Molly Williams -- Screaming relays
Rebecca Iko
((Main Engineering, Amity Outpost))
Saavei: I am pleased you and the others were able to return safely. ::looking to Molly once more:: You are part Vulcan?
Molly paused her work, so she could turn and give the Ensign proper attention.
Molly: Yes. My father is Vulcan. He works on a freight ship. He doesn’t talk with us much.
He, like mum, was also always very busy.
Saavei: My father and I do not speak often either.
Molly: It seems to be common.
She recalled learning how even ambassador Spock had spent numerous years without speaking to his father.
Saavei: It has been a boon to my experiences thus far at Amity Outpost that a number of Vulcans also reside here. It provides a sense of familiarity with the 'new'.
Molly: There are very few at the school, however.
And she’d always gotten along with Humans better than Vulcans.
Saavei: Have you discovered any discrepancies in the relays?
Molly’s face lit up, and she instantly just about jumped to look at the console again
Molly: Just B-3 and B-4.
She gestured to the console so Ensign Saavei could confirm her findings. The Ensign looked the screen over, and Molly eagerly awaited finding out if she had been correct or not.
Saavei: Your assessment is correct. Well done.
Molly: What next?
Saavei: You will need to re-attenuate the faulty bracket housing. Begin by rerouting the phase waves so you do not overload them further and slowly bring them into tolerance. The difficulty is that it must be done simultaneously as the systems on the 'B' track are connected. I will monitor the others; your focus is to be on three and four.
The wide-eyed little girl soaked up the instruction like a sponge, nodded, and slowly began adjusting the two relays, looking over her shoulder briefly at the Ensign to see if she was doing it right.
She also decided to continue the conversation.
Molly: Do you miss the Alpha Quadrant?
Saavei: I miss my younger brother, yes. ::a nod:: His absence is felt more keenly than others. There are times I miss Vulcan and my other family members. I believe humans call it "homesickness". I endured it my first several weeks on Amity and still do, on occasion. What about you?
She nodded, at least to the fact that she understood what missing someone felt like, but in terms of her actual answer.
Molly: I don’t. I don’t really have friends there anymore.
She kept working, but there was visible sadness streaking across the girls’ face, still grieving a broken friendship that had ended more than a year ago.
Saavei: That is unfortunate. Because something 'is', however, does not mean it must always be. Or was there a less amicable ending to your friendships there?
Molly shied away from responding, just going through the moment when her bestest friend quite literally ran away from her. She had been scared. Both of them had been scared. It was Frontier Day.
The little girl instead turned the conversation back to fixing Amity, as she finished by pointing to the new tolerance numbers.
Molly: There! Is that what we are looking for?
Saavei: Yes. You have rotated them back into position. Tolerances look correct now.
She smiled slightly. The smile only grew when Saavei showed how the system was “green” and fixed.
Molly: Does that mean we did it?
Saavei: Let us see now if that has helped correct some of the issues we were enduring with the train system...
The Ensign changed the display to show the train systems. While the purple line was up and running, There seemed to be something still wrong with part of the Blue line. Molly frowned, disappointed that there was still work to be done.
Saavei: ... and the end result being a successful mission. That will alleviate several hours of work for the repair teams. Well done, Honorary Crewman.
Molly: There’s still lots more to do though.
Saavei: As with many things, in Engineering, it is helpful to look for the fracture point. Something seemingly minor going wrong can have farther reaching complications if it compromises the system elsewhere. By fixing those fracture points, we alleviate those larger problems. Identifying them is half the challenge.
Molly nodded
Molly: It sounds hard.
Saavei: I find it a therapeutic exercise. The galaxy can be a difficult place. Fixing things makes it more bearable.
Molly nodded.
Molly: It is much nicer when important systems like life support are working.
Saavei: What do you find helps to quiet your mind and bring you peace?
Molly furrowed her brow. She had to think about it a lot. The truth was, she cycled through strategies and mechanisms until something began to work.
Molly: Sometimes I read. Or draw. Or talk to Ensign Ychol.
Saavei: I see. Do you and your mother do that together or do the two of you have your own rituals?
Molly: Mum goes into her room to "take 5” sometimes. And we used to go to the holodeck together.
But they hadn’t done that in a while.
Saavei: At present, I am awaiting a return message from my younger brother, Chok. He is sending me a holoprogram of his favorite beach on Vulcan. If such would be of interest to you, I will ensure you also receive a copy.
Molly: That sounds cool. Can you give it to Mum?
She wouldn’t touch it if she couldn’t explore it with Mum.
Saavei: As you wish, Honorary Crewman. ::Saavei nodded to Molly:: Do you require any sustenance or drink?
Molly thought for a moment, before coming on the slightly cheeky answer of:
Molly: I do not require any, but I have a recommendation.
Saavei: Response
Molly: Ice cream.
Saavei: Response
Molly: You have been working hard. You deserve a treat. As does mum. And ice cream would be a good choice for cooling you down and boosting your energy.
Saavei: Response
Molly: I hope we see her on the way there…
Tag/TBC
--
Daughter of Ensign Williams
Amity Outpost
A239810RI3