By Josiah Barlow
100501.2130
After More to Lose
-=Main Engineering; USS Serendipity=-
100501.2130
After More to Lose
-=Main Engineering; USS Serendipity=-
“Something wrong?” The nearest armed TI agent barked, eyeing Barlow suspiciously.
Josiah simply shook his head slowly, choosing not to give this man an answer. Barlow’s face was largely unreadable, unenthusiastic and unhappy but still unreadable, and so the agent just shrugged his shoulders and let Barlow return to his work. The agent had little interest in confirming antimatter containment integrity hadn’t been affected by their little trip with the Poseidon and even less about whatever Barlow’s problems might be. Even had he been a talkative man and willing to make the attempt to explain it though, Josiah could not have truly made anyone understand what was wrong if they didn’t understand it already.
Engineering felt wrong. Ever since he had as an all too young man many years ago first stepped eagerly aboard a tiny academy testing ship’s engineering section, there’d always been a certain quality that he found. At first he’d marvelled at it for it was unlike anything he’d ever known before. Then as he got a little older he found it comfortable as a sign that he was where be belonged. As he got older still he came to appreciate how rare such a sign was. Now, as he felt at times older than age itself, he knew simultaneously how to appreciate and to marvel and to take comfort in this quality all at once.
That quality was harmony and that harmony had now been shattered. Harmony meant different things to an artist from a philosopher but perhaps it means something different to everyone else from an engineer. It was the harmony of clockwork; of a beautiful machine. In essence they were all no different from the ship’s shields that could be strained in a battle but where the underlying mechanics would always work the same way. Right now Engineering didn’t know how it was supposed to work.
They had been invaded, they were now occupied territory, and they’d had one of their people snatched away. They were already missing Rada and that was hard on them all, but to have Jamie taken away from them like this was something different. He was so very young, younger than many of them felt they’d ever been, and for all the irritation he may have caused them there wasn’t a single man or woman here who wasn’t afraid he’d be too young to survive. Even if he came back he might not ever be the same. The death of an innocent smile is in many ways the hardest kind.
No one spoke of their worry though. In fact no one said much of anything. Barlow had seen countless officers go into battle as strangers and to come out as lifelong friends. It was a unique bond most suited to soldiers and yet when it came to worrying for those who worked beside them Barlow believed engineers did so even more so in their own way. From the first moment two soldiers met each knew they may see the other die. Engineers weren’t so prepared and before now none had ever thought they might ever see Jamie Halliday’s corpse.
Time had taught Josiah not to dwell on these things though, death being far too certain to be worth contemplating, so with a low sigh he continued on with his work. He continued pressing the same buttons again and again to scroll through the many lists of data before him. Though not as bad as the death of one of their own these numbers weren’t making him at all any happier.
“These readings are off,” he mumbled to himself quietly, not expecting or wanting anyone else to hear. Young ears did hear him though.
“What do you mean?” the nearby agent scowled, leaning rudely in over Barlow’s shoulder. “They all look fine to me.”
“They’re all within acceptable tolerances,” Barlow answered softly, ignoring the agent as best he could.
“Then what exactly is your problem?” the agent asked in a tone to suggest he felt Barlow was just intentionally wasting his time.
“No problem. None that you’d understand,” Barlow said simply, shrugging his right shoulder as if in a subconscious attempt to push the man off of it.
“Hey!” the man snapped impudently, attempting to grab Barlow and spin him by the shoulder but finding the old man would not be moved so easily. Quickly however the agent recovered from this small failure, as arrogant as he could possibly be. “Don’t condescend to me. I’ll have you know I have degrees in things you haven’t even heard of! You couldn’t get into TI if you tried. None of you here would even know a fraction of what I do.”
Barlow simply waited for the man’s rant to end before continuing.
“I’m sure you know many things,” Barlow answered honestly, turning around himself now that it was of his own choosing. “You’d not be causing this much trouble if you didn’t. You just don’t know this ship.”
“This ship is primitive,” the agent snapped; insulting because he had a chance to be.
Barlow offered him none of the response he so obviously wanted.
“This ship is suffering.” Josiah answered calmly and he meant it.
Josiah had never been a man to anthropomorphise a physical object. It was however a skill he’d become better with since becoming a grandfather. His own children had always known that he was not the type of adult to seek out when you wished for a companion with whom to play with a toy truck you’d decided to name Alan. His children however were far different parents than he was and whether their styles were better or worse he couldn’t deny he loved every new child they’d brought into the world just as they were. So in the instant when the first five year old brought his little yellow truck to ‘Poppy’, his face full of a lot of joy and a little of the chocolate he’d claimed not to have eaten, Josiah had known just what to do.
It was not a child’s imagination though, or any imagination at all, that made him think of the Sera like that. It was more of a philosophy learnt over time. You relied on your ship’s assistance, protection and loyalty as much as you did anyone else on board. You relied upon her to always take you home. So you had to treat her with the same respect and care as you would any person on board and so to let her treat you as well as she is able. When their hands were tied and work was restricted to only what was necessary, they couldn’t treat her like that.
“What are you? An idiot?” the agent scoffed loudly at him again, his mouth half opening as if he wasn’t quite sure he didn’t want to laugh. “You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
Though perhaps in his younger days Barlow may have just hit the man for such a remark, or more particularly the expression on his face as he gave it, time had taught him that until the moment was right all that won you was sore knuckles and regret. The moment was not yet right, so Barlow just turned back around and continued to ignore him.
Clearly the agent didn’t understand why he wasn’t reacting. So in an attempt to hide how confused he was, he decided to act like he’d won.
“I thought as much,” he remarked at sufficient volume so Barlow had to overhear. However Barlow again said nothing and so the agent soon lost interest, his eyes beginning to wander away to more interesting sites.
Regardless of his calm on the outside at his worked Barlow truly was angry within. No matter how much time passed they’re just seemed to be far more disrespectful unknowing young men like these around. He could only hope this one would get what he deserved and he was certain he could within time.
He couldn’t ask for the strength to get through until then though; since the loss of his wife he knew he could only count on strength from within himself. He believed God helped by putting the strength there in the first place. Similarly he had to believe they’d been given all the tools they’d need to make it out of this. He could only pray that he’d find them.
Apparently God heard the prayer before he even asked it. Or maybe that was Caroline; in decades of marriage he’d never once sat down to a meal he didn’t feel like, as if somehow she knew what he wanted without him ever asking. He truly loved that woman and it was amazing how even at times like this thoughts about how much he missed her still got to him.
He couldn’t think of her now though as a sudden message had appeared on his screen. It was small and encrypted, buried within mountains of data on the operation of this ship. Yet he could see so clearly that it wasn’t meant to be there and so his fingers moved quickly to isolate and bring it out.
Quickly Barlow looked over his shoulder and was relieved to find the agent was looking way. Admittedly, as the Captain would be quick to point out, subterfuge was not one of his strengths. He was an unpractised liar and proud of that fact. So he was glad that he’d not have to explain what he was doing.
The decryption programme took mere moments and a short collection of words were soon displayed on his screen.
Enemy is unaware of us.
We have two engineers and three others willing to help.
What do you need us to do?
As he read the words he offered a silent thank you to his Lord. This was exactly what they needed. He greatly wished that he could discuss with his fellow engineers what they should ask for. Contemplating his situation though he shook his head, realising he didn't have that luxury. It then took him only a moment to decide what he would ask from them.
Quickly deleting the text from the screen Barlow traced the signal back, rapidly entering his response before he closed it off entirely. Now it was up to whoever was out there to find a way to do what he was asking.
Lieutenant (SG) Josiah Barlow
Engineering Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Engineering Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012