John turned on his heel, grumbling to himself as he left the bridge. “They need me, and I need them… for now,” he muttered under his breath. “But right now, we all need this ship in peak condition.” He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. “My ship, not that I’d tell them that.”

As he made his way down the corridor, his thoughts drifted to the contact he planned on seeing. The last time they had parted ways, it hadn’t been on the best of terms. There had been a disagreement, words exchanged that couldn’t be taken back. John hoped enough time had passed to calm those waters. He knew he had to tread carefully, but the parts were essential. Without them, keeping the ship running smoothly would be nearly impossible.

He reached the engineering bay and ran his fingers over the familiar controls, his mind already shifting gears to the task at hand. They needed him to make sure everything worked, and right now, that meant swallowing his pride and reaching out to an old contact. “Here we go,” he muttered, steeling himself for the meeting. “Let’s hope old grudges have faded.”

To be continued…

John
The Chief
USS Ark Angel