First Contact

Posted on Tue Jan 1st, 2013 @ 7:36pm by Lieutenant Three of Seven & Ensign Soraya Xel

Mission: Funzone
Location: Deck 16 - Main Engineering
Timeline: After "Persistence of Vision" and "For the Trill..."

Soraya tried not to do much sightseeing on a new ship, but a Borg drone as chief engineer? Beyond her usual interest in seeing engineering, that was something she just had to see. After leaving Jack at his new quarters, Soraya made her way down to Deck 16.

She stepped into Main Engineering, and walked up to the warp core. The heart of the ship. No matter how many times one saw one, it didn't become any less impressive. The pulsing, beating heart that generated enough energy to warp space around the ship, and propel it potentially millions of lightyears over it's lifetime.

"I'm telling you, a hydroflange would totally revitalize the whole deuterium out..."

Pausing in mid-sentence, Fighter's head snapped up. Wordlessly, the Asian petty officer's head craned from side to side in a sudden, predator like survey of the engineering bay.

"Uh, Koyuki?" Warlock began, hesitating as the ensign reached out to touch the man's shoulder.

"No way," Dungeon Master blurted aloud, nearly dropping in the spanner in his hand as realization set in.

Quizzically, Ensign de Pazzis looked from one idiot to the next as she continued to grasp at straws with whatever was happening. "What!?"

"This guy can pick up a chick walking into a room from a parsec away," Dungeon Master replied absently, before reaching out to take hold of Yusuke's shoulders. "Dude, this is Engineering. There are No. Chicks. Here."

Again, Warlock looked from one idiot to the next. "What?" the woman blurted aloud, offended.

Sharply, Fighter's hand came up to knock aside the Dungeon Master's hold, his gaze having locked onto its target like a lion appraising a baby zebra on the savanna. "Hellooooo," the petty officer murmured, smoothing back his hair as he gracefully glided across the bay to coyly brush up against the railing next to where the speckled Diana stood in apparent awe of the ship's core. "Hi there. Impressive, isn't it? Yeah, I'm a... Reactor Control Supervisor. Explosive things happen when two opposing bodies come together, but I always make sure the release is nice... and slow."

Soraya blinked at the petty officer. She wasn't actually sure how best to respond to... whatever the heck that was. She looked off elsewhere in engineering, hoping he got the message.

From across the bay, Dungeon Master was still having trouble coping with the notion that a woman had stepped onto Deck Sixteen. "It's another chick," Weylan babbled aloud, raising a hand to point as though at a zoo animal. "There's another chick in engineering!"

"Wait, what am..." Warlock began, before surrendering to the well established reality that she worked with idiots. Instead, the Betazoid hybrid leaned up against the bulkhead, crossed her arms, looked at the apparent competition and muttered bitterly, "I don't like her."

Such was the scene when the small Borg emerged from around the corner, pausing to contemplate the purpose of the congregation there in front of the warp core. "Fighter, you were assigned to repair Crewman Buckley's toilet on Deck Eight. Please proceed to your task," the small Ocampa boy remarked, before turning toward the remaining pair in the shadows. "Dungeon Master, the power distribution to Deck Twenty still shows an imbalance of point-zero-seven percent..."

"Starfleet tolerance is a three percent variance," the petty officer quoted quickly.

Quirking his head to one side, the drone replied meekly, "Starfleet tolerances are as you state. Mine, however, are not. Please correct the imbalance to the best of your ability, which I calculate to be point-zero-four percent at a minimum." Waiting patiently for the other petty officer to depart, the Borg regarded the two remaining female ensigns a moment before addressing the one that was unrecognizable to him.

"I am unfamiliar with your designation or function aboard this vessel. This is a restricted area, as such please state your business," the small lieutenant stated crisply.

Well, there's the drone, Soraya thought, before speaking, "Ensign Soraya Xel, Operations. I wanted to... personally see the Engineering department, as we'll surely be working closely in the future."

Three just regarded the woman for what was likely an uncomfortable moment of silence, before finally nodding. "Your attentiveness to the professional relationship is appreciated, Ensign," the boy-Borg noted aloud, not looking at the woman as he made his way over, instead, to the pool table and began surveying the current status of the ship's various systems. "A diligent operations manager would make efficient use of his or her time by reviewing current power allocation tables for possible excesses in distribution," the drone remarked, speaking this time from experience.

She wasn't sure if Three's tone indicated disapproval it was not already done, or merely a suggestion of future action, "I'll take that under advisement, Lieutenant. Is there anything else you'd like Operations to take care of?"

The drone turned to look back up at the Trill for another uncomfortably silent moment, during which time the boy considered the query and possible answers. The truth was, any system that Three wanted repaired... Three just repaired. However, he was open to suggestions about other ways in which power could be both used and conserved aboard the ship. Lieutenant Marion was a capable manager in both regards, a trait he hoped would prove true of this woman as well.

Looking Xel in the eyes, the drone plainly said, "Your job, Ensign," and resumed his work.

The drone's answer was... succinct, she supposed. She had probably close to a hundred questions about him, specifically, but conversation was most definitely not one of Three's strengths. Perhaps she could find one of the engineers who knew more about the Lieutenant, and wasn't limited to short answers. So, while her guise of coming down to inspect engineering left her with the comforting fact that the chief engineer was very likely the most efficient being she had ever met, she didn't really have her questions answered either. "Yes, sir," she responded simply, before heading back to the turbolift.