Captain to Engineer

Posted on Wed Jun 11th, 2025 @ 2:57pm by Lieutenant Kiran Arai & Captain Piraa sh'Zamhlass

1,589 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Project EDEN
Location: Main Engineering
Timeline: July 24, 2401

It had not gone unnoticed to Captain sh'Zamhlass that the Valiant's newly assigned Chief Engineer had reported aboard to the boatswain, but had not taken the time to meet the Captain. Under any other circumstance, the Captain might have been offended. Piraa herself was an engineer at heart, and if she had reported aboard a brand new starship that was still in drydock, she might have gone straight to Engineering herself. After all, there were many final details to tend to, and a proper Chief Engineer would want to know every detail of those and quite possibly inject their own fingerprint in them.

The turbolift came to a stop on the engineering deck, and Piraa stepped out into the corridor. Just outside the door, she stopped, taking note of the hustle and bustle as the engineering staff piloted antigrav carts and tools around in a chaotic, yet orchestrated fashion. She could not help but chuckle at the sight, and then there was the slight pain of realizing that this was no longer her life. She was Captain now, and she had to let this department be guided by someone else.

Piraa navigated the corridors, dodging engineers and supplies, on her way to engineering. Once there, she began to look around for the face belonging to the dossier she'd just studied.

Kiran looked up from the console he was working on, noticing it was the Commanding Officer of the Valiant. He stood up, to stand to attention. He nodded to the Andorian office. "Captain. Chief Engineer Kiran, reporting in, albeit a little late. Sorry for not stopping by, but figured I would be more useful getting myself acclimated with Engineering." He had heard she was an engineer before she got the fourth pip.

Piraa scoffed, finding it a bit off putting that the Betazoid engineer had stood to attention. "Please, lieutenant, as you were. I'm not prim and proper like most. In fact, if you need to keep working while we talk, don't let me stop you."

Kiran couldn't help but admire that attitude. He'd seen more than enough officers climb through the ranks and go on a power trip. "Appreciate it, Captain." He looked back down and the console. "We've been having some power allocation issues. Some systems seems to be drawing more power than they need, others not enough. I think it's a simple fix, just need to do some load balancing."

"Load balancing?" echoed the Andorian. For a moment, she stood and evaluated the engineer before finally standing next to him and taking a look at the readouts for herself. She clasped her hands behind her back in an attempt to keep herself from touching the controls, especially since she saw two things that needed to be completed immediately. Piraa then wondered who she was going to be more critical of in the coming days -- Mariwat or Arai. "I don't think I've seen environmental or sensor systems try and draw that much power before."

"Exactly my thoughts. And the holodeck systems, not primary systems, but they're only pulling in a third of their required power. I'm not sure if it's an error in the power distribution subroutines themselves, or if there's a gremlin in the system." He continued to tap away, trying to track down what was pulling the power, and preventing it from going to the right places.

Piraa nodded, considering the statements as an engineer first, captain second. "The Duderstadt is still a relatively new class. Yard engineers are known for taking field reports from the forerunners and then overcompensating. But there should always be earlier firmware available. Maybe downgrading there and building back up might reveal some issues."

Nodding in agreement, Kiran looked up. "That's not a bad idea. I guess they can take the Captain out of engineering, but not the engineer out of the Captain." He let out a small laugh, and realised what he said sounded quite cheesy. "If we knock each system down a few versions, then we should be able to monitor them as we reinitialise the upgraded subroutines."

The Andorian raised an eyebrow at the engineer's comment. Her antennae perked up slightly as well. "So, you didn't have time to report in, yet you were aware I was an engineer in a former life?" Her tone carried a slight hint of sarcasm as she knew it was easy enough to have the computer read information while one was conducting repairs or working on a project.

"I'm sure on the Zantra whenever there were crew assigned, you did a little reading up on them too." He looked over and smiled slightly.

Piraa narrowed her eyes slightly, taken aback by Arai and his knowledge of her service history. It was only natural for Starfleet officers, the best and brightest in the Federation, to retain and recall knowledge as and after it is absorbed. And it was clear that the Chief Engineer was aiming to impress while at the same time performing his function aboard the Valiant. Even if that meant that this moment felt slightly unnerving.

"I make it a point to know all those who serve under me," Piraa responded. "But for me, that goes beyond reading a file. I like to gauge how they interact with others, and not just myself."

"As do I, Captain." Something flashed across the console. "There's another power spike, the sensors have just pulled an extra three percent of power, then it balanced off. I haven't even started the subroutine removals yet."

Her left antennae twitched. She'd always harbored a concern for the newly constructed ship, especially one that would not be granted a shakedown period before such an intensive test. "I have no doubt that you have your hands full, Lieutenant, and that the Valiant will be keeping you very busy in the weeks to come. Aside from the personnel files you've reviewed, what can you tell me about our new ship so far? Anything notable?"

"Nothing is jumping out at me so far, but it's the first time I've been on a Duderstadt class, and she's a thing of beauty. Some of the systems are so different to existing systems, but they're so much more efficient. And the warp core, that's something else. It's almost perfection." He replied, perhaps a little too excited about the warp core.

"Careful there," Piraa said. "The last group that strove for perfection nearly annihilated us all. That said, I'm sure having an engineer for a Captain will prove a challenge. Especially since I know what you can deliver and when it can be delivered. So, no trying to sandbag estimates."

"So you're saying when you want something in six hours, I can't tell you twelve?" Kiran chuckled out loud.

Piraa grinned, still unsure of what to make of the Betazoid's gall. "Twelve, no. Seven or eight? Maybe on a good day. But I will tell you to be careful with those repairs. This is a brand new ship, and I'll be damned if we have to break out a can of paint during the first mission."

Kiran straightened up slightly, his smile a little more subdued. "Believe me, Captain, I won't scratching any of the paint. And if you ask for something in six hours, I'll try my damnedest to get it done in six hours." His eyes looked back down to the console he was working on.

The Captain's grin faded, but only slightly, her satisfaction with the conversation now increasing. "That leads me to my next point. We're going to be launching with a reduced crew, engineering team included. I know that's going to put a slight damper on resources. Have you had an opportunity to read up on our mission?"

"I have. We're going to be doing some field tests on Project Eden." He replied.

"And what do you know about Project EDEN?" asked the Captain.

Kiran thought for a second, wondering how much he was supposed to know. "It's supposed to be the next evolution of emergency management, like the EMH of the 2360's. Not to replace any one person or department, but to supplement them."

Piraa nodded, considering the description as an apt summary. "More or less. There's a full briefing tomorrow when we'll bring the construct online. It'll be mandatory for all senior staff, and it'll get you a chance to meet EDEN's designer."

"Sounds good, Captain. I'm very interested in it, if I'm honest. It has a lot potential. If we're understaffed, or there's some issue somewhere, it might have the ability to compensate somewhat, and lessen any issues." He replied, with a new sense of optimism. "I'm excited to learn more about it."

"Excellent," the Captain replied. She took a moment to look around the engineering compartment and reflect on her own set of exciting circumstances before turning back to the lieutenant. "I'm glad to hear, Mister Arai. Any questions for me at this time?"

"Nothing jumps to mind, Captain. But I can reach out if anything jumps out at me." He smiled at the Captain.

This time, the Andorian shen grinned. "Good," she said with a simple nod. "Good. See that you do, Chief. As you were." With a second and final nod, she turned and left the engine room.

Kiran nodded in response. Not quite sure what to make of her... yet he thought to himself. Definitely more to her than just a rank. This was going to be an interesting assignment.

 

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