An Understatement

Posted on Mon Feb 11th, 2013 @ 7:23pm by Lieutenant James Cohen

Mission: Renewed Beginnings
Location: U.S.S. Iapetus, Main Engineering

Lieutenant James Matthew Cohen could have taken a vacation and perhaps he should have. He was a thirty nine year old Lieutenant with no wife, and no children he could do whatever it was that he pleased right? His family on Earth missed him perhaps he should have stopped there and took a vacation, but after returning to the Alpha Quadrant the officer who had been reassigned chose to stay behind.

He looked at the datapad for a moment before looking up towards the two officers that were part of the engineering staff on board. "No that goes there." He pointed at the cargo manifest in his hand and pointed to his left it was parts for the warp core that had been refitted.

James remembered once more that he had the chance to leave the ship and did not do so choosing work over pleasure. He heard a loud crash that startled him and turned to see two enlisted personnel standing next to a console that was being fixed. "Get out of my section now." He demanded before walking over to where the console had a blackened coloration to it.

He could see where the two engineers had crossed wires that shouldn't have even been active. "The hell..." He muttered under his breath before reaching in causing some sparks, but he managed to split them apart once more. The console was the control panel for the warp core it determined how much dilithium was poured into the reaction chambers.

James Cohen scratched his head and walked around the glass to where the core was being rebuilt. "Remind me again how this is supposed to be better?"

Ensign Rodrigo looked at the Lieutenant and shrugged, "Sir, to be honest you could have taken a vacation, and chose not to. Is it because you don't trust us?"

"Ensign that is an understatement." He found himself saying and ignoring the hurt in the Hispanic man's eyes truthfully he didn't care what they thought. This was his engine room now, it was not theirs and if that meant that he had to spend the weeks working twenty hour days five to six days a week then so be it. He was tired yes, and grumpy but it was worth it.

The warp engines were one of many systems that were being overhauled. The nacelles had been ripped out and replaced along with the rods that were in the nacelles. The matter/anti-matter reaction chamber had also been removed and replaced with something better mostly because of the microscopic crack that had been found. This was his baby after all.

"Ensign I don't want any other incompetent personnel touching things in here. In the past week we've had one fire, and those two crewman just tried to start a new one. I don't know who trains these people, but I'll be damned if my engine room is in flames again."

"Yes sir."

"And, another thing when I come back from lunch I will be checking the system via a diagnostic so I want the control panel ready." James said.

"Yes sir."

He turned to walk towards the doors to leave the ship for a moment, but stopped short and turned to look at him. "Don't call me sir call me Lieutenant Cohen please." He said.

"Yes si- Lieutenant Cohen."

James was now satisfied because he made the man think for a moment. And, with that he walked out the door hoping that unlike two weeks ago he didn't find the engine room on fire and damage control personnel running around frantically. Sure he was being picky, very picky, but it was his engine room now. Nobody else's not even Captain Krace could lay claim to his space on the Luna class starship.

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James M. Cohen
Lieutenant
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Iapetus