Slightly Off

Posted on Tue Sep 3rd, 2024 @ 11:42pm by Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen & Lieutenant Commander Elen Diari
Edited on on Thu Sep 5th, 2024 @ 1:02am

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Main Engineering - Deck 11 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD005 1000 hrs

El did her usual stroll down to engineering, but something wasn't right this morning. Her left ear was buzzing and popping, she hoped it wasn't an infection, when that starts, she usually ends up in sickbay for days. Maybe she should go there now, and see Hermia, or Josh. Nah, she thought I'll go later if it still bugged her.

One side effects is that everything was quiet , even the usual rabble of psychic voices, she'd known since she was fourteen constantly burbling away, was subdued. It was quite a nice break not to hear everything.

The walk was non-eventful, none of the usual passers by were there- like the cute red head in the science uniform she shared a wave with most mornings, or the big guy who jogged past on her way to the turbolift. There wasn't even the guard on the main door to Engineering, who was supposed to be there all the time. Probably off helping one of the teams she thought, they're always dragging the guard off somewhere.

Engineering was empty. No rush of people coming to her to solve the life-shattering, ship about to explode issues that their back-up of a subsystem they were working on right that second. Strange. No body at their stations, looking at things like the Federation Sports News, or things from home instead of proper work. Even the screens were blank, no graphs charting or rows of numbers flickering.

She got to the main situation desk. It was clean, no leftover coffee cups, bits of wrapper, or scraps of paper or Padds that usually covered at least one corner. Her to do pile was not there too. Nothing to do then, things were getting spooky.

Elen looked round the room "Dave ? You there ?" she shouted, looking for her Enlisted assistant. Silence. He must be off with his apprentices.

"Computer. Activate Bill." she asked the computer, to switch on the prototype holographic engineer. Nothing- just the bleeps of a nonresponsive command. He'll be unplugged again.

Going into her office alcove, brushing the edge of her desk, it felt different, the wood was rough. She felt it again, no it was its usual smooth veneer. Instinctively she felt under the desk, the Phaser rifle wasn't clipped there. Elen was the only one who knew it was there, it wasn't visible unless you were right under the desk.

Things weren't right, this was getting creepy. She sat down at her desk chair, and leaned over to the box on the shelf, opening it to get a bar of chocolate. The box was empty. she'd filled it yesterday with different ration pack flavours, was looking forward to a caramel.

Elen now got alarmed. Something wasn't right. She turned on the computer screen, and once startup was completed, she typed up a quick program to start a countdown. 36 hours. once it started, she pulled out her necklace, that really was a transmitter for a job she had years ago, and didn't talk of, twisting it, it blinked to activate.

Hopefully wherever she was the signal would get out. if it wasn't picked up by the end of the countdown, they'd come looking for her. Hopefully.

Rowena then popped her head in to the office of Elen. But she wasn't quite the same. It was the form that Malificus decided to take to show to the crew in both universes. Malificus was getting better at transporting people without them noticing. "Are you settling in Lieutenant?" Malificus slowly strode in to the office. A grin was on Rowena's face.

"Oh Hi." Elen replied, Odd. Rowena knew she didn't like rank, didn't she ? " Yeah fine, bit quiet today, isn't it ? Might get some prototype work done today if it stays like this. What's up? Don't usually see you down here." Elen got up out of her chair, and motioned towards the table outside the alcove. "take a seat, I'll get us some coffee and cake."

Rowena smiled warmly. "Coffee and cake sounds great." She sat down on the chair. She then continued. "Yes, I don't often go here. But I figured as second officer and I am still quite new, I should really get to know the people I work with. So I thought to bring everyone a personal visit. I hope that is ok?"

"It's more than OK, you're always welcome down here, even if it's just to get away from Fleet Admiral Big Ears, or Captain Tightpants." El Answered from the replicator. Odd, the display showed it was running version 16, she remembered setting up the update to 17 to run last night. Must have been delayed. "Sorry I couldn't introduce my team, wherever they've got to. The New Assistant Chief leaves tonight for Tellar, going on a specialised training course for that thing over there."

"Oh right, so it will be just you in engineering." She looked around the officer as she seemed to wait patiently for her drink and pastry. "Is everything alright here? No problems or issues?" Rowena inquired curiously."

"Yeah. Fine. Just odd that none of the usual suspects are here either complaining about something not working, or not working themselves. There's always at least one monitor on the Federation Sports News Network, nice to have a bit of quiet. I might get some reading done if it stays like this." Elen answered, bringing over a tray of things. " Would you mind trying this ? handing over a piece of walnut cake "it's a new pattern, and I'm not sure to release it to the wider network."

"Oh no, not at all that looks delicious."Rowena took the cake and took a bite. "I love walnut so that should be just fine." She thought the taste was interesting to say the least but it wasn't bad. "Not bad, Lieutenant. Not bad at all."

"Ok, I'll put it in the next update, whenever it runs. Depends when the computer guys show up. Probably Dave's got them in all in the holodeck for a safety briefing, strange he didn't leave a note." Elen tried to explain

Rowena finished the cake. She slowly put her fork down. "Well I don't know about Dave, but have you thought maybe it's not everyone else, but that its you, perhaps? That you're not quite where you're supposed to be?"

"Every morning when I wake up." Elen half-joked, missing working on a space station.

Rowena nodded and then said, "I have to inform you, Lieutenant, you're not on the Pioneer anymore...well not the Pioneer you are suppose to be. I am just here to tell you. But don't worry, I didn't put you here alone. So better go find them." Rowena then disappeared.

"Ok. Rude." Elen spoke to empty space, clearing things away, "that might explain things, being in another dimension. In that case, I hereby declare I'm taking the day off until I get back to my own dimension, or one like it."

Picking a book off her shelf she sat down, put her feet up on the desk, stretched back and relaxed. "Computer. Le Comty Ory second act." she asked, and Opera started to play.

A Joint Post By

Lieutenant Elen Diari
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer

Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen
Chief Intelligence Officer/Second Officer, USS Pioneer

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