement Shuttlecraft.”

“Shuttlecraft Amitra,” said a distinctly feminine voice over the comm channel. “Welcome to the Calypso, Lieutenant. You are cleared for the Main Shuttlebay. Commodore York would like to see you in the Ready Room as soon as you dock.”

“Acknowledged. Shuttlecraft Amitra out.”

The shuttle executed a smooth arc and accelerated to one half impulse, docking in the Main Shuttlebay in just under ten minutes courtesy of the autopilot function. Not that Wash was not a decent pilot, he just liked putting the automated function through its paces and gauging it’s performance. After seeing to his personal belongings with the Shuttlebay supervising officer, Wash made his way to deck one. As per generally accepted procedure, he rang the chime and was instructed to enter. He brought himself to as straight of a posture as he could muster and entered, approaching the desk.

“Good morning,” he said. “Lieutenant Casey Washburn, reporting for duty as Chief Engineer.”

Sam stood. "Welcome aboard. Please, have a seat." She indicated the replicator "Would you care for something to drink?"

Wash relaxed his posture noticeably, quickly taking the offered chair and crossing his legs left over right. He folded his hands together on top of his knee. “Thank you, Sir. A Flat White Espresso would be fabulous.”

Sam replicated his espresso and an apricot juice for herself and set them on her desk. "I prefer ma'am. I'm still a scientist at heart and sir, while appropriate for the military, has always felt a bit odd to me."

When he sat down, she took a seat behind her desk. "Tell me about your last assignment."

“Noted for future reference, Ma’am.” Wash paused for a moment and took a long sip from the espresso. As an Engineer that worked sometimes erratic hours, caffeine was a good friend to Casey Washburn. “For starters, if you don’t mind I prefer to be called Wash. As far as the Majestic…well, she’s a first-gen Galaxy class. I was her Chief Engineer for four years, which included a major refit. I left on good terms with Captain Stovek; I asked for a transfer for personal reasons. And by personal reasons, I mean I was in a relationship with the XO and it ended badly…so I wanted a fresh start.”

Sam nodded her head. "Yes. Relationships on a starship can be both good and bad. I married the former Marine CO here. Now he's been given a command of his own, so I don't see him as often as I'd like, but the Caly has been good to both of us. Not all are as fortunate." She paused for a moment, watching Wash. "I like that you're familiar with the Class. As a Galaxy II, we have all the upgradees, but she still has the heart of an explorer." She smiled. She was quite fond of her ship. "Why did you choose engineering?"

“My father was a computer specialist in the civilian sector,” responded Wash, leaning back slightly to make himself more comfortable. “So I grew up around more technology than most kids. Dad taught me a lot in that area, but I wanted to expand upon that. I actually wrote my graduating thesis on creating a multi-adaptive security firewall for Starfleet mainframes. My algorithms are the basis for the protocols being field tested on the Vesta class starships.” Wash paused for a moment. “From your service dossier, one of your degrees is in Computer Science, am I correct?”

She nodded. "It is. I wanted to be able to write my own programs rather than try to adapt someone else's. It comes in handy doing field work. I can adapt a program for what we need, or come up with a new one." She smiled. "I mostly work with science, history, and communications, but I've studied more general subjects as well."

“Sounds like a well-rounded background,” said Wash. He took another sip of the creamy espresso drink, noting that it was almost gone. “I will tell you also that I am almost obsessive about maintenance. Under my watch, all primary systems undergo level three diagnostics daily, and level two monthly. My maintenance schedule is more strict than most, but the Calypso‘s performance will be top notch.”

"It always has been," she replied. "I have no doubt that you will maintain her well." She watched him for a moment. "Tell me something about yourself."

“Umm,” stammered Wash. He had not expected to really talk much about himself and his interests, honestly. He went with the first thought that came to his mind. “I love to cook,” he blurted out. “I have a thing for Trill cuisine specifically. I try to take some of their classic dishes and jazz them up with ingredients from all over that world and use modern techniques. My plasma-torch roasted fenza bird is to die for.”

"Very nice. If you don't want to cook in your quarters, you might talk one of the lounge managers into letting you experiment when they're slow. The manager of Milliways on Deck 42 is often open to letting crew create a special dish."

Wash nodded slowly. “Thank you for the suggestion, Ma’am. That sounds like it’s right in my wheelhouse.” He cleared his throat a bit loudly. “If you don’t mind, I would like to get to Engineering…I have an engine room to evaluate, after all.”

"I don't mind at all." Sam smiled and stood. "If there's anything you need, talk to the Quartermaster. For now, feel free to get settled and have a look around. And lieutenant, welcome aboard."
____
OFF

Lieutenant Casey Washburn
Chief Engineer

Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer

 

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