Dropping In

Posted on 25 Sep 2014 @ 3:03am by Commodore Harvey Geisler

771 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Razmena
Location: USS Black Hawk || Science Labs
Timeline: February 4, 2388 || 1230 hours

If there was one thing Harvey hated, it was sitting idle. Already, the Black Hawk was at least one light year from half of its senior staff. And here he was, again without an XO to look after the bridge while he wandered the corridors of the Black Hawk.

Hell, until two days ago, he'd been without an XO for nearly a month. One would think Harvey would be used to it by now...

Thankfully, Sherman was still around to look after the bridge.

With the Black Hawk still two hours away from the nebula, Harvey took to a surprise inspection of the ship, specifically to the Science Labs. With the sudden reassignment of his last Science Chief, Harvey was left with little choice but to promote from within, and a new face at that. As Harvey entered the lab, he spotted the young lieutenant across the room busy with... something...

The captain approached Chadwick and asked, "Status report, lieutenant?"

Chad standing on the far side of the lab, working on a console, when he heard footsteps behind him. Hearing the voice of his CO, Chad turned around and faced him. "Captain, I'm experiencing some problems with the probes. The probes we use can only withstand a barometric pressure of up to 450 mpa, but nebulas have pressures of at least 1,000 mpa." Chad was doubtful that Harvey could completely understand the problem, but made sure to inform him anyway.

Harvey's eyes narrowed. They hadn't yet arrived and already there were problems. "There's not exactly a nearby starbase or depot we can simply run by and pick up a couple qualified probes, lieutenant. I don't suppose you have any workarounds or ideas?"

Chad nodded to Harvey. "Oh, solving the problem is easy. All I need to do is alter some of the external hardware, and replace the shield generators with higher powered ones, to amplify the structural integrity field." Chad frowned. "The thing is, it'll take a while for me to complete. Even with assistance from my science officers, making the necessary changes for the probes to work will take several hours. I can not guarantee that I will be ready by the time we reach the nebula."

"Fortunately, time is not of the essence." Harvey turned to look at the long range scan of the nebula displayed on the console. He was sure most science officers would see opportunity for discovery. The image only reminded him of the distance from Razmena. He just hoped the study of the nebula and the drills the squadron would be performing would be enough to bide the time until the crew was once again whole.

"Well then, Captain, there are no real problems then, are there?" Chadwick had a lot of work ahead of him. First, he had to order the parts for his probes from the QM. Then, he had to disassemble the probes one by one until all of the normal shield generators were removed. Chadwick sighed. "Anything else you needed, Captain?"

The captain recognized what that particular sigh meant. In fact, he'd given several of his supervising officers the same exact sigh on a number of occasions. He halfway wondered--now that he was on the opposite end--what those officers had once felt on those occasions.

"I need capable men and women who can accomplish their tasks," Harvey said at last. He was never one for small talk, but he had a responsibility to the ship to know the crew he was serving with. "I know you came aboard not long ago, Lieutenant. Circumstances then prevented a proper greeting. I trust everything has been somewhat satisfactory thus far?"

"Of course, Captain. My department is competent, the labs are functioning properly. All is well down here. Is everything going fine up on the bridge?"

"Good."

Harvey looked away from the console and surveyed the room. The other occupants of the lab were minding their own business. Harvey recognized all of them, including Lieutenant Carmichael. The poor guy had been overwhelmed in the Altair Incident, and it was one of the reasons Harvey had passed over his chance to lead the science department. Nonetheless, he was still a strong asset to the team.

"Fine indeed," he told Lieutenant Cavendish. "Normally, I'd say if you need anything, ask the XO. She's not here for now, so feel free to let myself or Yeoman Carter if you need anything."

"All right, thank you, captain. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to get back to." Chad gave a quick salute, and returned to working on his console.

Harvey simply replied with a nod and departed the lab.

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