by Ashton Ledbetter
90405.1200
Following Broad Strokes
-=Main Engineering, USS Serendipity=-
90405.1200
Following Broad Strokes
-=Main Engineering, USS Serendipity=-
Salvek stood now in the same place that only a day before had been declared completely off limits to him. He had volunteered to help Zanh Liis clean up Rada Dengar’s office.
“Not a chance in hell Salvek, but I appreciate your offer,” was the Captain’s pointed reply.
She did ask him to assist in making repairs, but expressly banned him from main engineering until she and O’Sullivan had the opportunity to deal with Rada’s office themselves. Her rationale had been that Salvek could not be allowed anywhere near Rada’s work, for he, “Actually had a snowball’s chance in hell of understanding some of what Rada did.”
So Salvek assisted in whatever repairs he could, outside of engineering, until Zanh had given him the okay to enter. Upon doing so, the first thing he asked her was if she had yet done anything to purge the Varion related research from the terminal in engineering that Rada had used.
The Captain, exhausted and covered in splotches of paint, simply sighed. With little fanfare or any swagger, she swiped a phaser from the weapons locker, upped the setting, and proceeded to melt the console Rada had been using. Salvek could tell from her demeanor, and the fact that her fire was not punctuated with any witty remark, that she took no joy in doing it. If she had even a shred of patience or energy left in her body she may have dealt with the situation properly, but she simply did not.
“I think the Captain needs a hot meal,” Salvek said to Keiran, who was leaning against the frame of the doorway to Rada’s office, unfazed as it were, by her indiscrete phaser fire.
“And a rest,” He added.
“No time,” She insisted.
“Captain. I hate to bring this up, but there could still be isolinear chips in that console that contain information someone could use to recreate the weapon.”
Liis looked at him from under her bangs, and slapped the phaser into his palm.
“Salvek, if you can find any chips, you are free to destroy them any way you like. You are under strict orders…”
“Not to view anything on any of the chips. You have my word Captain.”
Salvek dismantled the rest of the console, pulling the entire unit from the wall, and replicating the parts necessary to replace it. He pulled several chips still inside the console, and used a torch to cut it into pieces small enough to fit into the replicator for recycling.
As he held the chips, he wondered, just for a moment, what harm could come of just taking a glance at the information on them. As a researcher and engineer, the curiosity threatened to get the best of him. Was it logical to destroy the only information that could be used to recreate such a powerful piece of technology?
After all, it was only dangerous in the wrong hands.
“Can I help you Commander?”
“Mr. Barlow,” Salvek closed his hands around the chips instinctively.
“Having some trouble recycling those sir? I can assist you if you like,” Barlow offered, with his gentle smile.
Salvek locked eyes with the man for several moments. He had come to know the man well and trust his instincts when Salvek had served as Chief Engineer. Right now Barlow’s instincts were telling him that Salvek was considering viewing whatever was on those isolinear chips. An action that would, and should, earn Salvek the same fate as Rada Dengar.
“Perhaps I could use a hand.” Salvek dropped the chips into Barlow’s outstretched palm. Josiah set them on the replicator, tapped a few buttons, and the chips vanished from view.
“There we are. That wasn’t so hard. Any orders, sir?”
“No. Please carry on. Commander Dengar has the staff here well trained and disciplined. I do not wish to disturb the flow of work. I will merely assist.”
“As you wish. Give the missus my best.”
Salvek returned to the task at hand of reassembling a new console in engineering. It was slow work, as the data connections to the main computer had to be completely purged and rewired, thanks to the Captain’s impetuous trigger finger. After a good two hours of uninterrupted work, he was nearly completed with the task.
That was when the interruption occurred.
“Commander! Commander Salvek! There you are!”
“Mister Ledbetter,” Salvek said dryly, never taking his eyes off the console, which he was ready to bring on line once again.
“That’s Captain Ledbetter!” He corrected condescendingly.
“Not according to the ship’s roster,” Salvek corrected right back.
“It doesn’t matter! Listen, I need to file a complaint. She’s gone too far this time!”
“I assume you are referring to the Captain?” Salvek asked, as he tapped a PADD to run a diagnostic.
“Yes! Do you have any idea what she did to me during the battle that just occurred? It was an infamous act!” Ledbetter bristled as he spoke, annoyed that Salvek was dividing his attention between his work and the urgent matter at hand.
“I assure you I have no idea. Please indulge me.” Salvek brought the console online, and began walking from terminal to terminal in engineering, checking to make sure the new console was properly interfaced with all the others. Ledbetter kept nipping at his heels as Salvek moved back and forth, trying to insert himself into the Vulcan’s line of vision.
“She set me up with a holodeck program. Claimed I would love it! A World War Two air battle over London. I thought perhaps it was her attempt to extend a hand of friendship and apology for all the times she has wronged me.” Salvek’s eyes darted to Ashton’s for just a moment, then back to his work. It was as close as a Vulcan ever came to rolling their eyes.
“You did not enjoy the program?” He asked.
“Of course I did!”
“Then what is the problem?” Salvek continued.
“It was a ruse! Don’t you see?”
“I do not.”
Ledbetter harrumphed. “For a Vulcan you are not the most quick witted individual.”
“Nor the most patient.”
“Yes yes, you married one of them too. I understand completely.”
“Them?” Salvek asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. Little did Ashton realize that years of training and mental discipline were all that prevented Ledbetter from being the second weapon used to destroy an engineering console in the last two hours.
“She tricked me you see! Somehow she tied the holodeck into the ship’s sensors to make my plane shake every time the ship did! I had no idea there was a battle raging out here! This is exactly when I should have been observing the actions of the crew on the bridge. She deliberately undermined the Admiral’s orders! I demand you relieve her of duty! She is unfit!”
“I will not,” Salvek said immediately, then moved to another console, with Ledbetter still following him.
“But she imprisoned me on the holodeck!” Ashton’s outrage melted into a grin for just a moment. “Though the program was a real kick I must tell you. I gave the Luftwaffe a pasting they won’t soon forget! You should have seen how many Germans I sent into the Thames! You would have loved it.”
“I doubt it.”
The smile faded from Ledbetter’s face. “Back to the point! Surely there must be something you can do. After all, how am I going to explain to the Admiral why I was not present on the bridge during the battle?”
“I do not know. You claim you were imprisoned. At any time did the Captain restrain you?”
“No.”
“Were you locked in the holodeck?”
“No. I could have left at any time I suppose.” Ledbetter rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as if this were the first time he had considered that he wasn’t truly imprisoned.
Salvek set his PADD down and addressed Ledbetter for the first time.
“If you are hoping to use the Captain’s action as an alibi when talking to the Admiral, I will not support you. She forced you to do nothing.”
“But, Gemini will have my head for this.”
“She is properly referred to by subordinates as Admiral Lassiter.” Salvek corrected. “I would not concern myself with the Admiral right now. I regret to inform you that her son was lost during the battle, and she suffered a severe medical event upon finding out. She is in Sickbay right now for treatment.”
“Oh dear, how tragic.” Ledbetter replied, genuinely concerned for the Admiral. “Then we must have found her son? He was missing wasn’t he?”
“Commander Lassiter was being held by aliens called the Domox on the far side of a portal.”
“And the captors took the poor boy’s life?”
“No. Commander Dengar created a weapon that he used on the Domox star. The Domox and everything in their system was destroyed, including the facility where Commander Lassiter was being held.”
Salvek relayed the message in such a dispassionate fashion that Ledbetter was hard pressed to believe he was even being serious. “So you see Mister Ledbetter, that I have little time to deal with your complaint at the moment.”
“What is to become of the Engineer? Dengar?”
I do not know. If intent can be proven, I am hard pressed to believe he will not spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“Well then, I should probably let you return to your work.” Ledbetter said sheepishly, as he backed towards the exit. “I withdraw my complaint of course.”
“Are you sure? I could still bring your complaint to the Captain’s attention if you wish.”
“NO! Good God man are you out of your mind?” Ledbetter jumped at Salvek, causing his bangs to blow back for a moment, before resettling in their perfectly shaped tuft atop his head. His composure returned as quickly as his hairstyle. “That will not be necessary of course. I think I will, perhaps find a way to make myself useful?”
“As you wish.”
*************
Ashton Ledbetter
Temporal Investigations Observer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Ashton Ledbetter
Temporal Investigations Observer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012