Here Comes the Calvery

Posted on Tue Jul 12th, 2011 @ 12:03pm by Rear Admiral William Sanders

1,042 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Orbital Yard Project Athena I
Location: Outer Docking Ring

Admiral Sanders stood outside the airlock, awaiting the arrival of USS San Diego. He tapped his comm badge. "Commander Skylar, please report to airlock 3 in the outer docking ring."

A string of Klingon curses came through the comm-link. A large shake hit the area, and, after another string of Klingon curses through the comm-link, a shaky, Vuclan-accented voice, responds, in an annoyed voice. "Before, or after I finish the repairs caused by your interruptions in Lieutenant Junior Grade Walsh's attention span?"

"But, Chief Skylar, if we don't fix this warp-core breach, it'll-"

"Shut up, Lyra. Repair team to the Wimbledon's engineering section. Fast." Skylar's voice said, in the background, and then he stepped closer to his comm-badge. "I'm sorry, what were your instructions?"

Sanders shook his head. Clearly the Engineering department on Typhon was in far worse shape than indicated. "Never mind Commander, I'll come to you. Sanders out."

As soon as Sanders ended the link, the airlock opened slowly. Out stepped a woman with wild hair and a vivacious smile. "Lieutenant Green reporting for duty Sir." She said in her raspy voice as she extended her hand toward Sanders.

Sanders took her hand and smiled. "Lieutenant Green, we're glad you could make it to Typhon. Unfortunately there seems to be an incident that requires our immediate attention."

"Understood." Green tapped her commbadge and had herself, Admiral Sanders, and several members of her team beamed to the Engineering section of the Wimbledon.

After materializing, Green and Sanders rushed over to reactor control.

"And, there." Bobgdonovich said, with a nod, playing with a computer console.

"Automatic Failsafes re-engaged. Back-up containment protocols engaged." The computer noted.

"Re-engage magnetic bottles, disable anti-matter flow." Skylar said, instantly.

"Warning, this will cause warp core to go inert. It may take several hours to restart it, using this method." The computer noted.

"Confirm, over-ride safety regulation 2-1-7-Alpha, and disable anti-matter flow." Skylar insisted.

"Confirmed." The computer noted.

The warp core slowly stopped pulsing.

"Lyra." Skylar said.

"Yes, sir?" Lyra asked, shakily.

"Go find your mittens. And put them on. Then don't touch anything until I tell you." Skylar said, turning to the new-comers.

"Yes sir." She said, softly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Skylar said, with a quirked eyebrow.

Sanders closed his eyes in shock and disappointment.

"Green. Lieutenant Chartreuse Green, and it looks like ya'll needed us more than was let on. Glad Admiral Sanders got you off the DNR." Green looked around, her eyes still wide from the potential destruction.

"I sincerely look forward too, and have frequently dreamed of, having sufficient staff, that I can only send Walsh out, to deal with people I do not like." Skylar said, once she was out of hearing range. "I assume you are both part of Captain T'Yuna's team, which has taken control of project Athena?"

Sanders sighed. "Admiral Sanders, I'm coordinating Project Athena. Lieutenant Green and her staff, though assigned to Athena, will be working with you. I'll make the necessary arrangements and inform Captain Hawkins."

"I wish you luck, in that regard." Skylar said, dryly.

Chartreuse watched as Admiral Sanders walked off and she shook her head. "Looks like he's been having a rough week." The woman rubbed her palms along her hips. "So, I guess that leaves us to work out the details..."

"Ground rules: Yes, Lieutenant Junior Grade Walsh is... special. No. She is not air-lock material." Skylar said, with a quirked eyebrow. "Just make sure she is wearing her mittens. It is safer for everyone that way."

"Mittens. Check." Chartreuse snickered to herself. "Perhaps we'll need to set her up with Ensign Matthews. He won't realign plasma conduits without a surgeons mask and latex gloves."

"Actually, that's Sirgei's job, normally." Skylar said, with a look to the Russian Chief Warrant Officer. "Seems he was... distracted.... by something."

"She had a ward-robe malfunction." Sirgei muttered, as he was tapping at the computer. "It was hard not to be distracted."

"You guys are crazy." Green laughed. "I heard it was a little nuts out here on the frontier, but I never thought it would be so well represented."

"It appears that our capacity for sane thought is sufficiently negated, when one's team is cut into a third, then a third of that, then a third of that, and then 2 starships, and seventeen civilian vessels need repairs, before next week, when 2 more starships arrive." Skylar noted, dryly.

Green looked at Skylar knowingly "I hear that's what happens when you piss off Admiral Willoughby."

"I have no idea what I did to start him on that line of action. His incessant demands came after my personnel issues." Skylar clarified.

Bobgdonovich shook his head. "He still hasn't been ordered to the brig, either."

"Well my team consists of forty engineers. Will that be sufficient to resolve your staffing problems?" Chartreuse looked at the Commander questioningly.

"For the moment, yes." Skylar said, nodding. "Though, for how long you are staying, I do not know. Captain Hawkins is not very... accommodating... to being forced to do anything on his Starbase."

"I hear he nearly blew a fuse when he met T'Yuna." Bobgdonovich said, with a chuckle.

"That is an understandable issue." Skylar noted, dryly.

Chartreuse laughed. "I'll leave that to the Admiral. But I'm here as long as you need me, even if that requires a permanent transfer. Most of my staff will feel the same. This place is a train-wreck."

"That is a most curious metaphor. We may have many various types of locomotion present, on Starbase Typhon, but railed-transit is not one of them." Skylar noted, dryly.

Sirgei shook his head, and went back to re-programming the computer.

"You Vulcans and your jokes!" Chartreuse giggled as she gently slapped the Vulcan on the shoulder.

Skylar quirked an eyebrow. "Illogical."

Sirgei simply shook his head.

__________

Rear-Admiral William Sanders
Project Manager - Athena
Starbase Typhon

Lieutenant Commander Skylar
Chief Engineer
Starbase Typhon

Lieutenant Chartreuse Green
Head of Engineering Response Team Alpha - Athena
Starbase Typhon

Lieutenant Junior Grade Lyra "Shiny" Walsh
Warp Core Breach waiting to happen
Starbase Typhon

Chief Warrant Officer Sirgei Bobgdonovich
Computer Systems Specialist, Walsh's keeper
Starbase Typhon

RSS Feed