LtCmdr Salkath - Deja Vu By the Glow of the Warp Core

[Salkath]

((OOC: The engineering scene that was being co-written by the ship's PC and NPC engineers ran into a bit of a snafu, considering recent events. With that in mind, and with consultation among the remaining engineering PCs and with the permission of Staff, the scene will be rewound and revised to reflect the current roster. Thanks all for your patience as this is retooled!))

((Main Engineering, Deck 15 - USS Artemis))

During stationkeeping at DS224, the warp core of the Luna-class vessel Artemis pulsed gently, rhythmically, almost hypnotically in its slow, low-power state. The main deck of Main Engineering was quiet, lightly bathed in the bluish tinted light emitted by the matter-antimatter reaction in the core of the ship. With thanks to small miracles, the drama of the last mission at Ura Neteos III had occurred primarily planetside, so the starship was saved from any great damage save a refurbishment of short-range sensors.

Because there was little more than routine maintenance during their layover, it meant that the officers and crew of the engineering department had more time for shore leave than usual. The non-commissioned officers were certainly taking advantage of that; normally Lieutenant Commander Salkath would be fairly tripping over them as he strode through the beating heart of the vessel, throwing arched eyebrows and barbed commands at them as he went. Today, that proved to be something he didn't have to do, no milling NCOs slacking off and getting in the way.

Most commissioned officers of the department were also enjoying shore leave, save the odd Vulcan with no sense of proper downtime etiquette. Despite his own lack of maximizing relaxation, Salkath nonetheless felt a small bit of remorse for needing to send out a call to those officers on the primary shifts to meet him here in Main Engineering for a little bit of departmental business. Looking over his PADD, he saw the short list of ensigns who would be joining him here shortly, if they were punctual.

To the senior engineer's surprise, the first to arrive was the Bolian officer, Ensign Knzapp. Betting was illogical, but had Salkath done so all the same, this was the officer he would have bet least on for being the first to arrive. He nodded curtly at the man as he watched the next to amble in, Ensign Gazki. The Xindi insectoid was a stout member of the department, dependable and knowledgeable beyond his (to a Vulcan) short years. Ensign Imril was in line with them, and both of them had proven their worth in that most recent mission when it came to devising and executing a plan to remove a crashed freighter. 

The three junior officers formed a loose semicircle in front of the Vulcan officer chairing the meeting, facing the warp core. Salkath, back to the core and standing at ease with his hands clasped around his PADD behind him, urged the others to do the same.

Salkath: At ease, Ensigns. I apologize for commandeering some of your allotted shore leave, but I believe that you will find this meeting fruitful as well. The department chief has asked me to collaborate with you for determining resource time for personal engineering projects during leave and beyond.

Knzapp: We doing a meet and greet here? My name is Hank Knzapp, but everyone around here just calls me Big Blue! Though, you can call me anything as long as you don't call me late for lunch!  ::laughing, then looking uncertainly at Salkath:: We WILL be finished before lunch, right?

The Vulcan rolled his eyes and did not dignify the entreaty with a response. The Bolian had worked with Gazki and Salkath before, so the introductions were a little moot, until he recalled that Imril and Knzapp might not have met, officially at least. And Gazki flew overhead of them during the last mission in a workbee, it's possible that it and Imril might need a face-to-face introduction as well.

Imril: Imril. Hi.

Gazki: ::With a slight nod:: Gazki is Gazki.

With that out of the way, Salkath was ready to jump into the meeting proper.

Salkath: Now, as I was saying, with the reduced workload over shore leave, we are free to pursue personal projects at our leisure using engineering resources. To avoid scheduling and resources conflicts, it was advised that we discuss our specialties to ensure we can come to an amicable solution if we have any competing claims.

Knzapp: Oh, you don't have to worry about me, sir. I keep my work life and personal life completely separate. Now, holodeck scheduling conflicts? THAT I would love to discuss!

Salkath: Not part of our purview, Mister Knzapp. ::after sighing, looking to the rest in turn:: For the rest of us, it would be helpful if we share our engineering specialties as it may pertain to extracurricular projects.

He looked expectantly at the remaining ensigns, interested to find out more about their engineering backgrounds, specialties and interests, and any personal projects they may choose to pursue in the present or future.

Imril: I focused my training on computer ops and power systems management. Which lately has meant maintaining the EPS grid. But, as you all know, the discipline slides into other forms of applied force; tractor beams, magnetic containment, and so on. I’m looking to get started on some ideas I’ve had regarding mobile forcefield generators since Ura Neteos III. ::Speaking to Salkath:: Remember how brittle the Tritorian was, partially because there was no getting the hull integrity field back on line? Oh, of course you do. You’re a Vulcan. ::Speaking to the whole group:: Anyway, I’ve been thinking that as thorough as our scans of the pieces we sliced it into were, it might have been possible to work out customized integrity fields for each section. Which would have reduced or eliminated the risk of anything breaking up in atmo. Now, a regular portable forcefield generator in that situation would have produced a field that either didn't cover the whole piece or was too big and oblong for a workbee’s tractors to grab hold of anything properly but the generator itself. I’m thinking that if I were to gather some personal shield generators like they have in the Armory and mod them into miniaturized HIFGs, properly networked, they could be placed at strategic points along a piece of … ::Realizing they’re hogging the discussion::... I think you get the idea. I’ll stop now.

Honestly, the Vulcan could listen for days on the topic. He found it fascinating, but then this was also a man who read technical manuals for fun.

Gazki: Gazki specializes in material engineering and assembly/disassembly, and presently has the distinction and privilege of overseeing the workbee pool. To the extent that it has been permissible, Gazki has been involved in analyzing the composition and construction of the magnetic coils extracted from the Tritorian wreckage. In hopes of reproducing their peculiar properties regarding energy absorption and deflection, and testing potential applications for Starfleet use. 

Salkath: Very good. For me, I specialize in matter-energy conversion systems, primarily in transporters and replicators, and to a lesser extent holodecks. No, Mister Knzapp, that was not an invitation to broach that subject again. I tend to favor using Holographic Alcove Two over there.

He indicated a test alcove against the far wall, consisting of a rudimentary holographic grid and a dedicated panel. He had used it rather extensively since his arrival to the ship, both for his ongoing research on transporter enhancements and more recently to help design and fabricate an environmental suit for a favored colleague. He turned back to his current colleagues with a questioning glance.

Salkath: Do we see any obvious conflicts between our interests at this time?

Gazki: As the facilities set aside for auxiliary craft maintenance are adequate to the task of reverse-engineering the magnetic coils, Gazki expects no scheduling conflict with Main Engineering in that area.

Imril: It would probably be best to work up a holo-alcove schedule, in my case. For running projection sims with model generators. You know, I just realized that if this mini-HIFG thing works out, the applications for ground-based vehicles would be pretty substantial. Imagine a jeep as durable as a runabout!

Gazki: Vehicular crumple zones do exist for a valid purpose, friend Imril.

Imril: ::Imagining the results of a head-on collision from inside a nigh-invulnerable four-wheeler:: Fair point.

Salkath: Although with the inclusion of a type-18 shuttlepod inertial dampening system, modified for a ground vehicle... but I digress.

The conversation could devolve into spirited debates and collaborations about their various projects if allowed to, but the meeting was simply to formulate plans to not step on each others' toes, as it were. Salkath was cognizant that all of these officers were taking time out of their shore leave or other responsibilities to be here, and he didn't want to monopolize that time any more than necessary. 

Knzapp: None of this is gonna result in more work for the department during shore leave, is it?

The Bolian turned a little teal around the gills, much as he usually did when a pile of work was incoming.

Salkath: No, Ensign Knzapp. Though if certain individual's performance benchmarks continue to be sub-optimal, there might end up being training simulations. I perused a challenging one that posited the question about what the response would be if an infestation of tribbles were found in the engineering subsystems, for example...

Already the Bolian looked ready to bolt as quick as his rotund form would take him. Salkath changed the subject as quickly as he could to head off that response.

Salkath: Ensign Imril, I am certain that we can come to an amicable split of the holo-alcove usage. I also have an excess of holodeck credits where I can transfer my work to if there were a scheduling conflict. How far along are your practical experiments in the modified integrity field generators?

Imril: response

He nodded sagely, impressed with the efforts of the Bactrican officer thus far. The Artemis had only just returned from the mission days earlier, and even including the time enroute it was not an effort to be scoffed at.

Salkath: Please, if you wish for assistance or collaboration, keep me in mind. I would be honored to assist if you need a second pair of hands. ::looking askance at the Bolian:: I could even arrange to have Ensign Knzapp assist you if I am indisposed.

Knzapp: Hey, what? How did I get dragged into this!? Ugh, I feel a stomach-ache coming on...

Imril: response

Salkath: ::turning to Gazki:: Any indication about the origin of the magnetic coils from the Tritorian yet? Their peculiar properties were certainly a challenge during reclamation.

Gazki: response

Imril: response

TAG/TBC

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Lieutenant Commander Salkath

Engineer, USS Artemis-A

A239111MT0