Posted by Lieutenant Harry Archer (Chief Engineer) in Side Sim: Engineering Escapades
“The time is oh-six-hundred,” chimed the computer across the room. Harry briefly stirred in his bed, before drifting back to sleep.

“The time is oh-six-oh-one,” chimed the computer, slightly louder than the first time. Harry sighed as he swung his feet over the side of the bed, forcing himself to wake up. Grudgingly, he made his way over to the sonic shower, and tapped a few commands into the panel and the shower started humming. The vibrations coursed over his body, both cleaning him and also making him more alert.

A few minutes later, and a quick shave with his laser-razor, Harry was dressed and ready to head to Main Engineering. Picking up his PADD, he headed out of his quarters.

Lt. Archer
Chief Engineer

She was on the McKoy again. The klaxxons sounded loudly and she was panicking. What was happening!? She tried to scream at one of her crew but it was ignored. It progressed as normal but this time she could see an Orion female laughing at her as she fretted, desperately trying to shut the warp sequence down. The laughing grew louder and louder as the warp core reached critical mass. There was a flash of light, a final laugh and then.... BOOM.

Lisa woke up screaming sweating from head to toe. She sat bolt upright panting. “oh-six-hundred.” The computer stated helpfully. Lisa groaned. An hour..... great. She sighed as she stretched. Her head throbbed as she stood and moved over to basin. She rinsed her grease-ridden face and did a cursory once over of the import parts before donning her uniform. She turned the water on and off three times. Her messy room, normally chaotic, had become slightly more organised in the weeks since the investigation of the McKoy. She’d come to realise that three was the key. Three made sense. She had noticed that she’d only checked the safety protocols twice on the McKoy. The warp core wouldn’t have exploded if she’d checked it a third. By extension, everything moving forward would need to be checked in threes. She went back over to the basin two more times and did the splash of water, the once over of the important parts and the donning of her uniform. The chaotic piles of padds were now neatly stacked in threes. She tapped each pile three times as she donned her boots… three times. She walked over to the door and waited for them to open and close three times before stepping out and making her down towards the lounge for a pre shift coffee. Three did feel very very good. If a soundtrack was playing it would be the old earth song “Stayin’ alive. She smiled as she walked and made it to the lounge for....... she stopped, the soundtrack stopped… her world came crashing down. She’d forgotten to check the guitar or at least tap it three times. That was it, the ship was going to explode. She ran back to her quarters, the doors opened and closed three times, she entered and tapped it with a sigh of relief. She had saved the ship.... Crisis averted. The soundtrack resumed, she could smile again. “oh-six 20.” She raced back to the lounge (the doors opened and closed three times). She ordered a black coffee, three times (she only drank one), then headed to Engineering.

A few minutes later, the doors opened and closed three times. Her shift had begun.

Lt (j.g) Lisa Caldwell (Eng)