USS Discovery: Engineering

The doors to engineering opened and Sevek entered motioning for Sorripto to follow him. Looking around, Sorripto noted the poor condition their main engineering was in. On Cardassian ships efficiency was a way of life and this meant often sacrificing basic needs such as comfort, ergonomics and aesthetics. Even for a Cardassian engineering center, this place was in disrepair. Sorripto noticed numerous scorch marks, burn marks and cracks on bulkheads and screens alike. At first glance it appeared the few engineers working the space, most of whom were clearly exhausted and many sporting fresh wounds, had spent more time in past few hours putting out fires than fixing their ship. Walking over to the main console by their warp core, Sorripto dropped his tool kit and sighed.

“Sevek.” Sorripto said gesturing to the damage around the primary flow manifolds.

“When I said I had done more with less, I may have been lying”.

Gesturing to the indicators of power fluctuations, Sevek updated the basic situation.

“Every major system is off line or heavily damaged in some way. Right now we are holding together what we can and trying not to lose structural integrity”.

“If we are going to try and get out of here all I might need are the engines and enough shields so we don’t fly apart.”

“There is no way we can get the engines running with the extensive damage to our plasma manifolds.” Sevek responded.

Looking around Sorripto just shook his head.

“These Carassian ships were built to take a beating, and with more redundant systems than anyone could ever need.”

Kneeling down to grab some tools out of his work bag, Sorripto continued.

“The key is going to be using all those redundant systems for purposes they were not designed for.”

“But we can’t just…”

“This ship is filled with isolinear chips, capacitors, flow regulators, and a dozen other parts all of which can be used to fix this”. Sorripto said cutting off Sevek’s objections.

“The key is going to be figuring out what we can spare, and how to make it fit into a system it was not designed to run.”

“You want to tear my ship apart?” Sevek inquired.

“Tear it apart to save it. Like I said, we just need to figure out what we can use… square peg in a round hole”.

“Square what?”

“Nevermind.”

Grabbing a cutting torch and his phaser pistol Sorripto walked over towards a bulkhead at the back of the engineering space.

“If memory serves me, your suppression systems runs behind here right?”

Sevek shrugged slightly in response.

“Well, let us see what’s behind door number one”.

Firing several quick blasts from his phaser pistol, Sorripto blasted off two sealing bolts and began to cut a section of the bulkhead. Within a matter of moments, Sorripto removed the panel to expose a jumble of wires, chips, and piping systems.

"Everything we need to work on the manifolds." Sorripto gestured as he adjusted his cutters.

"I hope you have rations, because you are about to lose replicators".

As Sorripto removed one component section there was a notable buzz, which faded.

"At least I hope it was replicators".

Sevek looked at Sorripto and then at the components and shook his head "I hope we have rations too, but no time to cry over spilled kanar now besides we only have about a third of a normal crew anyway."

"Exactly". Sorripto responded.

"Which, if we have to minimize life support, should make closing off parts of the ship easier".

"Right...so now that you've torn apart my replicators, or what we think are replicators, we have manifolds to repair. Preferably before the Acamarians decide they are no longer interested in your ship. I honestly wonder why I volunteered for this assignment" 

"Because you wanted to get your ship fixed..." 

"As for your manifolds, that is why I chose the replicators in the first place." Sorripto continued his work with the cutting torch.

Turning the torch off Sorripto turned towards the annoyed engineer behind him and tossed several components at his feet.

"I chose your replicators, because they are the best kind of components for direct manifold repair."

The collection of pipe parts, components, and circuit pieces looked like a collection of junk to the untrained eye, but to an engineer it was all the parts needed to make a series of manifold bypasses.

"Shall we get to work". Sorripto grabbed a pipe segment and twirled it in his hands.

Opening a panel Sorripto disconnected a power cable and got to work on alignment calibrations. Using one of the circuit components he had removed from the replicator Sorripto, with Sevek handing him tools, quickly attached the components into the slightly burned matrix.

His combadge chirped before was heard the deep hissing voice of Commander Schyssyllyss.

"Sschaell to Ssorripto; we're about to report to the Disscovery with the nav lights. Hope whatever you're doing back there won't be impeded or impede with anything."

Hearing the command Sorripto glanced over at Sevek and they both looked slightly worried and shocked. Leaning over Sorripto reconnected the power cables he had just unplugged and tapped his combadge.

"Sorripto to Commander Sschaell".

Tightening the power cable quickly Sorripto contined.

"We are good down here Sir. We had no plans to disconnect the nav lights. No plans at all."

"Thank you, Chief. Unlesss it might impede your work, we are going to use them immediately. Can you provide an esstimate for repairs and recommendations to move thiss sship out the area?"

Looking over the extensive damage, and then glancing over at the pile of parts he had created Sorripto responded.

"I would say give me an hour Sir. I can work faster if need be, but I am rigging some of this stuff together on the fly Commander. I would not want to rush the design for a makeshift converter."

There was a pause at the other end before the hissing voice of the first officer of the Discovery was heard again.

"Acknowledged, Misster Ssorripto. Dissregrad my previous requesst. Anything could happen in one hour. We will proceed otherwise without using sship ssysstems. Please work expeditioussly. Sschaell out."

"What does he need the navigation lights for?". Sevek inquired.

"If I know the Commander, he is using an old trick of communication." Sorripto responded, while still working.

"He is going to use the lights to send a series of blinking signals".

"And say what exactly?". Sevek asked.

"I don't know, but if we get a response quickly we better have this bird up and running by then".