Tip-Toe Through Engineering (backpost)

Posted on Fri Apr 16th, 2010 @ 6:50pm by Lieutenant JG Hannah Andeti & Lieutenant Samuel Bishop

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A House Divided"
Location: Engineering
Timeline: MD06 1540

Andeti wasn't one for technological wonders, most of the time and maybe that was the reason she had waited so long before visiting the Pandora's engine room. That and the infinite distractions to be found in the library and arboretum had kept her away. Nevertheless the counselor always made a point of getting to know her ship inside and out and the engineering was a very important part of that tour. The door closed behind her and immediately she was greeted with a barrage of noise.

"Dammit MacCauley, slow down!" Bish called to a man on the upper Engineering level.

"I got it, I got it! Stop bein' a mother hen!" the unseen man called back.

"Bah!"

The counselor couldn't decide is she should just leave this man to his obviously enjoyable duty, but as she stood, making up her mind, she caught his eye and she smiled. "Not interrupting, am I?"

Bishop turned at the voice and raised an eyebrow as his mind registered several details at once.

'Who's this?' 'She's a pretty girl, always liked unusual women.' 'Damn if her hair was any lighter I'd need sunglasses.' 'Not one of mine.' 'Probably lost.' 'Damn ship was designed by a blind monkey with a hangover' 'Lieutenant JG, so I can pull rank if necessary.' 'Hope I don't have to.' 'Uh oh.' 'Medical uniform.' 'Bad sign.'

Smiling slightly, the Engineer approached the young woman. "Not at all Lieutenant. What can I do for you?" He winced at the crash that sounded behind him, making his smile look more pained. "Don't mind the flying circus back there, they're barely housebroken," he grumbled.

Hannah laughed. "I'm just glad to see you're keeping them well exercised."

The Chief laughed at that for a moment. "Yeah, the giant hamster wheel's bein' installed on Tuesday," he deadpanned.

"I'm Lt. Andeti, I was just looking around."

"Well... uhh... pleased to meet you Lt. Andeti," Bishop said haltingly. He was about to say something else when McCabe came over.

"Excuse me Chief but I wanted---" McCabe trailed off as he noticed the young Lieutenant standing there. When he spoke, his voice deepened slightly, and a smile slowly spread across his face. "Well, hello Lieutenant. I'm Engineer's Mate Rodney McCabe," he said, extending a hand. Behind him, Bishop rolled his eyes theatrically.

"Lt. Hannah Andeti," she responded with a laugh, taking the man's hand and eying the Chief over the man's shoulder.

"McCabe, I know you have something better to do." After a moment when the young man obviously wasn't listening, Bishop raised his voice slightly. "McCabe!" he barked.

The Engineer's Mate spun around, blushing slightly. "Sorry Chief?"

The Chief sighed heavily. "I was saying that I'm sure you have something better to do." He eyed the younger man ruefully. "Besides, you're drooling on my deck," he muttered, making Rodney blush some more.

"Y-yes Chief. Pleasure meeting you Lieutenant," he stammered out and vanished around the massive warp core.

Sam watched him go and rolled his eyes again. "It's like workin' in the daycare of the damned," he muttered to himself.

Hannah was laughing, both at McCabe's blatant youth and the Chief's almost parental affection, veiled as it might be, for the young man. "I'm sure you wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled, meeting his shocking green eyes.

Bishop simply grumbled, but his eyes held a smile. "I supposed I'd be bored if I didn't have this bunch to chase around," he said finally.

The counselor continued to smile as she looked at the engineer. "Maybe I shouldn't keep you from it, then. Who knows what sort of shenanigans they might get up to if you decide to show me around a little." She hoped he would be willing to give her a tour, but she didn't expect anything. She really didn't understand technology most of the time and was very interested in the sort of people who did.

For a long moment Bishop simply stared at the young woman as her words slowly sank in. 'Bloody hell', he thought. 'McCabe'll never let me live this down.' To Andeti, he just smiled his sideways smile and gestured toward the warp core. "C'mon, I'll show you around a bit. This bunch should be alright for a few minutes," he said, peripherally noticing the rather stunned expressions of the crew nearby. Each of them quickly found something else to do when they met his gaze however.

The counselor smiled and nodded, noticing the crews rather startled reaction. "Sounds great." She followed the engineer but leaned in slightly. "Should I be worried that most of your staff seem to be avoiding eye contact?" She offered a sly half smile as she watched McCabe very expertly focus on his work.

"Nah, they just aren't used to seein' their boss being all social," he said with a smile. The Engineer actually felt more at ease than he would have thought possible as he brought the young woman to the massive multi-level warp reactor core, it's length dominated by the dance of unimaginable energies. "This is it, the heart of the ship," Bishop said with a tone that seemed a mixture of awe and pride. "The bridge might be Pandora's 'brain', but this... this is her heart."

The counselor nodded, obviously impressed, but gave a wry smile. "So what would that make the counseling suite?" She asked rhetorically.

The Chief was thrown by the question and tried to think of something clever, ending simply with, "That's... a good question." 'Brilliant Bish,' he thought to himself morosely. 'Captain Charisma, that's you.'

Hannah smiled. "Here most engineers would have said the lower intestines." She laughed and looked up at the engine. "It's pretty impressive though."

"Nah that'd be the Chief Engineer's office," he deadpanned, hoping that she'd get the joke. He led the young woman to the elevator that brought them to the upper level. He moved around to the back of Engineering, to a deserted railing that overlooked the entire bay. "Sometimes I come up here to think." He gestured to the tiny people below. "They think I come up here to watch them," Bishop said with a smirk.

She laughed for a second time. "It's a good view." She grinned. "Especially if you're trying to impress upon them the image of an evil dictator." Andeti tried to stop herself from cracking another joke and leaned on the railing to overlook engineering. It really was a good view.

He laughed out loud at that, eliciting a few surprised looks from people below. "I like that. An evil dictator, huh? Maybe I should give it a try. What do you think?" Strangely, Bishop found his ease around Andeti somewhat unnerving because of its unfamiliarity. He was accustomed to a low-level buzz of discomfort around the opposite sex, particularly after... So this was a shock to the Engineer.

"I think you might be able to pull it off." She turned and eyed the empty space behind them. "Actually, this would be the perfect place for a statue." She grinned at him. "You know to show your benevolent side as well as your iron-fist-ed justice."

On a sudden impulse that would later haunt him, Bishop unzipped the front of his jacket slightly and thrust his hand in, Napoleon-style. He struck a dramatic pose. "Like this?" he quipped.

Hannah laughed. "Perfect. Just so long as engineering doesn't lose any productivity with your minions bringing you peeled grapes instead of minding the warp core."

"No worries there, I hate grapes," the Engineer said with his sideways smile, suddenly firing a glare at a young woman who was staring and smiling up at the Engineer. She instantly found the far side of Engineering far more interesting. The interruption broke whatever spell Bishop had been under. He sighed heavily and realized that he was letting himself slip unforgivably. "Sorry, I guess Engineering's not really that interesting," he said suddenly.

Andeti looked at him. She hadn't noticed the moment between the Chief and his crewman, but the change in the mood was palpable. "Not at all." She smiled. "It's one of the more interesting part of the ship, actually, you should be proud of it."

He smiled, but there was a distant sadness in it. "I am really. I push this bunch hard, but they're good kids. Most of 'em will make great Engineers someday, assuming I don't kill them first."

Hannah laughed, but gently this time. "And I'm sure they appreciate your effort." She knew that it wasn't clear if she meant his attempts to avoid murder or his attempts to teach them, but let it stand as such.

Again the distant, sad smile. "Thanks." An awkward pause. "I guess I should get back to work. Don't want to leave the kids too long without bein' yelled at. Gives 'em ideas," he said with a chuckle.

"And I suppose I have, you know, minds to mend." She smiled for a last time. "Thanks for the tour, though. It's always nice to see some of the more interesting parts of the ship."

"Absolutely," he said with what he hoped was a gallant smile. He really liked the young woman, and hoped that he wasn't offending her in any way.

As the Engineer watched her go, he made his way to his office. McCabe watched him carefully, reading the slight slump of the Chief's shoulders, the far away look on his face. The young man sighed, recognizing the effect for what it was.

In the Chief's office, Bishop closed the door and opened a drawer taking out a small piece of plastic. It was a dog-eared slightly battered photograph. He stared at it for a long time, his face wistful. He wasn't concerned about being interrupted, knowing that McCabe would run interference for him. "I'm sorry kiddo," he murmured into the silence. Putting his head back, the Chief closed his eyes and waited out the wave of nostalgia and pain that he knew was coming.

[OFF]

by

Lt. Samuel Bishop
Chief Engineer
USS Pandora

and

Lt. JG Hannah Andeti
Chief Counselor
USS Pandora