Tools of the Trade

Posted on 03 Apr 2014 @ 8:56pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Oliver Morris & Lieutenant Asahi Kita & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn
Edited on on 04 Apr 2014 @ 12:31am

1,054 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo: Main Engineering
Timeline: MD- 01 MT: 1200

ON:

Asahi had been flitting around the department, despite himself. Even if they weren't completely sure of what was going on in the mission, the tiny engineer couldn't stop himself from turning over every possibility. Sometimes he found himself envying the science department on ships like this; they got to work with the most enthralling of subjects.

It was only natural for him to jump at the opportunity to get himself down and dirty into some investigative research. This would mark the first time he had been able to delve into the inner workings of mining equipment, but he was still excited about it. Sounded like they'd have an expert on their side too; Quinn did mention having experience in the matter.

The engineer almost didn't even notice anyone else entering, he was so busy pacing about the warp core like an excited child. With your blessing, Lieutenant, we could get one up and running for you."

Oliver entered icarrying a PADD and a contemplative look upon his face . Just before he left his office, he had a rather chance encounter with an old boyfriend also newly assigned to Galileo. Seeing th'Tenn was completely unexpected and shook Oliver to the point that the Yeoman wanted to hide away in his sadness. th'Tenn was the one who got away. The Andorian chose his obligations to his people over love. Oliver, much as it had destroyed him, accepted his decision but it didn't mean it still hurt after many years.

He walked up to the closest wall console. He pressed a few commands on both the PaDD and the console, switching the images on the wall from the current bridge schematic to that another foreign looking one.

A large rotating metallic construct appeared. A span of wires were attached to the main body of the construct that had long and cylindrical shape at the bottom. The top was flat with several indicator lights. "This is the standard drilling apparatus used on Lyshan. It's simply called the Mark IV."

Quinn enter the room and stopped next to Asahi. "Good day, sir. I see you have the schematics already. Excellent."

Asahi, since having stopped his pacings, returned to the front of Main Engineering, giving the Yeoman and the Chief a pleasant nod. "It's nice to see you both. Hope everyone's morning has been well." He turned to the display, examining the schematics. They were definitely different than the starships he was used to. "... What's the Mark IV run on?"

Quinn looked over the designs carefully. "Looks like those are crys-tonium power cells, sir. Typical for miners. The power cells are a mix of dilytium crystals, irradiated with plutonium."

"Correct," Oliver replied looking over his PADD, "The battery life of the drill is about 50 years, give or take. According to my own findings, The Mark IV is an older model compared to what the Federation is using now. The M4's on Lyshan are 'on loan' to the Cardassians from the Federation. Much of their own drilling tools were destroyed or commandeered during the Dominion War. Engineering teams on both sides of the Cardassian border spent weeks making sure that these were compatible with Cardassian Tech."

Asahi nodded, mentally cursing himself to pay more attention to the designs in front of him. "Dilithium and plutonium..." He had very little knowledge of Cardassian tech, or about what they had before the war nearly decimated what they had previously, but the knowledge given rose a few questions. "If they're older, then there could be a chance that regular maintenance needs to be done at more frequent intervals, especially as time wears on, nevermind the fact that they were adapted to another technical interface." He paused. "Do we have a maintenance schedule on hand? Any reports of any malfunctions or troubles?"

"My research was only limited to technical aspects. I could not get access to any personal or technical logs. We're dealing with civilian contractors, not the military. Any records may not be as forthcoming, not to mention the fact that after the War much of Cardassia's infrastructure is still spotty." Oliver looked over the schematic on the wall. "Anything past this would be conjecture."

He turned to Quinn, "You've said that this is a common use drill. What is the usual maintenance schedule like on a Mark IV?"

"Heavy use in a deep core mine, I'd say every ten days at the most." replied Quinn. "That would be just to replace the filters and probably either replace or tune up the plasma coil. Twice a month you need to check the frame for failures or damage. It's pretty intense and can be done, but I'd need help."

"Hm..." Asahi gave a nod toward the chief. "Well, if it's something that needs to be done, I can get my engineering team to help out. Petty Officer Beaumont will probably wont to see the inside of the machine anyway, see if he can get answers from all angles..."

Quinn smiled at the mention of the petty officer. "I had a little meeting with Petty Officer Beaumont. Nice kid...reminds me of me kinda. I think Beaumont would be an excellent choice, sir."

"He's got the enthusiasm... and he's lacking certain... opinions that some of the older engineers have." Asahi nodded in agreement. "It makes him a good choice, but I'll make sure there are a couple of others for engineering support."

The tiny engineer turned toward Morris. "Would it be possible to pass these specifications along to my engineers? I want to make sure we're all on the same page before we get ourselves down there."

Quinn scratched his beard while still staring at the schematics. "I'll be sure you get duplicats. Just to be safe."

Asahi nodded, grinning. "I think that makes us all set then? There might be more questions somewhere down the line, but we can't know for sure until someone's down there poking at everything."

"I agree. If I find something useful I will make sure to forward it to you both." Oliver smiled and pressed a key on his PaDD.

OFF:

PO Oliver Morris
Chief Yeoman
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Asahi Kita
[Acting] Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Command Master Chief Petty Officer Markum Quinn
Chief of the Boat
USS Galileo

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