Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Lisa Caldwell (Engineer) in Pre-sim CE’s Office

Posted by Lieutenant Harry Archer (Chief Engineer) in Pre-sim CE’s Office

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Lisa Caldwell (Engineer) in Pre-sim CE’s Office
Lisa looked around at her team while she worked. They were good people, all of them. She trusted them and they trusted her. They respected her for her skills as an Engineer and slightly manic leadership and bubbly personality. She’d been working on an experiment to boost the efficiency of the warp core for weeks and.thia day was.rhw day she could finally test it out. She’s worked for ours on the McKoy’s core, even through the night. Finally she was done.
“Ensign Jeffers, turn her on, let’s test it out.”
“Aye ma’am.” Jeffers replied and turned on the engines to maximum just as they’d rehearsed a thousand times. Seconds past, then minutes the engines came to full power. Lisa held her breath, this was the moment, the culmination of months of planning and sleepless nights. Then suddenly akud bang rang throughout engineering. The lights flickered and the warp core went in to overdrive.”Warning. Warning…” The computer repeated over and over. What was happening? It should be working!
“Shut it down Jeffers!” She ordered, trying desperately to not panic but her voice quivering nonetheless.
“I can’t Chief, it won’t let me!” Jeffers replied the panic clear in his voice. Consoles began to crack and smoke.
“Warning, warp core overload in 5 mins.” Lisa rushed over to Jeffers pushing him out of the way. She tried to work out what was going on. This shouldn’t be happening! Moments passed and and still she had no clue. Claxons rang throughout the room.
“Warning, warp core overload in 1 minute.” She typed furiously on the console. No use, nothing worked.
“Warning, warp core overload in 10 seconds.” Then. Black.

Lisa woke up screaming. She had failed them, all of them. Her team, her parents and herself. Once a rising star and Starfleet’s brightest Engineer. Now a disgrace. Lisa usually struggled to sleep, her mind was always buzzing away with new ideas and experiments and inventions that she struggled to switch off. What little she did have was plagued with nightmares. It had been a year since the “incident”, her subsequent suspension and demotion. It had been a year of stress, confusion and worry. She knew she was lucky to get away with only a demotion to Junior Grade and stripped of the Chief Engineers position.

She panted as she lay awake covered in sweat from the nightmare. She yawned and rubbed her eyes and sat on the edge of the bed. She stretched and yawned again. She was a short, petit woman. She paid little mind to her appearance and would have been thought of as beautiful if not for the fact she was covered in grease. Her hair was a mess of tangles and, you guessed it, grease. She rarely showered, she was always too busy working away or coming up with new ideas. As such her quarters were a mess, padds and some papers were strewn across ever surface.

She rose from the bed, walked over to the sink and splashed away the grease from her face. Today was the day she was to report in to the Chief after all! She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She glanced around and noticed a half eaten sandwich from, yesterday? That’ll do she thought and gobbled it down. She left her quarters and headed towards main engineering. Halfway down the corridor she stopped.
Did you leave the light on an intrusive thought rang through her mind. She knew she hadn’t and made.to carry on. The urge to double check was strong. What happens when you don’t check? She thought.
“The warp core explodes.” She said aloud and matter of fact. A couple of Ensign’s glanced over at her.
She spun on her heels, back to her quarters. The light was off. Relieved she turned back and made her way towards engineering.

This time she almost made it when.... Did you leave the light on? She made a frustrated sigh. Willing herself to continue, she was nearly there!
What happens when you don’t check? She thought.
“The warp core explodes.” She turned around back to her quarters. The light, as always, was off.

The third time she made it to Harry’s door, was about to push the call bell when.... Did you leave the light on? She nearly screamed with frustration. Willing herself to continue, her finger was a hairs breath away from pushing the bell!
What happens when you don’t check? She thought.
“The warp core explodes.” She said aloud giving in. She turned around back to her quarters. The light, as always, was off.

Finally, she made it to Harry’s door. Relieved she pushed the bell once and waited. What happens when you don’t press it again?
“The warp core explodes.”

Meanwhile, Harry was in his office, engrossed in some diagnostic reports that were scattered across his desk. As the chime sounded, he stood up, stretching his back.

She pressed the buzzer a second time and waited. What happens when you don’t press it again?
“The warp core explodes.”

He cocked an eyebrow as the second chime sounded within as many seconds, whilst placing his used cup on the replicator pad.

A third time. She waited to be called in, wandering what Harry would be like.

“Come!” Harry said with a sense of urgency, in a loud voice so that it could be heard through the door. He was a bit concerned something was afoot, given the persistence of the chimes.

When the call came she stepped through the threshold taking in the office. She noticed Harry, saluted and said in an English accent:
“Lieutenant Lisa Caldwell reporting for duty. Chief… I mean. Sir.” She nearly kicked herself for the blunder hoping Harry would ignore it.

Lt (j.g) Lisa Caldwell, Engineering

“Err…” Harry paused, as he realised that there wasn’t an emergency. “Ahh, welcome Lisa,” he continued, recovering from the earlier pause. “Please, come in, take a seat”, he said, pointing to a chair near his desk. He had seen Caldwell’s file prior to her arrival, so was familiar with her background, including the incident that had happened a year previous.

Lt. Archer
Chief Engineer

Lisa noticed the pause, she wasn’t sure why. Maybe he was just as nervous about meeting her as she was of him? She pushed it from her mind as she sat in the chair Harry had indicated. Lisa silently hoped that he wouldn’t ask about recent events but she prepared herself mentally for the question and how she would explain it. She looked around the office while she waited. She realised she hadn’t responded and again, nearly kicked herself.
“Thank you Sir”
“I must say you do have a very nice office. Have you been here long? What drew you to the ship?” She had more questions but just wanted to fill the silence.

Lt.(j.g) Lisa Caldwell (Eng)

<Bump>