Inspection: Engineering

Posted on 01 May 2026 @ 10:13pm by Lieutenant Ranul Frex & Commander Madelina Barnes

2,167 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Acceleration
Timeline: February 2, 2391 || 1000 Hours

[ON:]

Maddy slowed her pace as the corridor narrowed, the hum of the ship’s systems vibrating faintly through the soles of her boots. The Chief of Engineering’s office sat tucked at the far end, its reinforced door half-lit by the soft blue glow of the status panel.

She shifted the cup in her hand, letting the simple action consume her for a few seconds before taking a steadying breath as she approached the threshold. The new XO extended her free hand and tapped the sensor beside the door, the panel pulsing in response, a muted chime signaling her presence inside.

The redhead straightened her shoulders, drink in one hand, patience in the other, and waited for the Chief to answer.

Ranul had been pouring over reports and trying to make sure that the ship would get out to their continued mission of hauling runs or whatever else that the Commodore and Starfleet would need of them. As he grabbed for his coffee mug on the table in his office, the door chimed. "Come in," Ranul said as he took a sip of the semi warm coffee that remained in the mug.

Maddy stepped forward as soon as she heard his voice, the sensor catching her movement with a soft chirp. The office door slid open, warm light spilling into the corridor and brushing across her uniform. She crossed the threshold with measured steps, the steam from her coffee curling upward in lazy spirals. Her gaze found the Chief Engineer inside, reports scattered like a battlefield around him. “Lieutenant Frex, good morning,” she greeted. “If you have a few moments, I’d like to conduct a surprise inspection.”

Ranul looked up from his reports to see a woman wearing a command red uniform with 3 full pips on her collar. He thought he had known everyone on the Black Hawk by now, but apparently not. He stood up and asked, "Yeah, we can totally do one. But, first....I don't believe that we've met. I'm Chief Engineer Frex. Who might you be? Are you the new XO that we got onboard?"

“Commander Madelina Barnes,” she introduced, crisp and clear. “Newly assigned Executive Officer to the Black Hawk.”

She stepped farther into the office, letting the door slide shut behind her before she straightened to full formal posture. The steam from her coffee drifted between them as she offered a professional smile. "I will let you lead the way."

Frex smiled as he waved for them to head out of his office into Main Engineering. As they headed out into Main Engineering, Frex announced, "Inspection time! Lets see what you guys have going on." With that, the entire engineering staff snapped to attention at their stations.

Frex looked back at the XO and said, "Lets start with the warp core maintenance control station." He lead Barnes to the station that helped to make sure that the warp core was functioning within tolerances, where a fresh faced Ensign stood.

Maddy followed Frex out of the office, matching his stride as they stepped into the organized hum of Main Engineering. The sudden call of “Inspection time!” rolled across the space like a shockwave, and she watched as every officer and enlisted snapped to attention with practiced precision. She acknowledged the display with a small, approving nod before turning her attention back to the Chief. When he indicated the first station, she moved with him, her expression composed but attentive.

At the warp core maintenance control station, she paused beside the young Ensign, offering a polite but formal greeting. “Very well,” she said, confirming the starting point. Her gaze shifted to the console, then to the ensign standing rigidly at attention. “Let’s begin.”

Frex nodded as they headed over to the warp core maintenance control station. He pulled up the specs for the warp core, impulse manifolds, and other drive systems. "We've managed to get the warp engines into about 97% of peak efficiency. Especially after doing cargo runs for the last little bit. It gave us a chance to make sure everything was running as well as it could be."

Maddy leaned in slightly toward the display as Frex brought up the readouts, her eyes tracking the shifting diagnostic lines with practiced familiarity. The soft thrum of the warp core in the distance underscored his report. “Impressive work,” she said, her tone measured but genuinely acknowledging the effort. “Ninety‑seven percent after extended cargo operations is no small feat.”

Her gaze lifted to meet his, steady and professional. “I appreciate the initiative. That's the kind of readiness the Captain expects from his crew. Walk me through your current monitoring protocol for the core’s harmonic stability.”

"Well, with the horizontal warp core instead of the vertical warp core, as you know, we have that harmonic stability issues. Mainly cause instead of the matter coming from the top down and the antimatter coming from the bottom up, it comes along the same shaft where the energy for the warp nacelles travels along, if that makes sense?" Frex said as he pulled up the schematics for the warp core and how the energy works for it.

He looked back at the XO and said, "Something we've done is to make sure to insulate the matter and antimatter conduits and the power transfer conduits with a combined Duranium/Tritanium composite lattices and subspace field regulators. They run along the lengths of the warp core and power conduits to reinforce the stability of the core, power conduits, and to tell us what might be in trouble before trouble happens. It was something that I had the teams work on when we got laid over a few months ago. It was just a little bit of work at the starbase to make sure that our warp core doesn't go boom or anything for something we could control."

Maddy listened with a polite, focused expression, though the deeper technical layers of his explanation clearly pushed the limits of what she actually understood. Still, she followed his explanation well enough to respond in what she felt was a proper way.

She nodded slowly. “Right… the horizontal configuration does introduce those… harmonic complications,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “I’m familiar with the general concept—matter and antimatter not having their own dedicated vertical flow paths, so everything sharing the same axis makes stability a bigger concern.”

Her gaze shifted to the schematic he’d pulled up, eyes narrowing slightly as she traced the highlighted conduits. She understood what she was looking at, even if the finer engineering nuance wasn’t her specialty. “The insulation work you implemented…” She tapped a knuckle lightly against the edge of the display. “Duranium–Tritanium lattice with subspace field regulators. I can’t claim to grasp every detail of how that all interacts, but I do understand the intent. Reinforcing the conduits, stabilizing the flow, and giving you earlier warning if something starts to drift out of tolerance.”

Maddy gave an approving nod. “Preventing the warp core from going ‘boom’ is a goal I think we can all appreciate. And it sounds like you’ve taken a very proactive approach to that.” A beat, then she added with quiet candor, “I’ll rely on your expertise for the deeper engineering specifics, Lieutenant. But from where I’m standing, the logic behind your modifications is sound.”

Frex chuckled as he watched the XO and listened to her. He replied, "I know that I just spewed a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo at you and I think you did good. Basically, we reinforced the power conduits and the matter/antimatter conduits for better stability and put some regulators and special sensors in them to make sure that nothing happens to them. For ship classes like the Akira, Saber, Defiant, and other ships that have more horizontal instead of vertical matter/antimatter reactions, it's important to think about that kind of stuff."

Maddy let out a quiet breath that might’ve been a laugh, her shoulders easing just a touch as Frex translated the engineering jargon into something far more digestible. “Thank you, Lieutenant. That explanation I can follow,” she said with a small smile. “Reinforced conduits, better stability, and sensors that warn you before anything gets… explosive. That part I definitely understand.”

"Yeah, I do technical mumbo jumbo sometimes and have to remember not everyone is an engineer. So, if you have questions, please do stop me and tell me that I'm doing the mumbo jumbo with my explanations," Frex said as he closed out that part. He looked at the XO and asked, "So, what's next? Maybe a look at the new dilithium chamber and its housing? Or is there something else you'd like to see before that?"

Maddy gave a small, appreciative nod, the corners of her mouth lifting just slightly at his good‑natured self‑awareness. “Understood. And for what it’s worth, you’ve done an excellent job keeping me oriented so far.” She shifted her stance, hands folding neatly behind her back as she glanced around the compartment once more. “Based on what I’ve seen, I’m confident you’ve got engineering matters well in hand.”

Her attention returned to him, expression steady and professional. “This is your department, and I want to understand it from your perspective. You decide where we go next," she said as she gestured lightly toward the broader expanse of Main Engineering. “Lead the way, Lieutenant. Show me what you think the XO needs to see.”

"Well, lets go check out the dilithium chamber and its housing next. After that, we can take a look at the plasma control room and go from there. We've been able to increase efficiency in several areas there," Frex said as he showed Maddy the crystal housing chamber in the warp core before moving onto the warp plasma and its control room.

Once they got to the plasma control room, Frex stayed right outside the door and said, "Since I don't know when we'd need warp again, I suggest that we stay outside of here. Wouldn't want to pull a Captain Spock moment or anything. But, we have gotten this better in tune." Frex went on to explain how the warp plasma field worked and made sure to keep it more in plain English than technobabble.

Eventually, Frex showed the XO through several of the critical areas that one could see without going into the tubes. He brought the XO back to the first station and asked, "Hopefully, we did alright for our first inspection with the new XO?"

The Executive Officer took a moment before answering now that the tour had come full circle. When she finally spoke, her tone carried both professionalism and genuine respect. "Lieutenant… my first official tour and inspection of Engineering has exceeded my expectations.”

She glanced around the compartment—at the stations, the crew, the subtle signs of a department that ran with discipline and pride—before meeting his eyes again.

“I’m impressed with the team Captain Geisler has working with him on the ship from what I've seen so far. Their readiness, attention to detail—it all speaks very highly of you all.”

She let that acknowledgment sit for a beat, giving it the weight it deserved. Then, with a slight shift of posture, she added, “Before we wrap up, Lieutenant Frex… do you have any questions for me?”

Frex thought about it for a brief moment before replying, "Not so much a question as much as a statement. You're apart of that team, Commander. Just cause you're new doesn't mean you're not apart of it. Just remember that as you go around the rest of the ship."

Maddy smiled, the sincerity behind them landing exactly as he intended. She gave Frex a small, appreciative nod. “Thank you. That’s… very kind of you to say. And I’ll remember it.”

She let the moment breathe, acknowledging the sentiment without rushing past it. Then her posture shifted back toward the professional with the clarity of someone wrapping up an official visit. “If you don’t have any questions or concerns for me, I’ll let you get back to your duties. Engineering seems to run like a well‑tuned machine under your watch, and I don’t want to keep you from it.”

She took a small step back, preparing to depart, but her tone remained open and steady. “My door is always open, Lieutenant Frex. If anything comes up—needs, concerns, ideas—you’re welcome to bring them to me anytime.”

"Nothing too much. But, I think I feel the Torque Plate out of alignment again. Might need to go get that tuned up. But, the offer stands to you as well. My office is always open. So, if you'll excuse me," Frex said with a smile before bowing out and heading to get the Torque Sensors back into alignment.

[OFF]

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