Snacks
Posted on Sun Feb 16th, 2020 @ 11:37pm by Lieutenant Minna Chang
462 words; about a 2 minute read
Mission:
E1 Only The Beginning
Location: Forward shield emitter control
Timeline: Just after “Back on our feet”
Minna was not the most qualified person on the ship to get the small gaps in Magellan’s shields closed. She only had five years experience in this strange new world called the 24th century, and the first of those years was spent as many humans spend their first year; learning to walk.
The difference is that Minna was already 41-years-old at the time, or 261-years-old if one measured age by time since birth rather than physiologically. Where Minna’s life differed from that of everyone else other than her three surviving shipmates from the USS Columbia is that the entirety of Minna’s life before 5-years-ago was spent either in the relatively primitive early to mid 22nd century, or for everything after her 41st year, over two centuries in cryogenic stasis pod, literally on ice.
Fortunately for Minna, she was both a quick study, and had a very experienced security/tactical NCOIC in the form of Master Chief Petty Officer Michael Ness, who unlike Minna, had spent all of his 51 years in the 24th century and the last 29 of those years working on modern Starfleet technologies like the damaged shields. The only thing he couldn’t do, that fortunately Minna herself could, was fit into the tight crawl space to access the EPS conduits for emitters 2 and 4, which had to be replaced.
With Master Chief Ness’ guidance and Minna’s small stature, the job was done in barely over 30 minutes. It was job that Ness could likely have done in five, if only he could fit.
“Now the phasers” Minna said.
“No worries ma’am, the control room is quite spacious.”
“I know” Minna replied. “I found an empty beer bottle there the other day, and what looked like crumbs from American potato chips.”
“Nothing to worry about.”
“Do I look worried? So, any idea how those got there?”
“Oh, it...”
“You know, as chief of security I have access to all internal sensor logs, including the deleted ones.”
“I...”
“It’s five card stud, yes?” Minna asked.
“Yes” the senior NCO replied.
“Unlicensed gambling, how should we handle this?”
“It won’t happen again” he started to reply before she interrupted.
“You’ll do nothing of the sort, but you will let me know the time for the next game, and what kind of snacks to bring.”
“It’s NCOs only ma’am.”
“Crewman knocks is only E-4. He’s not an NCO. And what about Jenny Wallace, the school teacher?”
“NCOs, past, present and future. Mrs. Wallace is a retired marine gunny” the master chief replied.
“Then I’ll fit in just fine. I was a MACO sergeant major, Earth-Romulan war.”
“That’s....”
“Impossible? The magic of cryostasis, and the reason I know so little about fixing modern shields.”
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