(Untitled)

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

Who: Montgomery Scott, Open
Where: Engineering
What: Scotty and his crew must find a way to combat the effects of the anomaly and restore full power to the engines... but how

Comments

[lisburn_lion]

It was a few weeks into her new assignment on the Enterprise that she'd discovered the junction under the heat exchangers. It was the perfect place for a little sit down when there was a lull in a long shift; the pipes curved around in an upright U-shape, radiating warmth and the low whisper of rushing fluid as they cradled a weary engineer

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

The further into the engineering deck Scotty got, the more aware of just how quiet it was he became. With a good chunk of his staff missing, and everyone running themselves ragged, the general overall state of the remaining crew was exhaustion. That, combined with the sluggishness of the engine, and everything seemed almost muted, somehow. It was almost as bad as the complete silence left behind after the attack that had forced the ship to dock at Risa. Almost.

Lost in his own little world, Scotty almost didn't see Lynch as he walked past. In fact, he only noticed her because he had to stop and look up from his PADD, because his eyes seemed to be rebelling and didn't seem to want to focus. "Miss Lynch." He returned his attention to the PADD, giving Lynch enough time to wake up and come up with an acceptable excuse for not-quite-sleeping on the job.

[lisburn_lion]

Fran nearly fell off her seat as she jerked awake at the sound of her name. She looked frantically around in bleary-eyed panic for a moment before she caught sight of the chief and relaxed minutely. "Sir," she acknowledged, looking speculatively at the floor and contemplating the likelihood of passing out from the headrush if she attempted to stand up. She wasn't sure how long she'd been dozing for, but to judge by the way her skull felt like it was lined with cotton wool, not long enough to make much of a difference. "Any improvement yet?" she asked, taking a work-related question as an acceptable substitute in lieu of demonstrating to ability to stand upright.

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

"Nothin' yet," he replied, shaking his head, taking a moment to look through the schedules. As he'd suspected, Lynch was supposed to have left engineering hours ago, and while he appreciated his people's willingness to completely disregard the ends of their shifts, when it came down to catching a few minutes' sleep tucked away in a corner of the engine room, it was time to call it a day. "How long since you've had a break?" Too long, he knew that much already. There was nothing for it but ordering her to go and get some rest.

[lisburn_lion]

"Dunno. What day is it?" Fran asked with a wan grin. She was only half joking. It'd been a very long few days, and the coming ones seemed to hold no promise of getting any shorter. She was aware that there was only so long it was physically possible to stay awake without going nuts or dying, but the idea of her bed...didn't appeal like it should have. It was this coma thing going around. Sleeping didn't sound like such a great idea after you'd been faced with the possibility of not waking up.

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

He managed something approximating a wry laugh, and tucked his PADD under his arm, beckoning for her to get up. "Go on, then. Get out o' here before I have tae chase you out myself." He understood all too well why she was still here, even if she hadn't actually said anything about it. But although leading by example had its merits, his example of working himself half to death was one that he'd rather his crew not follow.

[lisburn_lion]

"Sir, I'd..." She trailed off in weary frustration, trying to find a coherent way to express why she really rather not leave; reluctance to sleep aside, she hated the idea of not being here when they were so badly shorthanded. This was running into difficulties largely because she knew damn well she shouldn't be even trying to work on vital systems barely awake. It wasn't as though she was the only one, though...

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

"That's an order, Miss Lynch." He hated having to do that. He didn't have enough people, couldn't spare the ones he did have, but he couldn't let them run themselves into the ground, either. "I don't want tae see you back here for at least six hours," he added, hoping that that was long enough that she'd actually manage to get some proper rest before her next shift. Of course, there was always the chance that she'd stay out of the engine room for exactly those six hours and then she'd be right back there with the rest of them, but at least it would mean she'd gotten some rest.

[lisburn_lion]

Fran sagged in resentful relief; "Yes sir," she replied, gripping a pipe and hauling herself unsteadily to her feet. Six hours. Well she could get in a few hours' sleep, a hot meal and a couple dozen gallons of coffee, dear christ a shower...

She swayed gently on the spot for a few moments before her brain caught up with events and helpfully furnished her with directions out of engineering and back to her quarters. Briefy she considered saluting. She decided against it on the grounds that she wasn't certain she currently possessed the requisite level of hand-eye coordination.

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

And that was it. Yet another exhausted crew member off to take a badly-needed break. He was well aware that by this point, he was probably just as much in need of a break as his crew, but there was one difference between them and him that meant he'd keep going just a little while longer. He didn't have anyone to order him to take a break. Still, fifteen minutes in his office wouldn't go amiss. Fifteen minutes in his office, and maybe a quick run up to the mess hall.