Posted by Lieutenant Siarram Ch’Thaanaq (Chief Engineer) in Moving Forward, Jhalae’s Arrival and Check in with the CE

Posted by Ensign Jhalae Ynuchausti (Engineering Officer) in Moving Forward, Jhalae’s Arrival and Check in with the CE

Posted by Lieutenant Siarram Ch’Thaanaq (Chief Engineer) in Moving Forward, Jhalae’s Arrival and Check in with the CE
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Jhalae was focused, carefully piloted the shuttle as it approached the USS Saracen. Her copilot, a Vulcan woman, sat motionlessly holding a pad in her left hand as she intently stared out the window ahead. Jahlae navigated the shuttle into the shuttle bay of the ship, then idled, hovering a bit before it made a semi-hard drop on the landing pad. She grimaced a bit as she looked at the woman.
“Although your landing was a bit…turbulent, you have shown a remarkable improvement in your piloting abilities since you first began your flight training.” She paused and entered something on a PaDD she was holding then said, “I think you will not only exceed as an engineer but as a pilot as well. I will be sure to send compliments regarding your skills as a pilot to the Commanding Officer of this vessel.”
Jahlae smiled at the woman and said, “Thank you, Commander T’Poran, for allowing me to complete the final part of my training as I transition to my next posting. I know you did not have to do it, so I am grateful. Also, I would like to acknowledge that I would not be at this point without your direct and straightforward coaching.”
The woman bowed in agreement and gratitude then said, “Now that we have landed, you are to grab your belongings and exit the shuttle. You must then immediately report to your Commanding Officer.”
Jhalae nodded and stood from her seat, “Will you be flying back immediately?”
T’Poran replied as she also stood to her feet “I will as soon as I gather the departing individuals.”
“Well then, safe travels Commander. It’s a shame you cannot stay longer, as I was hoping we might share a meal together before you leave.”
T’Poran placed her hand on Jhalae’s shoulder and then said, “I am sure we will have the opportunity to do so at another time in the future. Now we must hurry, I am due back into the Starbase, with my passengers, in 17 hours.”

The only thing Jhalae carried with her as she made her way to meet with the Chief Engineer was a standard-issue Starfleet duffle that held all the belongings she cared about in the whole universe. She’d only been stationed on the Starbase she’d just arrived from for about a year, landing there as soon as she graduated from the Academy. She’d mostly been doing routine shuttle maintenance and minor system updates while she completed the last part of her pilot training, which comprised in-air navigation and some simple strategic maneuvers. When she was offered an engineering position on the USS Saracen she jumped at the opportunity because it would be her first posting on a starship.
As she approached the engineering section on Deck 11, she dropped her bag and walked around as she examined and studied the area. As her hands moved across the various consoles taking in the design and the setup, she thought about how different it was from the systems she’d been trained on at the Academy. She hoped she would be able to acclimate herself to this particular design and thus prove herself to be a competent engineer.
After her inspection, Jhalae realized she had no idea where she was to liaison with her commanding officer. She went over to one of the consoles and activated a comm, =^=Ensign Ynuchausti to Lieutenant Ch’Thaanaq. Are you available, sir? =^=

Ynuchausti, Engineer

=^= Ch’Thaanaq. Find me on Deck 10.=^= A gruff voice replied through the comm.

=^=Acknowledged, sir.=^=

On deck 10, the Chief Engineer was at an access panel in the corridor near the ship’s mess hall. A blue hand braced against the outer wall, the other arm and his head were reached into the access panel. Grease smudged his uniform (again). There was a loud thunk! and then the angry utterance of an Andorian swear, and at last his head reappeared from inside the panel, a cylindrical object in his hand. Glossy silver hair covered a blue head, his antenna protruding from his frontal bone. In contrast, he possessed the pointed ears characteristic of his Vulcan heritage.

When Jhalae made it to deck 10, a few minutes later, she observed her new boss working diligently on his task. After hearing only what she could have construed as words of exasperation, she cleared her throat to indicate that she had arrived.

When he stood to his full height he was several inches taller than Jhalae, and looked down at her with a hard, long look. “You must be the Ensign I was warned to expect. I am Lieutenant Ch’Thaanaq, the chief engineer.” Giving the wall a good kick, he continued, “Expect to be busy, this rust bucket needs constant maintenance to keep it going.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Jhalae sat her bag on the floor, then said, “Warned to expect…sir.” She averted her eyes for a moment. “It sounds like I may already have a reputation, although I am not sure what I have done that you must be warned about.” She continued as she looked back up at him. “Maybe you have been told that this is my first assignment to a starship and this has caused you alarm? In any case, I am a fast learner. I think of myself as a competent master of processes, and I am hoping to stay busy.”
Jhalae’s eyes wandered around the room, then she continued, “Everything looks state of the art, I am surprised you have referred to the ship as a rust bucket.” His unique ears did not escape her, she looked at them briefly, placed both hands behind her back, and averted her eyes from his presence again so it would not appear she was staring, “Someone told me, not that long ago, that a ship is only as good as her engineers…her Chief Engineer. I was also told that you were quite an accomplished engineer.” Her eyes focused on the cylinder-shaped object in his hand. “May I ask what you are currently working on?”

Ynuchausti, Engineer

Siarram gave her an intense, critical stare, and then smiled. “I was told you haven’t been placed on a starship, that is not my concern. You had to pass starship design to finish the Academy, did you not? There should be nothing to worry about regarding your engineering skills.” He stared for a moment at her comment. “The ship’s fifteen years old! Hardly state of the art. Commissioned 2383. And it’s a battle ship! Half our jobs will be fixing very big ship booboos. Besides, when you’ve fixed the captain’s shower for the sixth time, you’ll realize just how old it is.”

“Yes, sir. I did pass my exit tests when I left the Academy. Not top of the class but I passed, nonetheless. The Captain’s shower?” She said with a frown. “Well I must say I wasn’t looking forward to being a glorified handyman, but whatever. He must be doing something to contribute to the issue if it needs repairing that often.”

Siarram shrugged, “You know what you call somebody who got a C-average in Academy? An Engineer.” Some people were terrible students but great engineers. He didn’t care about grades, but skill. Her second comment, however, seemed to irk him. “What do you think would happen if the doctors decided they were tired of doing the work of a ‘glorified nurse’? No physicals would get done! No routine work! It isn’t fun, but it’s important.” Then he sighed. The idea that the Captain was doing something to contribute to the issue amused him. He and the Captain had not left their first meeting on a good note.

She looked down as she spoke, “Yes, but showers are… disgusting. I’d rather do any other routine work....sir.”

He raised a brow in a typical Vulcan look. “The work will be rotated, so you will not always be the one working on it, but it is no one’s favorite task, so you can’t always avoid it in the interest of fairness.”

He was used to people looking, and as long as they weren’t gawking or staring, he really didn’t care. He wasn’t overly sensitive like that. He had unusual looks due to his split heritage. People were going to look. “I do what needs doing,” he said with a shrug. “If that is my reputation then consider me proud.” To answer her question, he tossed the component into the air, and it did a little flip in the air before he caught it again. “Replicator malfunction. Second time this week. And it’s only Tuesday.” His tone was annoyed, but on the contrary he seemed to enjoy what he was doing. Otherwise he could just delegate it off to somebody else.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

“I see what you mean. Maybe I exaggerated when I said state of the art.” She looked around with raised eyebrows. “So what else seems to fall apart on this ship besides showers and replicators. Maybe it’s time we show the old Saracen some TLC and work on giving her a few upgrades. I can’t wait to get my hands on her.”

Ynuchausti, Engineer

“Good, get started.” He handed her the capacitor in his hand. “It’s dispensing black sludge instead of the requested items. Let’s see how you do.” He considered her question, “Showers, replicators, the holodeck, occasionally… If it can go out, either I’ve fixed it, or there’s record of it being fixed recently. Except the engine, weapons systems, and shielding, those are kept meticulously maintained because of the kind of missions this ship undertakes.” Finally, he grinned, “If we have time for upgrades and TLC, my door is open for ideas.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Jhalae’s eyes widened as he placed the part in her hand. Eww. I am not even wearing gloves. she thought in her mind but she said out loud, “I will get right on it sir.” She switched the cylinder to her right hand as she bent over to grab her bag. “I am guessing I have access to all the past repair logs? I intend on using them to help me make repairs. I will go through them to see what has been repaired and also determine if it’s the same part that continues to malfunction. What about the shuttles, how often are those maintained? I would love to look at them…maybe even fly one?”
Her eyes started at the replicator cylinder in her hand for a long moment, then she smiled and said, “Sooo… does this mean I can skip my medical exam and my visit to the Counselor so I can get right to work?”

Ynuchausti, Engineer

“You should have access to all the past repair logs. If you don’t, we’ll get your access sorted out. The shuttles are regularly maintained. As for whether you can fly one… That is not up to me.” He grinned and shook his head. “You can’t skip them, but you could delay them for a few hours.” He wasn’t sure how that would go over, but he wasn’t too fussed with it, either. “Or you could just go now, and I’ll have something else for you to do when you’re done with those.”

~ Lt Ch’Thaanaq, CE

“Who is it up to? The Captain the XO?” she inquired. “I completed my training while en route here and I am a very capable pilot. My instructor assured me she would provide a commendation to the Captain. Hopefully, my piloting skills will come in handy during the course of the service here on the ship.”
Regarding the answer to her question about completing the onboarding process, her shoulders dropped a little then she said, “In that case, I guess I should get going.” She held up the cylinder and said, “I will just…hold on to this until I am done.”

Ynuchausti, Engineer