[snip]

When Tia returned to check on the simulation, she sighed. Deep down she had hoped, kind of, that there would be some great anomaly she could use to postpone or even quash the activation. Sadly, there wasn’t. She sent the reports to the CO and XO and moved to finish setting things up in Engineering for the actual activation. After another hour, as third shift came to a close, she messaged Daniel and left a missive on his comm for him to get when he woke. It said the tests were successful and to come to Engineering when he was up and about.

Seeing the message read by the Captain, Tia sent an additional one.

If you have any questions, I’m up and in engineering… or can come to you.

Tia had signed off with her name and gone back to preparing the engineering bay for whatever was to come. She just hoped that there was a something to come… or go back to.

=/\= Your report was comprehensive. I don’t really have any further questions,” Glen replied, “but I can’t sleep tonight, so I could come down to Engineering and share some stories? =/\=

=^=Coffee is on…=^= Was the simple reply. An invitation obvious in its sending.

Glen arrived about 10 minutes later. He was wearing the backpack again.

“I can’t sleep because of this thing,” Glen said, upon entering Engineering, “what’s your excuse? I need you wide awake and fully alert when we run this machine. But your offer of coffee was too good to miss!”

Her office was much clearer of the chaotic clutter he was used to seeing there. The solitary chair across from her at her desk was now two chairs facing towards engineering instead of her desk and the coffee and fixings were on the tray on her desk along with two mugs. She was busy trying, and failing, to clear the small table in the corner of her office. Between rock samples, Padds and maps, there was too much to simply move aside and allow for more workable space. She was absorbed in that project when he arrived.

She turned as he came in and smiled. “Is there no way to make it smaller and more manageable?” She didn’t fully understand the need for it, but she knew that it was necessary. “And depending on the range, I set the stool by the second chair. It should keep it close enough to you to keep you safe, but not interfere with comfort as long as you remain in the chair and don’t start pacing.” She smiled trying to make light of it all.

Glen answered, “Don’t ask me! I have no idea how it even works. It was something Dr. Grunch knocked together, for which I’m very grateful. William did mention about being keen to get his hands on it, and to develop it further, but to be honest, I wasn’t listening. I want Daniel’s machine to be a success, so that I can be rid of this completely. I’ve never liked being in confined spaces. I was accidentally locked in a cabinet as a child… but that’s a story for another day!”

Glen noticed the rock samples that Tia had moved from the table. “I didn’t know you were also a geologist,” he said. “I’m an amateur archaeologist. I like to wonder about all these civilisations that were present in the galaxy long before humans first ventured into space. It helps when thinking about the cultural aspects of remains if you know a little bit about the physical context, so I’ve picked up a little geology too.”

Glen, CO