Stretch and the Joker

Posted on Tue Jan 18th, 2011 @ 7:50am by Lieutenant Commander Aiden Roberts (KIA) & Lieutenant Dravic Rixx (MIA)

Mission: Hippocratic Hijacking
Location: Main Engineering

Finally clean and in a freshly replicated uniform, Aiden found himself in Main Engineering with his second cup of coffee in one hand, and a sugar glazed pastry in the other. The Lieutenant found himself pacing around the warp core, admiring the brilliant blue swirls. The constant hum sounded almost poetic - especially to an engineer.

"Sorry.." He mumbled in mid bite as he bumped in a pair of crewman passing by. "Hey you.. I'm looking for Stretch?"

"Not sure who're you looking for, Sir.." One responded before continuing about their business. "Yea join the club..."

As the Operations Chief looked around the Engineering Main Space, a Jeffries tube hatch wiggles loose a few feet in front of him, a human hand reaches out and touches the ground, as the rest of the person exits the tube, it becomes evident this is no normal human right around the time the man's waist should have been visible. Instead of the waist and legs of a human, the body of a snake comes into view, and finally slithers to the ground.

Dravic Rixx notices the other Lt standing in his Engineering, and knowing he has no other Full Grade Lt's in his Department, he is curious, "Can I Help you." Dravik realizes who the young man is, and adds, "Lt Roberts."

While the other man is standing in front of him, the serpent tail splits and two human legs take its place.

"Oh wow..." Aiden downed the remaining coffee in his cup. This was definitely going to take some getting used to. "Hey how ya doin'... Didn't mean to get crumbs on your deck. You must be Stre.... I mean Rixx. Lieutenant Rixx I mean... Nice to meet ya..."

Aiden was at loss for words, still trying to place what the good Lieutenant actually was, without gawking or staring of course. 'Definitely need to raid the personnel files before the days over.', he thought to himself.

"Whatcha working on...?" He asked, trying to move past the silence. Despite the Chief Engineer's appearance, Roberts was still trying to work past the idea that he wasn't responsible for hammering out the dents this ship was eventually going to earn over the course of it's service. While he would lend a hand as needed, he was one to bust someone's balls but not step on someone's toes - at least not professionally.

"Recalibrating the Impulse Manifolds, that was a hell of a climb through the JT's, Those moron Yardies think that Standard Specifications are the best way to do things, they never seem to understand individual ship personality," Rixx throws the Engineering kit on the MSD, "1.09% out of Optimal Alignment, over a 5 year mission, that amounts to nearly a half ton of Deuterium Fuel burned needlessly. I'm afraid to check on the warp core, and the Power Distribution System, no telling what I am going to find. Anyways, what can I do for you?"

"Well at the request of our fearless leader, I am heading down to the surface again. I spent some time doing some day to day handy work for them down there, but never got around to checkin' out some of the infrastructure they have in the works down. Replicators, waste management, and such. Dirty work likes company..." Aiden paused briefly, looking around the nearly spotless room. "Care to join me? Give ya chance to size up how handy I am with a tool kit before ya let me start tinkering around below decks..."

"Who said I am going to let you go tinkering around below decks," Rixx shook his head, "I don't want no one tinkering with crap, that doesn't concern them." Rixx' fingers flay around the console he is standing near, and then looks around and see's the person he is looking for, "i'Kihai," the Romulan woman looked up from her work, "I want a full analysis of the Propulsion Systems, including the real world alignment and specifications, full analysis on my desk by the morning."

The Romulan woman gave Rixx a look, that he was sure was the woman sizing him up, assessing his "worthiness" as only a Romulan could, however, he had learned in his time living among the Romulans, that this did not mean he had understood her look correctly, "Yessir." The woman did not say or address Rixx further and shifted work stations.

Turning his attention back to the new Ops Chief, Rixx clicked the Engineering kit closed, and ran his grimy fingers through his hair, "Ok, What exactly do you need my help with on the Surface?"

"Didn't mean to impose... I mean if your hands are full up here its fine. From the settlements database, I gathered that the equipment they are using down there has been in place since colony broke ground. Just figured there had to be someone on this tin can that would appreciate some archaic machinery at it's worst it'd be another engineer. Be an hour tops and we'll have you back up here tinkering in no time..."

Roberts was surprised he hadn't noticed the Romulan until Rixx pointed her out. He wasn't narrow minded or prejudice, but it was something you normally didn't see - especially one taking orders from someone in a Starfleet uniform. Times were changing, that was for sure.

"I should probably head down and make sure that all the Sanitation equipment is functioning properly, that way Medical can rule out a viral or bacterial agent originating from those systems," Rixx shifted through the PaDD's on the MSD table, finding the one he was looking for he slid his hand across the bottom of the screen scrolling through a list of crew members, "there he is, Ensign Rayb, Tal Rayb," Rixx had directed his speech to the room in general, "Ensign Rayb has Engineering while I'm on the surface."

Without waiting for a response, Rixx grabbed his engineering kit, and without even bothering to wipe the grime off his hands, looked at Lt Roberts, "Alright, you ready, Jack?"

"Been ready Bill..." Aiden motioned towards the exit, as he scarfed down the last of his snack on the go.