On Again

Month 16 Day 7

2326 Hours

Ivy Wilson

There was something about a woman who only ate oatmeal for breakfast, and not much of that. Half of Mac's bowl of porridge was going to be thrown out. "How are you feeling?" Ivy asked her friend as that woman sipped at her mug of ginger tea. "You've hardly eaten at all."

"Oh. Well, I had a milkshake a little while ago," Mac stated, but Ivy doubted it. As far as she could tell, the redhead was hardly eating anything, these days. But she could only judge from breakfast and dinner, because they didn't take lunch at the same time. Maybe that's when she has her big meal.

They disposed of their trays and headed for engineering. Jamison jumped onto their lift just as the doors were closing. "You guys eat fast," he commented. "Of course, at this time, I'm usually just getting to the mess hall. I'm not used to getting to engineering as early as I'm doing these days."

"Neither are we," Ivy told him. "Five or 10 minutes is all the time it usually takes to be briefed by the shift going off. But in this case, there's so much to do, and Mr Smythe has to see that nothing, not a single thing, gets forgotten."

"He doesn't seem the type to forget things," Jamison stated.

"No, he isn't," Ivy agreed.

"I don't know how he does it," Jamison commented.

"He has an internal checklist," Ivy stated.

"Does he?" Mac asked as the lift came to their deck. "Interesting. I thought I was the only one with something like that."

They got off to walk the few feet to engineering. "Does a person have to be born with one of those?" Jamison asked.

"I don't think so," Mac answered. "I've been developing mine since I was child. So many rules to follow. Or, at least, not get caught ignoring."

"It sounds like a handy thing to have."

"It is," Mac told him. "But it starts getting gnarly when you have several checklists to keep track of."

"I'm not sure I know that word. Gnarly."

"Oh, sorry," Mac answered. "I suppose it's slang, from my home planet. I meant it gets difficult to keep several checklists separate and yet still accessible."

"Well, you would know, Mac," Ivy said, and told Jamison, "She's had as many as 6 projects going at one time. And one of them was learning engineering, which is a very big checklist."

They heard cheers and clapping from deeper in engineering as they entered the lobby. Somebody must have finished repairing another system. They stood outside the office until they saw Mr Smythe and Lt Vojeck approaching. Vojeck held a diagnostic sheet in her hand ,which she gleefully placed on the 'done' stack on the office desk.

Smythe and Vojeck got them caught up on what had been accomplished, then Smythe went on to what he thought should be done next. "We've got a team putting the innards of the north nacelle back together," he reported. "The bulkheads on the starboard nacelle are airtight, but we haven't got a team we can put on those innards. I thought I might call the Fireball and ask that they send 3 or 4 of my people over for a day or 2. I'll check with Mr Facchini after I have supper and see what he thinks. I doubt if any of them would arrive before mid-morning. Lt Zolka's shift. But Mr Facchini appears to be making good progress in his recovery. I'd like to have this ship ready for him when he's released from med bay. So, Wilson, Co- MacDowell, keep that in mind when the newcomers arrive, and try to assign them according to their strengths."

"Yes, sir," they both said, then Mac went on. "I thought I would take the equipment and make sure all the various parts of the ship's core are in peak condition."

"The core?" Smythe repeated, and gave Ivy a questioning glance, which she answered with a tiny nod. Yes, I taught Mac how to do that, or at least, I showed it to her once. Which is usually enough, with her.

"Since we've decided I can't do any work that requires me to lay on my back on the floor, I thought it made sense for me to tackle the core, since there's no floor work to be done at all."

Smythe turned to the St Elmo A shift supervisor. "Jamison, do you have anybody who can assist her?"

"It's a one-person job!" Mac stated with a hint of anger in her voice.

There was a moment of silence in the office. When he spoke again, Smythe seemed to pick his words carefully. "I'd rather not have you too far from engineering proper while I'm off shift. We'll find someone to check the core, but today, perhaps you would remove the new-style power relays from the warp alcove and replace them with old-style relays. Thanks to fabrication, we now have plenty of those. And while you're there, perhaps you could go ahead and check that portion of the system."

"I could assist her, Mr Smythe," Ivy volunteered. "Do the floor work. And that way, people would know where to find us, if they had any questions."

"Good," Smythe declared. "Then it's settled."

"At least I'll be doing something useful," Mac muttered.

Smythe cleared his throat. "I remind you, lieutenant, that you are on light duty, and if you get tired, you're to turn the job over to Wilson and get yourself back to med bay."

"Fine," she agreed. "And if I'm strong enough to get through the entire thing, with Wilson's help, of course, then I'll spend the rest of my time working on paperwork."

"If you're up for it," Smythe restricted slowly, and cleared his throat again. "Now, it's practically midnight. Jamison, please relieve Vojeck, and Wilson, please relieve me. I'd like to have 2 minutes alone with my fiancée."

"You're engaged?" Wilson uttered, and bit it off before she added, "Again?"

"Yes, he answered. "Now, please, people..."

In another moment, the 3 lieutenants who were not engaged left the office and gave each other looks of surprise. As the St Elmo people moved off, Wilson paused to consider what tools she and Mac would need for the warp alcove, and she heard Mac softly say, "I never actually said I'd marry you."

"What? But you have to!" Then Smythe turned and shut the office door and locked it. 

Reporting for Duty Again

Month 16 Day 6

2322 Hours

Ivy Wilson

Ivy was leaving the mess hall when she noticed Mac sitting alone at a corner table, her back to the wall. Wilson disposed of her tray and hurried over. "Mac! What are you doing here?"

Mac looked up from her half-eaten meal and grinned. "About ready to relieve Smythe. Shall we go together?"

"I didn't hear you were released from sick bay! This is great! But, it doesn't look like you're done with breakfast."

The redhead grimaced. "I overestimated my appetite. It's all gone cold." She opened her lidded mug and dumped the rest of her drink in it, then stood up.

"Let me handle your tray," Ivy volunteered, and disposed of it, then met Mac at the exit. "I wasn't sure when they'd let you out of sick bay. Mr Smythe didn't seem to know, either."

Mac grinned. "I'm not sure the doctors knew, when Smythe left me there. There was the... possibility of complications, if they followed the usual treatment methods. So they had to make some adjustments." They got on the lift and sent it to Engineering. "Besides, they had to wait until the Fireball's tailor could get a new uniform made for me. One with enough room for a back full of bandages."

"That's got to be uncomfortable."

"As long as I'm careful how I move, it's not too bad. I think the ointment under the bandages has some analgesic property to it."

"So, does that mean you're on light duty, or what?"

Mac gave a sigh as the doors opened, and they stepped out. "Yes, but it's a strange kind of light duty. I have to go back to sick bay to do my sleeping. Let's wait until I report to Smythe, then I can fill you both in at the same time."

"Oh, yes, of course. What am I thinking?" They entered engineering and headed for the office. "Well, we're here. Where is he?"

"Probably got caught up in doing something," Mac said, and swallowed nervously. "Let's wait in the office. Maybe we'll see him on the monitors."

They entered the office, and Mac gingerly sat at the desk, careful to sit forward to keep her back away from the chair. Ivy studied the various monitors, but didn't catch sight of Mr Smythe, nor of Lt Vojeck, the C shift supervisor. And then, she heard Smythe talking as he approached the open office doorway.

Mac stood up, her hands clasped together, and faced the doorway. Smythe stepped inside and stopped short, his gaze on the redhead. "Colleen," he whispered in surprise. He surged forward, and took her hands in his, a blissful look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Mac looked surprised, and her voice sounded nervous. "I've been released for light duty, so I've come to relieve you. Basically, I'm supposed to avoid doing anything that hurts my back."

"I didn't expect you," he said. "It sounded like there might be... complications."

She looked down and licked her lips. "Yes, well, they've decided not to use the dermal healing ray on me, so when I'm not on duty, I'll return to sick bay to spend more time with the blue goo. They aren't certain how long a full recovery will take."

"You got your hair done," he noticed. "I like it."

Mac shot a wild, confused glance at Ivy, then pulled a hand free to touch her short curls. "I considered having it all shaved off, but Beth suggested I try this."

"I'm glad you listened to Beth," he told her. "But of course, you would look beau—"

"Mr Smythe," Ivy broke in, aware of Lt Vojeck looking in through the doorway. "Now that you are aware of the conditions of Lt MacDowell's light duty status, are there any specific instructions you want her to do during this shift?"

Smythe gave her a mournful glance and sighed, dropped Mac's remaining hand. "Well, let me think about what needs to be done. So we might as well get started with your briefing." He noticed Mac smoothing down the front of her uniform. His brow crinkled in confusion as his gaze traveled down her form. "As good as it is to see you, Colleen, you seem a bit... disheveled."

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. My uniform was put together in a hurry, with extra room for the bandages covering my back. So, between the rush job and not knowing the exact measurements to use, it isn't as tailored as it usually is."

"Bandages," he muttered to himself, and gave her another look-over. "I see."

"I'm afraid my uniform for tomorrow will be equally... un-tailored," Mac went on. "In fact, until I stop needing the bandages—"

He held up a hand to stop her. "Yes, I get the idea. Very well, it's part of your light duty status. Now, let's get the briefing done. Has anybody seen Lt Jamison?"

"I'm right here, Mr Smythe," Jamison said from beyond Lt Vojeck.

"Good. Well, let's all squeeze in here, and Lt Vojeck and I will brief you other three on where things currently stand, with thoughts on what should be tackled next. And share what thoughts we have on what Lt MacDowell's light duty status means she can't do. Right now, I'm thinking she can't do any work in the lowest tier of access panels, because that would probably require her to lay on her back and she's not allowed to do that. Yes, Mr Jamison?"

"I'm not sure she could adjust an EV suit sufficiently to keep it from pressing against her back."

"Good point," Smythe agreed. "And it would be a waste of time when we have other engineers who don't have to make those adjustments. So, Colleen, you're stuck inside and off the floor."

Mac gave a wan smile. "At least you aren't assigning me to paperwork."

Smythe visibly winced. "I might have to do that at some point. I'll have a ton of paperwork to finish up before this is over. Right now, I'm making a verbal tally of everything in the Chief Engineer's log." He paused to hit a 'record' button on the desk, and then the briefing went on.

Intensive Care Unit

Month 16 Day 5

1623 Hours

Lt Cmdr Facchini, Engineering, St Elmo

The redhead in the other bed awoke with a start. "Ouch," she told herself.

"Bad dream, Red?" he asked. His voice sounded tired and hoarse, even to him.

"No. Yes. I don't know. At least I didn't dream I was falling."

"I got caught in a crystal explosion. I'm surprised to find myself still alive. Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Um. Let me think. A cloud of gas washed over me. A cracked pipe must have ruptured. Yellow gas, from the warp power alcove, which would make it diflaxibrophine."

Ah. She knows the name of it. Must be an engineer. "Then you also are lucky to be alive."

There was a short pause before she responded. "Alive, yes. Lucky, maybe."

He let that pass, for now. If she's in pain, she might not feel very lucky. "I don't recognize your voice. Are you assigned to the St Elmo?"

She gave a short burst of hard laughter. "No, I'm from the Fireball. We answered Capt Valentine's SOS."

"Fireball?" I thought I'd dreamed Smitty was here. Well, that's okay, then. Smitty will put things right again. "You must be one of Mr Smythe's, then."

Another pause before she spoke. "One of his what?"

"Engineers."

"Oh. Yeah. For the moment, I guess I still am."

For the moment? Did Smitty pull her from a different department? He's a firm believer in cross-training, but I would expect him to bring his best over with him. He suddenly remembered another dream he'd had, that a woman was pregnant and had no doubt Smitty was the father. Did Smitty say anything about that? No, nothing about being pregnant. But he did say, the Smitty in my dream, that he wanted to introduce me to his protégé. And the woman he would marry. As soon as I woke up. Had he mentioned a name? For either one? "Colleen?"

"Everybody calls me Mac."

"Surely not Mr Smythe." Which one does the name belong to?

Another, longer pause. "No, not him."

He pondered what to say next. Or maybe I should just close my eyes and go back to sleep, let her try to do the same.

"Psst! Mac. They tell me you aren't asleep."

Stinky opened his eyes wide and craned his neck, caught sight of a brownette in a rumpled engineering uniform halfway between the door and the other bed.

"No, I'm not," Red confirmed. "Why aren't you, Ivy? It's not like you're getting a lot of time off today."

"Well, I was in bed, and falling asleep, when it dawned on me that you didn't have the right gravity in whatever bed you were in, and you wouldn't be able to sleep. So I brought the gravity unit to set up for you here." She approached Red's bed, then disappeared from view as she got down on her hands and knees. But she kept talking. "I wasn't sure they'd let me install it, but Nurse Temple, Dr Davis, and even one of the Elmo's doctors thought it would be a good idea, you being a heavy worlder."

"Thanks, Ivy. I've been trying to sleep, but I keep waking up. At least I haven't starting having nightmare about falling yet. I don't think I have."

"Hmm. The base is different on this bed," Ivy stated. "I can't place the gravity unit in the middle."

Med bay beds stand on a pedestal, for a variety of reasons.

"Place it as close to the middle as you can get it, and I'll see if I feel any difference in my feet. If not, it'll probably work."

The 2 women were quiet then, for a couple minutes, then the brownette climbed to her feet. "Okay, are you ready?"

"Do it."

"Computer, turn on gravity unit 1038 to Gaelund normal," Ivy requested, and turned a worried look to her friend when that woman grunted. "Should I turn it off?"

"No," Mac answered. "I'm just extra aware of every little tug on my body right now. The skin on my back is tight."

"Yeah, burns do that," Ivy stated. "I know you're not a fan of healing rays, but burns are the easiest thing for them to heal. You can't even tell where my burn was."

"Well, we'll see," Mac answered. "All I know for sure is I get to wear this blue glop until tomorrow."

"Good. The longer you wear it, the better a job it does."

"Ivy, you should be sleeping..."

"And so should you, Mac," said a blond nurse as she entered the ICU. Stinky didn't recognize this woman, either, so she must also be from the Fireball. The nurse walked over to Red's bed. "Wilson, go back to the barracks and get some sleep. You've had a long day."

"I don't mind..."

"Well, I don't like those dark smudges under your eyes. You have a good reputation with Mr Smythe, and I don't want to see you flub that up. Anyway, I have a flair for barking an order when I need to. Do I need to now? I've been a lieutenant longer than you have."

"No, sir," Ivy Wilson muttered, and stifled a yawn. "I'm sorry, Mac, but I really do need to sleep."

"That's okay, Ivy. Good night." They waited until Wilson left the room, then lowered their voices. "Okay, Beth, what's the prognosis for me?"

"There'll be no healing ray for your back, for fear of introducing unintended complications, given your condition. Instead, they've discovered an old-fashioned ointment to coat the burn with. They'll cover that with sterile bandages, some loose clothing, and you'll be allowed to go."

"To do what?"

"They'll probably tell you light duty."

"Oh. Paperwork."

"You might remind Mr Smythe that the burn does not affect your mouth nor your brain."

"I'll never get into a uniform with my back covered in bandages."

"Leave that to me. Now, do you need something to help you sleep?"

"I don't think so, but the next time I wake up, could you send for a milkshake for me?"

"What flavor?"

"Ohh, pineapple if they have it. Otherwise, chocolate."

"You got it. Have you given any thought to your hair?"

"I've thought about shaving it all off, let it all grow out at the same time."

"Well, that's a little drastic, but you could do that. Or, you could have what you still have cut into curls to frame your face. I think that would be very flattering."

"Shaving it all off would be easier to care for it."

"Sleep on it," the nurse suggested, and then was leaning over Stinky's bed. "Mr Facchini, do you need something to help you sleep?"

"No, but I could use one of those milkshakes that Red mentioned. Strawberry, if you please."

"I'll send for it right away."

Back to Work

Month 16 Day 5

1404 Hours

Ivy Wilson

As she and Mac had been instructed by Mr Smythe, Ivy had allowed Lt Zolka to give kudos to the tech who had finished rebuilding the latest system, and Ivy clapped long and hard when the system was turned over to main power. Startled, she jumped when someone spoke behind her, although her name wasn't spoken loudly, "Wilson."

She whirled. "Mr Smythe! How's Mac?" Diflaxibrophine poisoning isn't something to take lightly. And his face is so... confused. If she were okay, I'd expect relief in his eyes, at least.

"What?" He seemed preoccupied. "Oh, uh, decontaminated. She'll be fine. Come to the office and brief me."

"Yes, sir. Of course." They walked toward the office, with Ivy feeling just as confused as Mr Smythe looked.

Zolka joined them halfway there. "Technician Yassir just finished the cooking system, Mr Smythe," Zolka stated, showing the paper in his hand.

"Hmm? Oh, good. Uh, give them a 15 minute break before tackling the next system." It was the standard 'reward' they'd been giving for finishing a system.

"Already done, sir. How is Lt MacDowell?"

"Fine!" he bit out, then took a breath and let it go. "Decontaminated and recovering." They stepped into the office. "Let's get this briefing done so Lt Wilson can go off-duty and get some sleep. By the way, where's Baker?"

"In the brig, sir," Zolka answered. "For disobeying an order and dereliction of duty."

"Good. Very good. I'll call Security in a few minutes and make sure everything's in order. I... don't know how long it will be before Colleen—Lt MacDowell—is released from med bay. Therefore, I have no... official... mouth to speak for me when I'm off duty. I'll continue to brief you shift supervisors, and be briefed by you, as I do with my own people, and I would appreciate it if you would continue to work closely with my people, particularly with Lt Wilson, here, who did a great deal of training of Col—Lt MacDowell, when she transferred to engineering. As long as we communicate openly, we'll make good progress. Under no circumstances are you to accept orders from Lt Baker, but I don't expect him to be released from the brig anytime soon. And speaking of him, do we have any idea what he was doing in the warp alcove?"

"Once the gas was evacuated, I took a look," Ivy answered. "Apparently, he got some new warp power relays from supply and had put them in place, preparatory to installing new crystals."

"Well, those will have to come back out. I don't want us mistakenly leaving them there when we get the old design relays fabricated. I obviously waited too long to repair the cracks in the pipes in that alcove. I'll tackle them this afternoon, if you can find me a welding buddy, Zolka."

"Ensign Griffin is the best welder on my shift," he answered. "I'll find someone to replace him on what he's doing."

"Good. Thank you. So the cooking system is finished. Anything else been finished since midnight?"

Ivy and Zolka spent several minutes enumerating what had been accomplished since midnight. Smythe, Ivy noted again, seemed preoccupied and occasionally had to ask for clarification, which was unlike him. The once or twice he mentioned his protégé, he hesitated before calling her 'Lt MacDowell'. That's different. Before, he unthinkingly called her Colleen, as if that's the only way he thinks of her, as a woman. What's changed?

They finished with a report that the north nacelle bulkheads were nearly repaired, the starboard nacelle had been stripped of damaged bulkheads, and the port nacelle was nearly stripped.

"Good," he stated when they finished. "Very good. Carry on, Mr Zolka. Wilson, you are relieved, but if I might have one moment of your time before you leave..."

"Yes, sir."

Zolka saluted, took a piece of paper from the 'unfinished' pile, and left. Smitty deftly closed the door and turned to face Ivy. "Lieutenant, I'd be truly beholden to you if you could answer a personal question for me."

What in space—? "If I know the answer."

"Who has Colleen been dating?" he asked. "I know I don't usually care for gossip, but that's what I'm asking for. Who has she been seeing, dating, sleeping with in the past... 2 months, or so?"

"Mac?" Is he joking? No, he's serious. What can he be thinking? Mac? Date? "She tried a couple dates back when she first came aboard. They didn't go very well."

"More recently than that," he insisted.

"Mr Smythe, the only one I've heard of her dating recently has been you." He blinked and then gazed at the floor. Not knowing what that meant, she went on. "Frankly, once you 2 got engaged, I can't imagine how she could have seen anybody else. Her days started with sleeping—which she had to do in her own bed, of course—then duty, then she spent her off-shift with you." She frowned, suddenly uncertain. "At least, everyone assumed you 2 were together during your off shift. Neither of you could be found. Except that one time when I... happened across the 2 of you."

He glanced at her hurriedly, his cheeks flushed. "I remember." His voice lowered into ruminations. "But she was already... So she can't be..." The office doorbell rang, bringing him out of his troubled thoughts. "Yes, well, it's a conundrum, and I'd appreciate if you just forget this conversation, Wilson. He opened the door. "Thank you for your input. I'll see you again at midnight."

"Of course, Mr Smythe," she agreed as she stepped out.

"Mr Smythe?" asked the ensign standing nearby. "Lt Zolka said I should report to you for a welding assignment."

Ivy walked out of engineering, intending to hit the mess hall for a meal before heading to bed. She thought about checking in on Mac in med bay, but decided to sleep first. Mac will still be soaking in that blue gunk. Probably sleeping, if she can. Let her recuperate some before I barge in. And what happened that suddenly has Smythe wondering if she's been seeing someone else?

Headed for Blows & New Crisis

 

Headed for Blows

Month 16 Day 5

1125 Hours

Ivy Wilson

Wilson entered the St Elmo engineering office to find Mac fiddling in the doorbell panel. She stopped in surprise. "Something wrong?"

Mac slapped the panel closed and turned away. "Nope. Nothing."

She's still not very good at lying. "Okay. Everybody's making progress, but I don't expect any more systems to be done before we go off shift. How are you holding up?"

Mac gave a tight grimace. "I could use some more ginger tea, but I doubt I'll put off sleep to get it."

"Losing its effectiveness as a pick-me-up?"

The redhead shook her head, checked her top-knot to be sure it was still—mostly—contained. "Why do I need a pick-me-up if I'm going to bed to sleep for a week?"

Ivy smiled. "You won't get a week, but I understand. Save the pick-me-up for when you get up."

"Yeah. It doesn't help that ginger tea isn't on their menu, and I have to explain how to make it every time I get some."

Ivy glanced at the chronometer. It was almost 11:30. "I expect Mr Smythe will show up soon. He'll want to debrief us on how much we've gotten done."

"Still waiting on results from the science labs," Mac stated. "You might check and see how the EV team is doing with the nacelles." Mac stifled a huge yawn and looked at the various screens showing engineering, then stepped forward and peered at one in particular. "Ivy, call security. Baker's here." She stepped out of the office without saying any more.

Ivy sent a quick message to security, then glanced at the screens to see where Mac had gone. A bright red top-knot was headed straight for the warp alcove, which Smythe had told them to leave alone! "Oh, no." She hurried for the alcove herself, and Lt Zolka fell into step behind her. "Baker's doing something in the warp alcove," she told him.

"Thought that was off-limits," Zolka returned.

"It is."

They heard raised voices, talking over each other. Ivy peripherally saw somebody enter engineering, and then Mac exclaimed, "I said get out!" And Baker came stumbling out of the alcove backwards.

 

 

New Crisis

Month 16 Day 5

1130 Hours

Smitty

Smitty's back stiffened as they approached engineering, for he could hear voices in argument, and one of them, he was afraid, belonged to Colleen. As they stepped into the engineering lobby, he plainly heard her declare, "I said, get out!", and an engineering lieutenant came flying out of the warp alcove. When he took a second look, it was Baker.

"I'll have you up on assault charges, MacDowell!" Baker threatened.

"Go ahead and try!" She appeared in the alcove doorway and faced him, her hands on her hips. "I already sent for security, because you disobeyed a direct order!"

Before Baker could respond, there was a loud 'crack', and a thick yellow cloud of gas blew from the alcove, knocking Colleen a step forward as it engulfed her.

"Oh, space!" Smitty ran forward, struck the emergency button for the alcove, and the door came sliding shut, cutting off the rest of the yellow cloud. He grabbed the spray tank of antitoxin off the wall and waved his free arm, frantically trying to dispel the gas so he could see where Colleen was.

"Mr Smythe, she—"

"Shut up!" he barked, and aimed a squirt of pink foam at Baker's face and chest, in case the yellow gas had reached that far. Colleen was on the floor, the back of her uniform blackened and disintegrating. He directed pink foam over her entire form, then rolled her over and did the same for her front. The front of her uniform wasn't disintegrating as quickly as the back, but he made sure to get a thick coating of pink foam over her face.

Baker was coughing and rubbing pink foam from his face. "Are you trying to kill me?" Smitty ignored the idiot.

Wilson was operating emergency devices to shut off the flow of the diflaxibrophine gas before it got to the warp alcove. Lt Zolka knelt beside Colleen and called out, "Somebody call med bay!" Then he reached out to remove the dissolving uniform.

"We are med bay," Dr Lister stated. "Is there a litter nearby?"

"Stop it!" Colleen choked out weakly, her fists flailing around her.

"Stop, before she hurts you," Smitty told Zolka, and handed him the tube of antitoxin. Then he knelt and began peeling the remnants of the uniform from her skin, his efforts hampered by the severe shivering she was doing.

The foam on her face had mostly dissipated, and her eyelids fluttered. "Smit? I-I'm freezing!"

"That's because of the gas you got hit by," Smitty told her.

"Technically—" MacGregor started.

"Drake!" Smitty barked out. She doesn't need technical correctness right now, she needs reassurance. "Baker, get a blanket, and I want it NOW!" He pulled most of the front of her uniform off her, and had Zolka spray her with more of the pink foam. She groaned as the foam hit her, and her shivers worsened.

Lt Romanoff approached with an emergency stretcher. Baker—wonder of all wonders—returned with one of the emergency blankets.

Colleen grabbed Smitty's hand and gripped as hard as she could, despite the slipperiness of the foam. "Smit! What's happening?"

"You got hit with a toxic gas," he answered. "You'll be in med bay in no time."

"No!"

"You have to go to med bay, Colleen. That stuff is nasty, and they've got to make sure it's totally neutralized." He thought that would reassure her, and her grip would loosen, allowing him to get her on the anti-grav litter, but if anything, she gripped him even harder.

"I have t-to t-talk to you! H-h-have to!"

"Let's get her on the litter," Dr Lister encourage. "On her stomach."

"As soon as they get done with you, Colleen."

"No." But her voice was weaker. Her eyes were fluttering, trying to close. Her whole body was jumping, trying to shiver harder than it could. But her grip was still strong.

"She's going into convulsions," Drake said. "Ivy, Francine, and Smitty, help me get her on the litter, now!"

Others who were standing around tried to help lift her to the litter, but both Drake and Smitty warned them away. "She won't let you," Drake told them.

"She's unconscious!" Zolka protested.

"Won't stop her from lashing out," Drake returned.

In a short time, Mac was on the litter, on her stomach, with the blanket draped over her, and strapped down as best they could despite her violent quivers. She still had a hard grip on Smitty's hand.

He looked to Wilson. "Have security take Baker to the brig for disobeying a direct order," he told her.

"What?" Baker exclaimed.

"They're on their way," she told her boss.

Drake put the litter into gear, and it moved for the exit. His hand still gripped tightly, Smitty walked alongside the litter, looking back at Wilson. "I'll be back as soon as I can!"

"I'll be here," she promised.

"Mr Smythe, there's no reason for you to come to sick bay," Dr Lister told him reasonably. "Your work is here."

Smitty tried not to glare at her, and grabbed at the only reason that wouldn't be laughed at. "She not just my protégé," he said. "She's my fiancée!"

Startled, Lister looked at him, then at Drake, who pursed his lips, but didn't negate the claim. "Very well," she gave in, and they picked up the pace.

Reporting for Duty

Month 16 Day 4

2329 Hours

Ivy Wilson

Ivy frowned as she re-entered the dimly lit female barracks. If Mac doesn't get up now, she won't make it to engineering in time to relieve Smythe.

Mac's bed began to beep, just as the redhead emerged from the bathroom. "I'm up," she said softly, and the beeping stopped.

"Are you ready for another extended shift?" Ivy asked as Mac padded down the aisle between the beds.

"Do I wear yesterday's uniform again?"

"No, I left a fresh one on the foot of your bed."

"I see it. I hope it fits."

"It's one of yours. Put yesterday's in the packaging, and it'll get shipped back to the Fireball for cleaning."

"Thanks. Nobody ever told me things like that." She paused in opening her package. "Illumination full," Mac said and smiled as the room brightened. "Now I can see what I'm doing." She removed her fresh uniform from the plastic and began to put it on, paused to take a sip from the glass of water sitting on her bedside table. She grunted. "That's gotten strong."

Ivy picked up Mac's discarded uniform. "How does water get strong?" She started stuffing the laundry into the plastic bag.

"It's ginger tea. A pick-me-up."

"You're going to need it. You don't have time for the mess hall."

"Wasn't planning on it," Mac answered, and sat down on the bed to put her boots on, took another sip of her tea.

"You're going to wish you had before our shift gets done," Ivy warned her.

"I'll survive," Mac growled, and started putting her hair up. "Sorry, Ivy, I don't mean to snap. But my schedule is very messed up. My body is out of sorts."

"As long as you don't snap at the St Elmo people."

"Baker isn't supposed to be there when I am." Mac stood up, her glass of tea in her hand. "Okay, I'm ready. What do I do with my old uniform?"

"I packed it," Ivy told her, and led her to the small lobby. "This table by the door is where we leave our dirty uniforms, and this afternoon, a fresh one will have arrived. You'll just need to find yours." They left, headed for the lift.

"Thanks, Ivy. This is a new situation for me."

"It's been a while since I was in an emergency work party," Ivy told her friend. "Mr Smythe told me to set up your bed for extra gravity, and I thought there'd be things nobody's told you about. So I'm glad he's got us working together."

"Just don't let me take a swing at Baker," Mac muttered as they got on an empty lift.

"He rubs me the wrong way, too," Ivy returned.

When they exited the lift, they found Lt Jamison. He looked at the glass Mac carried and frowned. "You can't take an open glass of liquid into engineering." Pink flags of color lit up his cheeks. "Sorry. That's one of Mr Facchini's rules. Maybe it's different under Mr Smythe."

"Not really," Ivy answered. "Can you help her out? Mac didn't bring a mug from the Fireball."

"Ahh, sure. Hang on." He disappeared through a doorway, then reappeared with a mug, which he offered to Mac. "Borrowed it. When you're done, take it to the mess hall for washing, and it'll be sent back to him."

"Thank you." Mac transferred the pungent liquid, then put the lid on the mug.

When they entered engineering, Smythe looked up from a console to give them a brilliant smile, despite his tiredness. "There you are!" He walked over and took hold of Mac's shoulders. "Did you get any sleep?"

The only time I see that smile on Smythe's face is when he's looking at Mac.

"Yes," Mac answered, and gently removed his hands. "Thank you for making sure I had a proper bed."

"You'd soon be of little use on this project if you couldn't get some decent sleep. So, let's all go to the office, and I'll brief the 3 of you on what's been done and what I see needs to be done next." Once in the office, Smythe stood behind the desk, which put the wall chronometer in front of him. He sighed. "Colleen, I told you to relieve me at midnight, not before."

Mac nodded. "Since I'm relieving you, it's my duty to arrive early enough to be briefed before I actually take over."

Smitty gave a faint grin. "Well, you're here now. And I can't fault you for showing up early, as long as you can handle a 12-hour shift."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

"Try to take coffee breaks and a meal break," he went on. "You, too, Wilson."

"Yes, sir."

"We're still waiting for reports from the labs, but I've removed the remaining power relays from here in engineering, and they look like melted sludge. It's obvious they didn't work the way they were intended, so I've got fabrication making new ones of the old design. At least I know the old design works." He indicated 2 piles of papers on the desk, one much taller than the other. "I've had people run diagnostics on every system. Now they've started tearing the systems apart, one by one, and replacing every questionable piece. This tall stack," he indicated the pile closest to the office door, "still need to be done. The short stack has been done. Remember that, and don't get them confused."

"Did you get any useful information from Oakhurst?" Mac asked, and sipped from her mug.

Smythe gave a short nod. "What he's provided so far seems to confirm what I already suspected. When the power relays started to fail, Stin—Mr Facchini went to the warp alcove to shut things down. From the looks of it, those crystals exploded in his face, just as he shut the power off. That stopped the north nacelle from experiencing a full explosion, but the port and starboard were too far gone. What it means for us is several days of hard labor rebuilding all the systems. So just keep plodding along. Give people a pat on the back when they finish a system, make a big deal out of taking that system off its backup."

Ivy nodded. "Make each small goal an accomplishment to keep burn-out and fatigue at bay."

"Exactly. I've got the Fireball's fabrication making new bulkheads to replace the ruined sections of the nachelles. So, if you can, find some EV workers and send them to remove the damaged sections. Cut them up and send them to the Fireball as raw material."

"I can think of 3 people who are well trained in EV work, sir, if you want my input," Jamison offered.

"Good," Smythe agreed. "Leave the warp alcove alone for now. I saw some cracked pipes in there, pipes that carry nasty stuff, so I'll deal with that when I'm on duty. Now, can you remember all that?" They nodded, and he smiled. "Good. Now, Wilson, relieve me, please."

Surprised, Mac uttered, "What? Wait..."

"Mr Smythe, you are relieved," Ivy stated formally. "Come on, Jamison." She pulled the St Elmo lieutenant out of the office with her.

"There, we've got 2 minutes before you go on duty," Smythe said behind them.

"Not enough time," Mac answered.

"Can't you at least give me a clue what it's about?"

"Not without..." The voices faded behind them as they moved away from the still-open office door.

"Um, do you mind if I ask?" Jamison started. "I know it's none of my business."

"They were engaged, not long ago," Wilson stated softly. "He still wants to be. This ensign we're approaching looks confused. How do you suggest we handle her?"

"She always looks confused, but once you start talking about what she's doing, she knows what to do. I'll handle it."