XO's and Injectors

Posted on Tue Jul 5th, 2022 @ 8:29pm by Lieutenant Commander T'an & Lieutenant Commander Curh Thyvn

Mission: Prelude: The Gathering
Location: USS Proxima: Main Engineering
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 1800

[FEDERATION STARSHIP PROXIMA]
[MAIN ENGINEERING]
[DAY ONE 1800 HRS]

Curh stepped through the doorway to Main Engineering and took a moment to take in his new office. The outer housing of the warp core shined, giving away its newness. He smiled to himself slightly, as he looked on. While the Shiloh had been his first ship as Chief Engineer, he had not been the first Chief Engineer in that ship's history. He would be the first for the Proxima's refit and he would be leaving a legacy behind him. The various crewmen hustled around him, all giving him nods of acknowledgment which he returned. He made his way over to the impulse injectors where he assumed the XO was. Seeing the slash of white on gray at her uniform tab, Curh approached and stood next to her before clearing his throat.

"Commander Rhowin, the Captain said I could find you here," Curh said before continuing, "Lieutenant Commander Thyvn reporting ma'am."

"You found me," Rhowin said with her fingers in hesitated motion. She was distracted. Engineering was not her strength and she'd had to focus on what the Chief of the Impulse Manifold Control Room had tried to tell her. "Now you can hide, and I will seek you," she joked over her shoulder. Her electric blue eyes set briefly on the Andorian.

"Try again Chief," she said to the comm. And then she rose from her lean over the console. She turned and extended a hand to the Andorian. "Commander," she greeted "You're just in time. I'm happy to cede this to you." Her unusual eyes set on the Andorian again and then looked back at the console's blues and greens, "I'm only good in support here." She put her hands on her hips angled backward. "How was your journey to the station?" She asked.

"Fairly uneventful ma'am," Cur responded shaking his hand. He turned his attention back to the console in front of them. He analysed the readings on the console interpreting the data. "Chief, you need to adjust the flow regulators by 2.6 microns. That will bring the intermix ratio back into spec," he said to the crewman. He looked back at the XO before explaining, "These new impulse injectors run at a higher pressure. We had the same issue back on the Shiloh during her last refit."

It was only a few moments after Cur's solution presented results: first with a green light across the impulse flow monitor, and then the chirp of the Chief on the comm, "That did it. Thanks, Engineering. Impulse control out." Rhowin chortled, her chin swaying with an impressed rise of her bald brows. "Well, I know when I'm not needed any longer." She said to the Andorian, about the job. "Clearly the right person for the job."

The XO filled her chest with her native atmosphere and rolled her shoulders. A hand came off her hip and she rubbed her neck. So they'd had an uneventful trip to this end of the frontier. "Did you come on the Shiloh?"

"No ma'am," Curh responded as he looked over the console at the monitor. His antenna had twitched slightly at her comment on his expertise. , Of course, he was the right man for the job, why else would he be here, he thought but didn't say. He never was good at these types of conversations, but she was his new XO.

"The Shiloh but in for her refit at Starbase 12. I caught a ride on one of the transport ships coming out this way," he said before looking back at her and thinking about the question again. "You could say the only eventful time was how slow and rough that ship was," Curh said. In actuality, he had spent most of that trip trying to convince the ship's captain to let him look at the engines. But the Rigelian had refused, claiming there was nothing wrong with his vessel. At that moment, however, the freighter was undergoing repairs for blown warp plasma regulators.

It seemed the way most of the crew was arriving- by transport. It was a canary in the mine, that few starships came out here. The distances between settled systems were more vast, and those worlds far less settled. While sentient species existed in the area, few were Federation members.

"I see," she acknowledged again. "It's been a long trip from Earth. We'll still have a month or so of shakedown before Starfleet allows us to be completely free."

Curh nodded before looking towards the new warp core. "I understand there are still items on the shakedown checklist we have to complete," he said before looking back at the XO.

Rhowin agreed, now placing her hands more formally behind her back. "Yes, they're in your logs in your office. Whatever you need, we can reach out to Lambda-2's cargo officer, and the yardmaster." She looked at the warp core. She knew many engineers found it to be a beating heart. She wondered what that would feel like, akin to an agnostic pondering what true faith must have been like. "We'll be departing in four days if the schedule holds."

"I'll be sure to have her ready before we depart," Curh said following her gaze to the warp core. He looked at it as well, his antenna showing his relaxed feelings as he reached out and placed a hand against the blue housing. The metal was cold, yet slightly warm to the touch. He could almost feel the bursts of energy at the atomic level within, and he let a small smile creep onto his face. When he glanced back over at the XO, he found her studying him with what appeared to be amusement on her face. Curh pulled his hand back and coughed into his fist slightly, his antenna showing his embarrassment at his behavior.

"Forgive me, Commander. I have a tendency to forget whose company I am in at times," he said sheepishly before straightening, "It will not happen again."

Rhowin's hand gesture was half down and half a wave away. It said that it wasn't a problem. "I know to not get in between an Engineer and their first love," the Barzan said. "Keep me apprised," she requested with a nod.

"Of course, ma'am," Curh said with a nod before turning his attention back to the control panel in front of his as his new XO departed engineering. He felt embarrassed that he had let his excitement over his new ship come forth in his meeting. He glanced over his shoulder at her departing figure as he thought back to their meeting. She was not like his previous XO, she seemed more trusting of him to do his job. Curh appreciated that, he hated to be micromanaged.