Ens. Nolen Hobart — Meet the New Boss

[Nolen Hobart]

((OOC: Brom and Ferentis should feel free to write in anywhere but no obligation. Mostly it's tone setting here, and not necessarily a full scene.))

((Main Engineering, Deck 3, USS Arrow))

With Lieutenant Dewitt off sightseeing on the Libris, Nolen was left to command the Engineering Department. At least, he thought, it was fair, since he wasn't much more than a cadet himself. As the warp drive altered its pulse dramatically behind him to indicate they'd dropped out of warp, he looked at the assembled Engineering staff. Normally, this would have been an intimidating moment, not least of all because of Ensign Ferentis's intense predatory gaze. But there and then, with no other options, Nolen zipped up his uniform jacket to his collarbone and hunkered down with the unavoidable reality of it all. He had a checklist of tasks in his head, and the easiest way to lead was to share the list openly.

Hobart: ::glancing to a PADD in one hand:: Alright, folks, name of the game here is full power to sensors, next-to-nothing to weapons, and warp drive on standby. If we take a "hit," something goes down, one of us goes there, reports in, walks through the simulated steps at the regulation pace, and reports a successful repair. Nothing fancy, creativity only matters in bypassing a problem, not solving it. ::looking to Ferentis:: Ensign, that's you. Take as many as you need for textbook damage control, and in case of multiple failures, I'll lead a second team.

It wasn't just that Nolen wanted to get away from those teeth, but the Pahkwa-thanh was genuinely unflappable, and also quick on his feet when he wanted to be.

Hobart: Then there's weapons. Chief, we've been instructed to keep the back-ups set to low yield as well, but we might not be the only ones out here this week. We need protocols in place to rapidly power them back up at the first sign of trouble. We can reuse our gone-dark reboot procedure from the Sheliak prison raid a few weeks ago, should save some time. ::raising a finger:: Which brings me to finding trouble. In the event that our sensors are knocked "offline," they do not go offline. We'll cut the long-range sensor feed to the Bridge so no one gets information they shouldn't have, but in that state we are the look-out. To that end, let's keep a rotation watching sensors at... ::pointing:: that console at all times, even when they're officially up.

That console was off in a corner where, if Commander Wilde did develop the itch to check up on them, he wouldn't immediately notice. Hopefully. Nolen inhaled. The team around him seemed to harbor doubts, still, but they were significantly eased. It helped to have a plan, even if the plan turned out to be inadequate. Better to start with something and improvise than to start with improvisation and end up with nothing.

Hobart: Finally, if we have time, I want to know why the sensors in the Science lab didn't alert us to the helium leak. If it could happen there, it could happen anywhere, and we can't afford mishaps like that when we're out here playing both babysitter and punching bag. Alright, let's get to—

A strange sensation rippled down through the deck plating above them as the ship's lighting shifted and flashed a faint red. The inertial dampeners didn't fully mask the ship's gentle maneuvering, and Ensign Hobart felt a little light-headed as the room shifted almost (but not quite) imperceptibly. Then the comms chimed.

Shayne: =/\= Shayne to Hobart- the game's afoot earlier than planned. I want you to vent warp plasma from our starboard nacelle. Can you do that? =/\=

Nolen made a face. This was the Engineering career he'd been expecting when he first arrived: asked to do strange things to the ship without any idea or explanation as to why. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what the Arrow looked like from afar. A gentle roll, venting plasma. They weren't hit, that report would have come in through the computer. But the Captain wanted to make it look like they had been.

Hobart: =/\= Hobart, here. Can do, Captain, you looking for an amount or a duration? =/\=

Shayne: =/\= I'll follow up with instructions soon. Shayne out. =/\=

Nolen blew out through relaxed lips to make a sort of puttering sound. He stepped toward a large panel and called up the plasma vent controls. As the system lit up green to show all clear, Nolen pulled the manual override for the starboard nacelle. 

Hobart: Alright, I'll take care of this. Brom, get to work on the sensor feed before you touch the weapons, that way we don't have to guess at what's going on next time. ::tapping away:: I'm starting the flow at 2 cubic meters per second, ramping up to 10 until the Captain tells me to stop. Or when it goes dark.

He hoped the Captain wouldn't take his time about that.

NT/TBC

———

Ensign Nolen Hobart

Engineering Officer

USS Arrow (NCC-69829)

A240001NH3