Watching the Work
Posted on Mon Apr 1st, 2013 @ 1:35am by Lieutenant James Cohen & Captain Vorn Krace
Mission:
Renewed Beginnings
Location: USS Iapetus, Main Engineering
Timeline: MD01 0940hrs
As Captain Krace entered the familiar surroundings of the Iapetus' Main Engineering, he was surprised at the amount of work still going on within the chamber. Engineering was always usually the hub of activity onboard, but he had expected most of the upgrading work in here to have been completed by now, with focus being directed no to other areas of the ship. It didn't take him long however to find the man he had come aboard to search for. "Lieutenant," he said, calling out to his new chief engineer.
James stood with a padd in his hand looking over the completed repairs and where they were behind schedule. The list was too long on the latter side of his page. James then heard someone calling out Lieutenant so he turned to see Captain Krace standing there. He walked over to the Captain, "Yes sir?"
"How come the upgrades?" Krace asked, his eyes being drawn as they often were to the imposing feature of the warp core that was the central focus of engineering. Though largely structurally the same as the old core, it bared a few small changes to the way it looked that stood out to the captain; as a man who always strove to know every inch of his own ship.
"They are coming along fine sir. So long as the Engineers from the station stop setting the ship on fire." He groaned after rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We are eighty nine percent complete all that remains are the engines and some minor upgrades to the bridge. Sir, they tried to rearrange the bridge by putting the Captain's Chair on the bulkhead...I don't know how they managed that."
Vorn chuckled at the engineer's comments. "Well, as long as the final product matches the requirements I approved," he answered jovially. The bridge when they finally got back onto it would look significantly different to how it was previously. Though the overall layout hadn't changed overly in terms of the placement of the command chairs and the general locations of consoles, the specific configuration had been updated; the helm now took up the space that it formerly occupied and the space of the former operations station that had sat next to it, creating an extra wide console for the ship's pilot, with Operations moving to be opposite tactical on the only other two freestanding consoles flanking the command area. It also was set to receive a similar curved wooden rail to that fitted to Galaxy-class bridges. "How has the new warp core been coming along? Giving you any troubles interfacing it?"
"It is not just starbase engineering personnel." He replied muttering the last part with his eyes closed slightly in frustration.
"Well the engineers at the yards speak very highly of it, so I hope that the new engine lives up to the hype," the captain responded. He turned the conversation now towards his two most pressing questions, and the main reason he had come down here. "How much longer will it take them to finish with the bridge?" he asked. "And how long before we can get underway again?"
"I would say perhaps another day to get the engines together and some simulation tests for a couple days. Then we should be ready for a shakedown and test run. Perhaps a week at the most two if anything drastically goes wrong."
Vorn nodded in understanding. "Well Starfleet wants us out on a test run for all of the new equipment as soon as we are able, so let's see if we can do all we can to keep it at only one week." He paused as he remembered another new bit of information that he wanted to discuss with the lieutenant.
"I've approved the transfer of a new member of your engineering staff," he said. "Highly experienced; an NCO with quite a few years of service - Chief Barin. He's to be joining us as our new damage control specialist."
James nodded, "Of course sir...I was also wondering if my promotion had come through yet?" He said with a large grin across his face it was a joke, but he didn't know if his Captain would catch on.
"No, Lieutenant Shepherd in personnel must be holding it back," Vorn responded, holding back a grin of his own and trying to sound deadpan. "Something about not wanting you to outrank her, I think."
"Hate it when the personnel officer gets like that." He said finally able to relax looking up to see a Petty Officer approach him with a random tool or another.
"Sir, we are finally ahead of schedule and can begin simulation tests when you are ready."
James nodded, "I'll be there soon Petty Officer Gomez." He said and looked at the Captain, "Well I must get back to it sir, I'll submit a report to you on how the test runs go...It may be sooner than a week after all."
"Excellent. Keep me apprised, Lieutenant," Krace responded, before turning and heading for the large doors to make his exit and leave the lieutenant to his work.
Captain Vorn Krace
Commanding Officer
&
Lieutenant James Cohen
Chief Engineer
USS Iapetus
