Posted by Lieutenant Siarram Ch’Thaanaq (Chief Engineer) in side - sim: Not My Area of Expertise (Tag Ch’Thaanaq)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Brenna Neenna Atoded (Chief of Security) in side - sim: Not My Area of Expertise (Tag Ch’Thaanaq)

Posted by Lieutenant Siarram Ch’Thaanaq (Chief Engineer) in side - sim: Not My Area of Expertise (Tag Ch’Thaanaq)
Posted by… suppressed (67) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Brenna stood in the shuttle bay glaring at the Garmr, her shuttle. The thrusters would not respond to the controls. She’d been over the interior, following the lines and controls and connections all the way to the exterior of the shuttle to make sure everything was connected securely. Looking for burned out or missing parts. It was frustrating. Brenna was not an engineer, and it was beyond her, but over the years she’d had to pick up a little bit of skill in order to save her own hide. She went inside to the pilot’s seat and tried again. Still the engines started but the thrusters would still not respond to the controls. Frustrated she powered down the shuttle and stomped out pressing the control to the close the hatch.

Fenris, Fekri, and Geri got up and trotted behind her as she left the bay. Perhaps the chief engineer, Siarram would know someone who could come look at it for her. Not just anyone. She didn’t need anyone delving into the secrets her shuttle held, but she needed it working. A few minutes later she excited the turbolift near main engineering and started walking looking for the chief engineer. She stopped an ops officer, “Do you know where Lieutenant Ch’Thaanaq is?” The woman nodded and pointed the way.

Atoded, CoS

Just through the doors, one of the engineers wearing the pips of a Lieutenant Junior Grade and the spots of a Trill was looking over a PaDD with a diagram of schematics and power fluctuations as Atoded walked in. Looking up, he raised an eyebrow ever so slightly looking at the dogs, and then back to the CoS. “Looking for someone, Commander?” He asked her without moving.

Lt J.G Than Osedi, Eng

Brenna paused on her way towards where the other woman had pointed out the CE’s office. She ran through the list of engineering jr Lts and those that were Trill. This was either Osedi or Runin. “I’m looking for Lt. Ch’Thaanaq. Do you know where he is?” The dogs all padded silently behind her and sat as she paused, sitting in a close group, out of the way, and very still while they waited. “I’m in need of his expertise.”

Atoded, CoS

“Of course Commander,” Than smiled and turned towards the Chief Engineers Office. “At present I believe he is in the office, which is handy, this time of day he’s usually hip deep in a junction box somewhere.” Raising one hand that revealed the spots that ran down the side of his head continued to the back of his hands, he indicated the Office.

“He’s alone at present as well, so he’s all yours Sir.” Nodding to the Security Chief, Than looked back at his PaDD and began marking off calculations.

Lt J.G Than Osedi, Eng

“Thank you, Lt.” Atoded gave a nod and looked at her boys, “We’ll stay out of the way.” She continued on, the dogs standing silently and following as she made her way over to the CE’s office and pressed the chime.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram would rather be hip deep in a junction box. But instead he had to do actual department head stuff and that meant paperwork. When Atoded rang the chime, he called, “Enter!”

The CE’s office was quite plain. There were two chairs on the other side of Ch’thaanaq’s desk, a shelf organizing several toolsets, and a bookcase… And that was it. When Atoted came in, Siarram gestured to a chair without looking up. “What do you need?”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna raised a brow but slid into a seat, the dogs filing in behind her and sitting against the far wall out of the way. She knew the headache of paperwork. No one was prepared for HOW MUCH there was when you became department head. It was ridiculous. You spent more time on that than keeping your skill sharp. It was frustrating. “There is something wrong with my shuttle and I was hoping you might have a recommendation of someone who could take a look. But my requirements are very specific.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram looked up then, brow raised, “Very specific? What kind of shuttle? What’s the problem with it?” It was undeniable he was at least slightly interested.... well, maybe more than slightly. But no matter who he recommended he needed more information than “my shuttle” and “Specific” to decide who to recommend. Engineers had specialties, things they were better at, or just personal preferences on what they liked to work on.

~ Lt Ch’Thaanaq, CE

Brenna listened as he rattled off the questions and then answered. “Well by specific, I mean someone who isn’t going to go delving into the secure and encrypted files in there or into the small cargo space that’s locked. Garmr is a type 6 shuttle. I was running a basic pre-flight check and the engines start no problem, but the thrusters would not respond to the controls. I checked the basic stuff, but I’m not an engineer and can’t figure out what’s wrong with it.”

Atoded, CoS

He nodded as Brenna answered. “That is a common problem with those shuttles.” He frowned and sighed. “It’s an easy enough fix but considering your… privacy concerns, I will have to do it myself. How urgent is it?” Siarram asked, trying to judge what and how many things he’d need to put off or hand off.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna nodded, “It is, and I’ve tried all the common fixes with no luck.” She sighed, for her on a personal level it was very urgent. Brenna didn’t like having a way out that was under her discretion, but the likelihood of something going wrong like that was slim, and she wasn’t going to abandon the crew either. “I’m not going anywhere any time soon, so not terribly urgent. I just don’t like to leave things to fester which is why I wanted to come ask, put the request in. I know your department stays busy.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram looked at his PaDD for a moment and then back to Brenna, “I can have a look this afternoon, if that works? At about 1400. One of my other officers can handle the repair I have scheduled for then.” Keeping a schedule that stayed… relatively accurate helped keep things organized and get done in a timely manner.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna nodded, “1400 works just fine. I will meet you there. Thank you, I really appreciate your help.” Brenna stood and with a gentle mental call the dogs stood and followed her out.

At 1400 she was in the shuttle bay, the dogs no where to be seen, and placed her palm to the security panel and the hatch opened. She left the systems powered down for a moment. She was there to find out what was wrong and how to fix it incase she was ever alone, and to give Siarram the maintenance security codes.

Atoded, CoS

At 1400 Siarram made his way down to the shuttle bay, just about a minute or two late, with a toolbox. He stopped next to the shuttle, set the toolbox down, and said, “Alright, let’s hope this is a quick fix.”

~ Lt Ch’Thaanaq, CE

Brenna stepped out of the shuttle when she heard Siarram’s voice. She nodded in agreement, “I certainly hope so. What do you need me to do?” The shuttle was powered on but the engines and thrusters we’re off.

Atoded, CoS

“Show me what you do when the problem occurs and let me see what exactly is happening.” A non-engineer trying to describe a mechanical problem to an engineer always took all day. It was easier to just see for himself what was wrong. “Re-create the problem as best you can.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna nodded and slipped into the pilots seat. Her movements were sparse and light. The shuttles main power came on and panels around the interior lit up. She cycled through the typical pre-flight diagnostics and then went to test fire the thrusters and....nothing. “That’s it. I get that far and the thrusters just won’t respond.”

Atoded, CoS

“Mm-hmm.” Siarram said, deep in thought, as she explained and showed him what it did. “Might be an issue with the computer. It could just not be telling the thrusters to start, basically. That’s what I’m thinking considering they don’t even try to start. Otherwise…” Siarram made a face, “It could be a lot harder to fix. You’d need parts.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna sighed, “Well I have enough credits to cover the parts. The problem then is can the machine shop on board make them or will I have to requisition or Sal age them.” The issue of where to get replacement parts, if necessary, was something Brenna had been aware of when she purchased this style shuttle. It met her needs and was a hardy design so it had been worth it.

“I won’t know that till I know what exactly the problem is. There’s a laundry list of failures that could cause this.” Siarram replied. He would help her if he could, he knew of several good places to get parts from if it could not be made on board.

She stood from the chair and sat in the floor and laid back under the console and pulled the panel off. “Main computer core.” And she slid over to get out of Siarram’s way.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram laid back under the console and began looking at the main computer core. He looked for anything that could cause this, from frayed wiring to computer core failures which resulted in a failure to tell the thrusters to start.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna understood it could take awhile. She had told Siarram that she had run all the basic diagnostic checks and looked over the physical parts of the shuttle. She understood that he would repeat all of those himself as well. Brenna had enough knowledge to maintain the shuttle, but not enough to actually repair it if something went wrong. Unless it was something the computer could diagnoses and the part was ‘plug and play’. The computer didn’t show any signs of wear or damage. The wiring was all in good repair. The shuttle was old, but Brenna obviously took the time to make sure it was well maintained, even if she did have to have someone else do the work. The next option would be to scan each and every isolinear chip for damage or have someone check the coding for programs that controlled the engines.

Brenna sat on the floor of the shuttle, out of the way, with a PaDD keeping herself busy and quiet. She was more than willing to help, she just wasn’t skilled enough to guess what he might want her to do ahead of time.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram remained underneath the console for quite some time. Finally he emerged from underneath, “The pod is well maintained. I see no damage to anything visible, no frayed wirings, nothing loose or missing…” He sighed and then frowned and reached for the comm on his shirt. “I’m going to need to scan each and every isolinear chip for damage. I’m going to need help.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna shook her head. “Can’t. Like I said you have the necessary clearance levels, but I can’t have just some random, unvetted ensign in here messing around on my computer.” Brenna looked very apologetic and sighed. “I’m not trying to be difficult. I guess give me a few hours to wipe the computer clean.” By the four gods that was going to make things complicated. Siarram would have seen the separate computer cores and the physical security around them, which only hinted at the digital security in place inside the cores. She wasn’t kidding when she said she had very specific needs as to who worked on her shuttle.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram sighed a long, exasperated sigh. Doing this much work alone would take way too long. “I know, I know, it’s fine…” That was frustrating. Wiping the computer must take forever. He’d seen the physical security. He was decent with computers, and he didn’t want to imagine the digital security. “Don’t go trying to wipe it. But you come here and help.” There was a slight edge to his voice. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and then looked at her again, “I’m going to need your help scanning the chips.” Then he told her what he needed her to do.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

“No problem.” Brenna set the PaDD down on the bench near where she had been sitting and moved over to where he was. “Just tell me what to do.” Brenna took the scanner Siarram handed her one by one started removing, scanning, and reinserting each isolinear chip. It was a long process, but at least it wasn’t the Saracen’s computer core. It was much smaller.

After about an hour of working in silence, other than the work, Brenna looked over at him and said, “Hey Siarram, What do you call it when the Borg assimilate a Human, a Romulan, a Klingon, and a Ferengi?”

“The Federation?” Siarram asked, accidentally grouping the Ferengi with the others.

With a huge grin she said, “A smorgasborg.” She chuckled slightly. It was a baaaad joke, and only worked if you knew the Terran term smorgasbord, but it was corny.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram paused what he was doing, looked at her, and said in the most serious tone, “And what in all this galaxy and the next, is a smorgasborg?”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna grinned as she worked, stretched out on the floor of the shuttle working away at the chips. “A smorgasborg is a play on the Terran word smorgasbord” she emohasized the change in the sound. “It is a buffet offering a variety of hot and cold meats, salads, hors d’oeuvres, etc.” She slid the next chip back into place, withdrawing the next.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram gave her a look with a hint of humor to it. “That’s dark.” Then he handed her another chip. “Next one.” The project was going to be long and boring and Siarram could see why she resorted to cheesy jokes.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna laughed. It was a light delighted sound and genuine. Brenna didn’t have occasion to laugh much in her work so she enjoyed the moments she did have. “Too dark? I guess I have to blame my mentor for that. She fought against the Borg back in the day. The stories…” her gaze turned far away as she took the next chip and began to scan it. What ever she was remembering caused the hair on her arms to stand on end and she shuddered as a cold chill swept her.

Siarram had never seen the Borg nor did he ever want to. He’d heard stories. There was a silence for a moment as they both contemplated that.

Coming out of her reverie she replaced the chip and held out her hand for the next one. “Okay, so if that one is too dark, how about this? What musical band do is hated by Ferengi?”

”…I have no idea.” Siarram handed her the next chip and looked at her as she looked at him.

She turned her head to look at him to see if he would take a guess.

“The Lost Profits.”

Atoded, CoS

That one earned a little grin from Siarram as he shook his head and removed the next chip. “What an awful way to live, to be so obsessed with money.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna had to agree, she also thought Siarram looked different when he grinned like that. “To obsess over accumulation, but nothing to show for it. It isn’t like they use it for the benefit of others, but their own gratification. Of course, we probably seem to have awful lives to them.” She slid the chip into place. “Two more to go.”

Siarram scanned it. “Two more? I haven’t seen any issues with then yet.”

They worked quietly on the last two chips. She slid the last back into place and slid out from under the console. She had slept on the floor of this shuttle many times, but she would never call it comfortable. “Okay, Siarram, how many Holodeck characters does it take to change a light bulb?”

“How many?” There was not much else to do than humor Brenna and her ridiculous jokes. Might as well let her make them.

“None. Holodeck characters are light bulbs,” and Brenna laughed softly. It was a bad joke, they all were, but life needed laughter. Even absurd laughter.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram gave her another look, not understanding the joke. “The holodeck characters are the lightbulbs?” He asked.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna grinned and shook her head. She would have to stop with the jokes. “Light bulbs harness energy to create light. Holodeck characters are the result of harnessed energy and light. It’s a very rudimentary understanding of what happens on the holodeck.” She waved at the shuttle controls. “Now what? We’ve been at it for hours. I don’t want to keep you from your regular duties.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram raised an eyebrow. Apparently, that joke confused him. “Well, the problem isn’t the chips, they’ve all scanned with no problems.” He sighed and was quiet a moment while he thought. “Let’s scan the computer relays. It’ll tell me if commands are reaching their destinations properly.” Then he shook his head and offered a little smile. “I have time. My engineers are handling the boring, everyday repairs for the ship. Half the time I don’t know how this old tin can still flies, seems like something is always going out.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

“Alright so…” she pointed a finger at the access panels and then around the shuttle. “Relays…relays…” after a moment she was back on the floor, under the consoles pulling off more panels and then stood removing more from the walls and ceiling. “I think that’s all of them.” Then she moved out of the way. “It still flies because your department is the best at what they do and they have a great department head too. Alright tell me how I can help.”

Atoded

“Go to the computer and tell the thrusters to start when I say. I’ll be scanning the relays, seeing if the command goes through or gets dropped somewhere.” Siarram readied his scanner and then looked at her, “Okay, now.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna uncrossed her legs and pulled her feet in and stood in one fluid movement. She sat in the pilot’s chair and on Siarram’s word she hit the control for the thrusters. The signal flew down the relays until it dropped at the point where the system split for the thrusters, impulse, and warp engines.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram shook his head as he watched the scan. “There’s your problem. Your engines wouldn’t start even if your thrusters were working, the signal is dropping at the fork between your thrusters, impulse drive, and warp drive. Now let’s see if we can fix it.” He said, reaching for the appropriate access panels.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna had checked the relays and everything had seemed to be there and plugged in right. She was more than happy to let Siarram check again. “Center panel right behind the pilot’s seat. You can also reach it from the lower outside access hatches on either side just be for the nacells.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram opened the access panel behind the pilot’s seat, kneeling on the floor of the pod to peek in. “Looks fine, I don’t see…” His voice trailed off and he reached in, pulling on some of the cables. Then he removed something, rearranged the cables, and then his head popped back up. He held up a small device. “This is not a default part to this style of shuttle. Or any shuttle. It’s like a battery, it stores power except, instead of discharging that power slowly, it was intended to ignite, explode, and destroy the craft upon which it is installed. It was supposed to work when your thrusters were engaged.” He gave Brenn a very serious, very concerned look. “Who would have had access to this shuttle? Who might have wanted to put this here?”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna could think of several people who would want to. But who had access. She had one stop over before she arrived. Jake had checked the shuttle himself before she left. It hadn’t happened on Norda. Maybe her stop at Starbase 357. That was possible. Or maybe before she went to Norda. She’d made several stops. They wouldn’t want it to explode where it was planted. Too obvious. Brenna shook her head, “There is no telling.” It could have been planted after she arrived on Saracen. That possibility could not be ruled out. She got up and retrieved a metal box from one of the storage lockers and held it open for him to put the device inside. “I’ll run the ship’s security logs, and see when the shuttles security systems were tampered with.” The real question was if they were skilled enough to have the piece planted on the shuttle, how come they had a defective device?

Atoded, CoS

Siarram placed the device inside the box. “You are incredibly lucky it did not work as intended. Had you succeeded in starting the shuttle, it would have exploded, rather violently, and you, and anybody else in the vicinity, would be dead.” His expression was deadly serious. “I would report this to the XO or Captain while you look into it. And be careful. When whoever it was realize it didn’t work, they could try again.” As CoS, Brenna probably knew that, he realized, but sometimes it was different when it was one’s own safety, so there was no harm in reminding her.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna closed and secured the lid, and set the box back in the locker that sealed with a hiss. Turning back she grinned at Siarram, “Are you worried about me?” She set a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I might have been lucky, but I don’t rely on luck. I’m hard to kill. And I will let Cmder Colter know.” She dropped her hand to her waist and looked around. “Alright, so do we dismantle my shuttle looking for more devices or try starting her again?” If Brenna was rattled, he would only be able to tell if he was really paying attention. The look barely registered in her eyes before it was gone. Someone who didn’t know her well might mistake the look for annoyance.

Atoded, COS

Siarram seemed entirely unphased by her nonchalance, remaining serious. “Anyone with a modicum of care for their crewmates would be worried!” The words came out with all the intensity of his Andorian side, his antenna held in a posture indicating worry completing the look. He caught a look in her eye. It lasted less then a moment, and then it was gone. He wasn’t sure he wasn’t mistaken. Brenna did not seem the type to be rattled. Personally, he would be. But he was an engineer, and took comfort in predicable machinery. He offered a little grin, wanting to keep the mood as light as she seemed to be. “What, if you’re going to explode, I’m going to explode too? If there’s another device and the shuttle successfully starts, we could both go up.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna gasped dramatically, “I would never! I keep my explosions to myself, thank you very much.” She winked at him, but there was an unmistakable truth to it. She would never put someone else in harms way if she could help it. “Alright, so should we quarantine her, or work through the night?”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram grinned, he couldn’t help it. There was truth to her statement, and he knew that. There weren’t many in star fleet that would intentionally let a crewmate come to harm. “I’m not letting you blow up alone.” That was a 180 from his previous statement, but the words just slipped out before he thought about it. When she posed her question, he leaned against the wall and considered. “Let’s get it over with. What if there’s another device with a different trigger? Even quarantine, I don’t think the Captain would appreciate a hole in the ship.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna nodded, “Alright.” She turned and opened a panel that should simply access open space to get at cabling and such. Instead it was a tech heavy security locker. She pulled a crate, pressed her palm to it and it hissed open. She grabbed several other items from the storage space and put them in the tote. Then she moved about the shuttle opening other such locations and removing anything from weapons, to unknown tech, to dog toys from them. Then she locked the totes and set them outside the shuttle. She looked at her three canine companions and said something, in Klingon. They got up, moved around the crates, and laid down. All facing out, eyes open and alert.

“Okay so, where do we start?”

Atoded, CoS

Guard dogs, trained in Klingon. Neat. But who exactly was Brenna that she would need such things? His curiosity was growing, however he would not ask. That wasn’t his business, nor was it why he was here. “We can check everywhere without completely stripping it down, but it’ll involve removing some things…” He looked at her and grinned, “Don’t worry, I know how to put it all back when I’m done.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna laughed, “Oh that’s good, because I can handle basic maintenance, but rebuilding from scratch is beyond me, and Chief Higgins won’t appreciate me leaving my shuttle unnecessary on his bay floor. Tell me what to do.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram was mostly certain he could do it, build it essentially from scratch again. Not something he was going to tell Brenna right now though. He picked up his toolkit and pointed to an access panel. “Let’s start here.”

Brenna made her way to the panel and basically didn’t do much more than hand him tools or do whatever he told her to. She did not want to blow anything up by accident. They worked for hours, and talked little. Brenna was a quick study though and learned a lot.

Several hours later, a lot of work, and more sweat than Siarram thought possible later, the shuttle was partly dismantled. Siarram was going to remove a few internal components to avoid having to remove all the plating. Now he had access to some of the deeper components, but he was exhausted and hungry. He poked his head out of where he was working, “Want to take a break and get something to eat?”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

With the shuttle powered down there was very little air floor in the shuttle even with the hatch open. At that point Brenna had discarded her tunic, and was in her uniform tank, making it apparent how fit she was. She rolled up to sitting from where she had been testing relays for him. “You saved me from blowing up, your wish is my command.” She laughed. “Sure, I think I need a change first. I would hate to offend anyone near by.”

Atoded

Siarram’s eyebrows shot up. “Offend anyone?” She was way too fit for anyone to be offended by it. He’d discarded his shirt some hours ago as well. It was clear he didn’t make working out a priority, but tools and parts were heavy, and he certainly wasn’t not fit. He seemed to realize what he’d said, chuckled nervously, and then looked at himself. “Suppose I should change too. Most don’t appreciate sweaty, greasy engineers in eating areas.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Siarram wasn’t the only one sweaty. Brenna’s hair line was damp and her shirt was stuck to her back. She grinned at his question but didn’t say anything. “I don’t know, I find sweaty, greasy engineers reassuring. It means they know what they are doing and are keeping the ship in good shape.” This particular engineer she found particularly good company. “I need to secure those totes anyway. I can’t leave them sitting around.” She stood and offered him a hand.

Atoded

He smiled at her comment. Taking her hand, he stood. “I will be right back. I keep a spare change close by… never know when I’m going to be summoned by the Captain and end up looking like a grease monkey.” Then he exited the shuttle. As he promised, a few minutes later, he was back, looking cleaned up and a little more presentable, standing outside the shuttle and waiting for Brenna.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq

Brenna used the time to use her security clearance to transport the crates, the dogs, and herself from the maintenance bay on deck 13 to her quarters on deck 3. She secured the totes, gave the dogs the release command, and then changed into a clean uniform. She used the lift to return to the bay, a minute after Siarram. She walked up beside him and grinned. “No more grease monkey.” She didn’t think she had seenbthe Chief Engineer ever look so crisp. It didn’t seem right. “10 Forward or the mess hall?”

Atoded, CoS

“The mess.” Siarram grinned and shrugged, “I didn’t shower, figured we’d eat and get back to it, so I might as well wait to shower and fully clean up.” He looked at Brenna, “Perhaps we’ll eat in the ten forward lounge another time.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq

“Sounds like a plan. I would much rather get this done than wonder.” Brenna headed out of the bay and to the lift half way across the deck. It would deposited them out right near the mess. She flashed him a playful grin, “I’ll hold you to it.”

She entered the mess and made her way over to the replicators. She requested a blue leaf salad with espra cheese and a jacarine based dressing paired with a kimden roll. She ordered mixed berry fruit juice to drink and then grabbed a table.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram followed behind her and ordered a Vulcan dish. An herb soup, prepared carefully to bring out the flavor of everything that went into it. Then he ordered an Andorian drink to go with it. Sitting at the table chosen by Brenna, he pointed to the bowl and the drink and said, “You wouldn’t think the flavours go together, but they do.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq

Brenna nodded giving him a slow once over. “I find the most unique and stunning things are those that come together but aren’t expected.” She ate at the salad quietly. Unlike earth salads, blue lead was high in protein and complex carbs. It was a solid choice for someone who had been exercising or planning to be working long hours. Brenna usually hate much more substantial meals, but it had already been a long day, and would be linger. She didn’t want a food coma. She also wasn’t one to engage in idle conversation while eating just for the sake of hearing her voice. She was as comfortable with silence as she was with conversing.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram grinned, and then ate in silence. It was a quick meal, he hadn’t picked something too large either. When he was finished, he stood to clear his spot and stopped next to her. “Do you want me to clear your tray too?”

~ Lt Ch’Thaanaq

Brenna was just setting her napkin on her tray when he spoke. She looked up slightly surprised and then smiled. “Thank you, Siarram.” She lifted her tray to him and then stood and made her way towards the door. She stopped and spoke to a group of on-duty security officers on their meal break for a moment. Then she met him at the door and they took the lift back to the maintenance bay. Brenna looked at her shuttle and shook her head and then grinned. “It looks like the remains of some prehistoric creature.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram took and cleared both trays. He met her at the door as they headed back to the maintenance bay. He chuckled at her comment. “It does. Hopefully not for too much longer.” He climbed back into the shuttle. “Ready to get back to work?”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq

Brenna followed him in, already shrugging out of the jacket and tossing it aside. “My hands are all yours.” She moved back to the last place he had her working, picked up the tool and slid back under the console. “Alright, what do I need to do?”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram slid back under next to her. “Pull that out.” He pointed to something in the console. A few hours later, and Siarram’s shirt had come off again too. The shuttle was mostly disassembled, and Siarram was working on the Comms system. “Come on - come out of there you little…” What followed was an Andorian swear Brenna may or may not know. Then there was a chunk! And Siarram grinned, removing something from beneath the shuttle’s comm. “They weren’t just trying to kill you. They were listening in on your conversations too. This is a comm recorder. Captures everything your comm unit does, sends, or receives, and then sends it out on subspace signals, hiding it within other transmissions.” He showed the device to Brenna, slipping out from under the console.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq

Brenna chuckled. She didn’t speak Andorian, but she knew a swear word when she heard it. She took the device, the laughter dying instantly, “These I am familiar with.” She turned it over and around in her hands. “It’s Reman in design, about 20 years old. Which means it will be incredibly difficult to trace. The market is flooded with them.” She was tense and her black eyes turned hard. How long had this been on her shuttle? What had she sent out? Where did she send those messages? The power to the shuttle was gone for the moment. “I am going to have to run a full history on my comms…and diagnostic to see when this…” she swallowed the urge to swear, “…thing sent signals out.”

She was going to have to warn people. Her hand balled into a tight fist before she released a breath and relaxed her hand.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram wore a serious expression of his own and nodded. “I would like to finish combing the rest of the pod for similar interferences. Once we’ve reassembled it, you will be able to run your diagnostics and history. As it is now, that would be impossible. It’s too disassembled.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq

“Of course, this can wait until you are done. It will take hours for me to do that anyway. And now that this is disconnected it can’t send out any signals.” She also hadn’t sent any messages from the shuttle since she had requested docking with the Saracen, and that had been months ago. She doubted there was any real danger to ship and crew. The list of people who might be behind this were not the kind to openly attack a Federation battleship. They preferred to do things targeted, surgical, isolated, and as quiet as possible. She took a deep breath and looked around. She’d never get it back together, but she could finish checking the systems herself. Then the whole thing would have to be scrapped. Itw as obviously too recognizable. “I really appreciate your help, I do. Maybe it would be best if I finished this myself.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram looked entirely confused. “Finish it yourself? It’s going to take me another ten hours to put it back together, and that’s with your help!” He looked at her and then the shuttle. “Besides, I really don’t mind helping. Honestly.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq

“It may not be feasible to put it back together. Obviously, my shuttle is too recognizeable.” She sighed, she really liked this shuttle. Brenna wasn’t one to lash put when frustrated but she was feeling the urge to go work a heavy bag for awhile. She nodded once, “Let’s finish combing through the systems.” She took the box and placed it on the pilot’s seat. She would lock it up after. She turned back to him, “Thank you.” And then slid half way back into an access panel.

Atoded, CoS

“What would you do with it?” Siarram seemed offended by the idea she would get rid of it, scrap it. That was the only option if she wasn’t planning on letting him reassemble it. “It’s old, but it’s a beautiful shuttle. Would be a shame to waste it.” As he spoke he got back under the console to finish combing the systems.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq

Brenna sighed loud enough to be heard. “I would prefer not to. I suppose I could change the electronic registry number and name. Give her a new paint job. Next time I get near a ship yard, I guess I could update the hull plating to give it a different look and shape. Other faster option is to recycle it in the industrial replicator.” It was said with all the logic of a Vulcan, but was followed by a loud, powerful thunk as she struck the plating next to her and shook it. She had been careless, OR someone was just that good. Either answer sent cold dread into the pit of her stomach.

She worked quietly. Dread and nerves did no good now. Each step in order and alway plan ahead by a minimum of 10 steps. Keep moving.

Atoded, CoS