Systems Upgrades (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 19 Apr 2012 @ 1:12am by Lieutenant Commander Chauncey Remington III (KIA) & Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Lieutenant JG Robin Hilyer MD & Lieutenant Lilou Zaren & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Arthur Willis
Edited on on 20 Apr 2012 @ 12:46pm

3,110 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: Starbase 234, USS Galileo
Timeline: MD 02 - 0930 hrs

[ON]

Markum looked down at his PADD and walked out into the shuttle bay. The doors were opening, and a shuttle entered then sat down in its predetermined space three minutes early than was scheduled. Two large male Zakdorn exited the craft. As they approached Markum tapped his combadge. =/\= Quinn to Commander Remington. Our parts have arrived, sir. I'm in Main Shuttlebay. I think they want you to sign for parts.=/\=

=/\=On my way, =/\= Remington replied.

Quinn greeted the two other enlisted-men. One was crewman, the other a Chief Petty Officer. He greeted both with a welcoming smile. "Glad they sent someone that knows how to work. I'm Quinn, Chief Engineer. You boys are early." The CPO returned the smile, "Yeah, sorry Chief. The duty officer wouldn't get off our backs so we left early. Just you?"

"Nope," answered Quinn, "the Ops chief and another engineer will be around anytime. So will the doctor...oh the doctor." =/\=Quinn to Doctor Hilyer, I have a delivery for you sir. =/\=

=/\=Oh Good my new equipment has arrived. Have it sent to Sickbay right away.=/\

A few moments later, Remington arrived on the scene. "All right," he said, "let's get this stuff together and start working." He was eager to get everything completed, preferably ahead of schedule.

Lilou rounded the corner of a huge pile of shipping containers and skidded to a halt on her heels a few feet from the others. "Sir!" she snapped her hand to her forehead and released it. "The requisition list matches the supplies and I took the liberty of running a diagnostic on the current deflector arrays. Just sent it to your PADD. If we can maintain the current quality of the old arrays as we upgrade, someone else should still be able to get some use out of them." She paused, a little out of breath, and glanced back over her shoulder as the security officer passed from view. More of that later. Now was work.

Quinn shook his head at Peers as she stopped long enough to breath. "Thanks Peers." he then looked to Remington, then back to Peers, then back towards the equipment being unloaded. "I agree Commander. Let's get moving, haste makes waste, as they say." He tapped his combadge.

=/\= Aye-aye Doctor. We will have it sent to you right away, and then we will be there shortly after we finish our install with the sensors, and a short coffee break. =/\=

Lilou opened her mouth, shut it, and ducked her head. "Guess we should get to work taking up the transmission grids to make way for the new..." she cleared her throat. "Seems kind of disorganized, doesn't it? The ship was just finalized two days ago and we're already doing upgrades. Repairs, I understand. But upgrades?" She caught herself babbling, bit her lip, and rocked back on her heels. "I'll just climb on up there and stop talking, shall I?"

"What have we got?" Remington asked, "A trip to the deflector bay?"

"Looks that way Commander." replied Quinn as he looked at his PADD, then shared it with Remington. "I can have the equipment beamed over to the deflector bay. There we can get to work." Quinn nodded towards Lilou, "Ever see her work Commander? She got great potential, but she never stops talking....never. Cute kid though, wouldn't you say? My kid would go crazy for her."

Lilou's cheeks darkened; unsure how to respond to such a comment, she swallowed and pressed her lips together, miming zipping them closed and throwing away the key.

Will didn't seem to know what to say either, he merely gave Quinn a soft laugh. A moment later he managed a response. "She's quite dedicated."

Quinn nodded as checked over the crates one last time before beaming the supplies over to the deflector bay. "that she is Commander." With a thumbs up Markum remarked, "These look good to go Commander. Just give the word."

Lilou resolutely faced her PADD, her eyes darting - not subtly - between her superiors.

Quinn smiled, then added, "Commander, have you met my new Assistant Chief Engineer, Miss Peers? Here I am talking about her, and you've never been introduced. I apologize."

Of course, they had been introduced, Lilou thought. Hadn't that been inherent in the report she'd made about the replicator situation? Not that she'd said much beyond what the issue had been and the steps she'd taken to solve it, but she had mentioned that Remington could corroborate. Slowly, the rest of Quinn's statement connected with her brain tissue. Lilou blinked twelve times in rapid succession, although she didn't feel as though it were that fast. There was a slow rolling pounding in her ears which she recognized fairly quickly as her heartbeat thumping along quite merrily. She opened her mouth with the intention of saying something. Anything. Human. Intelligent. Nothing. Nothing came out. She breathed in and tried again. This time, a tremulous exhale escaped uselessly. She looked at Quinn, her throat working uselessly and her eyes shining with unadulterated pleasure, and snapped her hand to her forehead in a salute. "Thank you, sir," her voice was still shallow from breathlessness, but it was coming back. "I-" she swallowed, trying and failing to wipe the smile from her face. "Thank you." She bit the inside of her lip. "Lieutenant Remington and I met when he helped to identify the problem with the replicators yesterday, sir. It should have been in my report." She felt like an idiot, explaining while the massive grin was still riding her expression. "I... should get started removing that original transmission grid. If you can spare me, sir?"

"Go on Peers, and don't call me sir. " He smiled and looked to Remington, then back to his new Assistant. "We'll be right behind you."

She nodded, turning on her heel and heading off. She made it about ten placid steps before she popped off the ground, clicking her heels together with an embarrassingly giddy laugh and took off running. The ladder she'd used to check the top grids on the upper hull of the ship was still in place and she swung up onto it, running up the rungs as though they were nothing more than a shallow incline. At the top, she hooked her harness onto the top of the ladder and began a careful free-climb up and over to the starboard nacelle wing and the first grid relay. There were eleven transmission grids in total that made up the full system relay that enabled the deflector shields; nine spaced out over the upper hull with two beneath. She used her sonic driver to loosen the panel over the grid and attached both panel and bolts to a maglock she'd latched to the hull's exterior. From there, it was simply a matter of using her hyperspanner and sonic driver in concert to draw out the original transmission grid and carefully attach that to another maglock. =/\= Grid 1 down, Chief. Hooked it to a maglock for you. Nacelles first, then shuffle on forward?=/\=

Remington turned to Quinn after Peers had run off. "Hm, well, shall we get to the deflector array? I'll get a couple operations crewmen to see to equipment transport."

Quinn nodded, "Sounds great Commander."

Quinn walked at a quick pace to the deflector array. this was one time he was glad they were on a small ship. It only took a couple minutes to arrive. He tapped his combadge in reply to his assistant. =/\=Sounds good Peers. the Commander and I are going to start with the Deflector Array. Be careful out there, if you fall and break something important....or yourself...I'll make you Slak's assistant. =/\=

Quinn checked the power grid to the array, twice, and then noted to Remington. "Power is down to array Commander. Let the party begin." Markum grabbed his tool kit, stuffed it into one of his dungaree pockets, and then strapped another around his waist. He carefully climbed up the side access ladder and stepped onto a small platform. Willis strutted in at the same moment. He nodded toward Remington, "Good morning Commander. I see the Chief thinks he's a monkey again." He let out his well-known chuckle as he walked over to the arrays stationary control console.

"I got your monkey Willis. Now do something useful and toss me up the superconducting flux degausser, If we want to get accurate readings, then we better make sure the magnetization is neutral on these Flux generators and Flux spectrometers." Quinn then started his favorite thing to do when engaged in a big job...story-telling. "I remember this one time, back on the USS Constellation, our deflector array was hit by a Romulan ship. What a mess that made. We must of scrapped guts off our hull for weeks, anyway, someone forgot to degauss the primary flux generator before we fired it up. Man, ever see a deflector array implode on itself? I have to tell ya...."

Willis looked to Remington and shook his head. "This is going to be a very long, and painful experience for us, sir. Once he starts....he never stops...except for food...sometimes."

"Oh, pishposh, Willis," Remington said, tapping the side of his head as he picked up a hyperspanner with his other hand. "Wisdom and experience are something you should always take advantage of when it's available. Mr. Quinn has both in abundance." He looked back up at the engineer and asked, "What did you do?"

Willis smiled at the Commander, "Well, sir. For almost eight years, and now three vessels, I have been with the Chief. We met on the USS Quirinal during the deep space exploration mission. Six years on there. Chief introduced me to my wife. Not sure if I should thank him on that one." Willis chuckled a bit. "He was my best man." He loved his wife, but he loved exploring even more. "I've been a computer systems specialist for what feels like forever. Now, though, I've spent more time doing odd jobs, and working more with the ship's propulsion."

Will took a swipe at Willis' head, "Not you, knucklehead," he said with a laugh, "I want to know what Mr. Quinn and the crew did to save the ship."

He looked down at the console and pointed to a small blip. "Commander, I thought the power to the relays was cut off?"

"They should be," Remington replied with a small frown, previous joviality forgotten. He raised his voice, "Hold up, Quinn, the power's not down." Then he instructed Willis, "Shut it down."

Meanwhile, on the hull...

"What if I break something unimportant?" Lilou asked her now silent combadge, easing her way down onto the second nacelle and its subsequent transmission grid. Rise and repeat. "And wouldn't it be more of a punishment for Slak if you left me to him than it would be for me? After all, then he'd be the one who'd have to listen to me all the time instead of you. And he doesn't talk back." Of course, even now, she was talking and no one could hear her. Well. Maybe someone down on the hangar floor could if they had excellent hearing. But with all the noise already in the hangar between lifts and people and crates being shifted from one place to the next, she doubted it. There was a peace in the relative solitude as she worked her way through the process again, hooking the carefully extricated transmission grid to another maglock and beginning the slow crawl up the back slope of the ship.

From the other side of the sloped hull, there came a yelp and a loud clatter. "The hell was that? Terex!" She leaned her hip into the slope of the ship. =/\=Peers to Terex, are you up here?=/\=

=/\=I'm still working on disassembling the first grid, down here. The panel wouldn't budge.=/\=

"If you're on the ground, who is-" Lilou scuttled up the side, all Nano grip gloves and toes, until she crested the hull to see a young Trill leaning out over the edge of the ship. "Rothgra!" she shouted. Thanis Rothgra's head swivelled towards her, blinking furiously, a gasping whine issuing from somewhere inside his throat. "Nonononononono," she latched her harness into a bolt at the top and rappelled quickly down to where he was, dropped down next to the panel and cut the power line to the grid his bare hands were wrapped around. "What are you doing up here?" She drew him carefully back, holding on to his cloth covered shoulders and avoiding contact with his skin. "Rothgra? Stay with me."

He emitted a little squeak.

She cursed fluently, =/\=Peers to Medical - we've got a situation on the starboard hull. Get someone in a mech lift now.=/\= She gingerly leaned him back until he was lying flat, "Don't try to move, okay? You got buzzed. It happens to the best of us. You're going to stay really still and the docs are going to take you and fix you up." She took his legs at the calves and lifted them up slightly, tapping her combadge. =/\=Peers to all Engineering - Do not make contact with the grid relays. Repeat, do not make contact. Someone shut the goddamn power off. Quinn, Rothgra's down. I called for Medical.=/\=


Quinn sighed, and shook his head. =/\=Affirmative Peers. Willis is shutting down power now to the relays. Good job on staying alert out there kid. I'll let you buy the first round. Stay sharp up there.=/\= Quinn looked down to Remington and Wilis. Then with a rare sincerity while working he nodded , "Thanks guys for staying alert. I was just about to grab a transfer coupling. Guess I would have missed lunch if I had."

Willis gave a thumbs up. "Okay, power is down. Both primary, and secondary." Willis looked over to Remington. "Wow, that was close. I hope Rothgra is okay.."


"And that," Lilou told the young Trill in their shared native tongue as they waited for the medical team to come up on the mech lift, "is why we always wear gloves. Just in case. Mm hmm."

"Wanted to- help-"

"I get that. I do. But you just don't climb up onto the hull of a ship and start shoving your hands into things trying to be clever." She rested his legs on her shoulder, keeping them elevated. "Your job is to watch and learn, not to do and die. Got it? Don't nod."

"Yes, sir."

"Just a little while longer." She glanced anxiously towards the edge of the ship. Where the hell was the medical team? "Can't really call yourself a ship-fixer until you've been sparked at least once. But once is all you get, Thanis; do you understand? Ever pull a stunt like this again, I will get the Chief to assign you daily maintenance degaussing of the cargo bay transporters with nothing but a micro-resonator. For the Rest of Your Life. Agreed?"

Rothgra gave a weak, shallow laugh. "Okay."

"Here we go," she murmured as the lift finally pulled alongside of them and two medical officers climbed out to move him onto a flat board. "Got him?"

"We'll take him from here."

"Thank you," she told them and gave Rothgra a serious look. "I'll see you soon, all right?"

"Uh huh."

She watched the crew pull him away and sagged a bit, looking down at the relay grid. Well. There went one reusable transmission grid, she thought, peering at the severed power line. She pulled out her tricorder to quadruple check the power signature before she went about pulling out the ruined transmission grid and snapping it to a maglock. =/\=Peers to Troxx, we are good to go on grid transmission again. Triple check your electrical readings before each run, eh?=/\=

=/\=Nice of him to remind us,=/\= Troxx deadpanned through the combadge. =/\=He going to live?=/\=

=/\=Looks like,=/\= she answered.

=/\=Good.=/\=

Markum finished the initial modifications to support more information into and out of the relay slave for the primary array. The job wasn't hard, but it was tedious. "Willis, activate primary power to primary array, sub section one."

"Aye Chief." Willis made the appropriate changes on his console. Then with a slight and almost inaudible *humm* the area that Markum was standing at came online. "Looks good so far Chief. All green lights from where I'm looking. You got lucky old man!" said Willis with a laugh. Willis looked to Remington. "How things form your end, sir?"

Markum tapped his badge, =/\=Quinn to Peers. What's your status up there? You haven't fallen off or broken anything yet have you kid?=/\= Quinn allowed himself a chuckle. Besides from complaining about Willis, his very next favorite thing to do while working was harassing his new assistant, Peers.

=/\=Old grids are up, new ones going in. Lower hull is fully installed, as are the nacelles. Troxx is up top with me now setting in the new grids in the fore and port. Should be ready for a diagnostic in about thirty minutes. All limbs whole, short, and accounted for, Chief.=/\=

=/\=Good.=/\= replied Quinn. He looked over toward Remington. "Commander, how are things looking from there? I'd say I'm done here, and ready to move up to the secondary array." Markum grabbed a couple things and descended the ladder. "I'll meet you guys there, or I'll finish up myself and you two can go to medical."

"We're good," Remington replied. "How long will it take you? If you can use the help we'll get the secondary array out of the way now and then go to sickbay." He gestured to Willis, "Reengage the systems and power once Quinn is off there."

"Not long, twenty minutes I expect." replied Quinn. I'll get Peers to meet me there and you can have Willis and we can meet in Medical, if you want Commander."

Willis watched Quinn get down form the array then activated the power to the array. "Power up and rolling along fine sir."

Quinn tapped his badge, =/\=Peers, meet me at the secondary array in fifteen. Don't be late, or you're buying the beer.=/\=

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

LCDR Chauncey (Will) Remington III
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Robin Hilyer
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Pola Ni Dhuinn, M.D.
Asst. Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

CWO Markum Quinn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

MWO Lilou Peers
Asst. Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

CPO Arthur Willis (NPC)
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Galileo

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