Want to Help

Posted on Tue Apr 15th, 2025 @ 1:33pm by Captain M'Raz & Sakura Meng & Lieutenant JG Ryel Standing Bear

1,553 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Resistance is Necessary
Location: Main Engineering

Sakura Meng had been told to arrive in main engineering at 0800 hours. Passing through the doors, it was now currently 0755 hours. The First Officer had contacted the engineer in charge the day prior with the blessing of the Captain to give Sakura a try down in engineering or wherever else he may have needed assistance. Based on his determination, the decision would be his on whether or not he wanted to add her to his department. Observing the personnel walking around, she could tell that this department was definitely shorthanded after the recent battle. The place a was still in the process of being cleaned up, but the main focus was definitely on getting certain systems back up and running.

The Chief Engineer had left the ship and that was something that rocked the entire department. Ryel Standing Bear stood in his office, staring down at the desk, littered with the detritus that went along with running the Engineering department on any ship, and found the note, held down underneath the edge of a PADD.

I can't. I just can't. Everything is falling apart and my place is elsewhere. Forgive me if you can.

Hastily scrawled and, being in cursive script, not so easy for someone to understand but he did. And shook his head slowly as that understanding sunk in. He had allowed self, his own needs, to take precedence over duty. To his Azhadi mind, this was unacceptable. Unforgivable. Not something to be understood even but, in this Federation, they would find a way to understand and accept the decision. This he also understood.

He called the shift together for a meeting. They stood, everyone with coffee or tea in hand, around the main console while Standing Bear delivered the news in his accented Federation Standard. He omitted his own thoughts on the matter and said only that as the Assistant Chief, he would oversee the day to day running of the department until they found a new Chief.

He watched the play of emotions on their readable faces, again something an Azhadi never did -- at least not while in service to the tribe and to the I'mai. He resisted the urge to spit (something the Federation frowned upon) at the thought of her and immediately felt disloyal for even having the thought.

"It is hard," Standing Bear said at last. "I know. But there is much work to do to bring the ship back to peak operating efficiency. So, let's go through the priority tasks."

Standing behind the group pf Starfleet engineers, Sakura simply observed as the next man in charge gave a pretty good motivation speech. Among the crowd there were whispers of what may have happened to the Chief Engineer. It was nice to know that Assistant Chief Engineer was stepping up and trying to proceed as normal. Even though this was far from a normal situation.

Standing Bear's dark gaze, honed through years of training as an Azhadi, had noticed her of course. There was little he didn't notice; a habit he couldn't break if he wanted to -- and he didn't. He finished giving out the assignments while the group headed over to Tools Storage to put together their kits and get started on the work, he approached the stranger. "This area is off-limits to civilians," Standing Bear said as he came to a stop in front of her. "Did you need something?"

"I was told to report to the Chief Engineer," Sakura answered. "Though clearly he high tailed it out of here. So, I am reporting to you know for a possible work assignment here in your department."

"Hightailed," Standing Bear repeated. "Computer, explain reference."

"Hightailed," the computer responded, "An idiom dating back to the period 1885 to 1890 referencing the raised tails of fleeing animals such as deer or rabbits. Used to imply a quick and hurried departure often in situations where someone is trying to escape or avoid something."

"I see," Standing Bear said. "Come with me." He led her back to the Chief's office and gestured toward the one available seat. There hadn't been time to clean it up as yet and, on the list of priorities facing him, that was fairly low. "Have a seat. Tell me, do you know where your family is?"

Sakura took a seat and smiled at the question. "My daughters are here with me. My ex husband and their father is the Executive Officer, Commander Jason Reeves."

"And how," Standing Bear said, "would you feel if you didn't know where they were. How they were doing. If they were even alive?"

"Clearly I would feel bad," she answered with a curious look on her face. Honestly, she had no clue where he was going with this.

"Then perhaps you can have some compassion for those who are not as fortunate as you," Standing Bear said quietly. As an Azhadi, especially in moments such as this, he relied heavily on his training, on the discipline that made them legendary in their own section of space, far from Federation borders. He kept his expression neutral, contained, his eyes flat and unreadable. No one, not even a telepath could take from his mind the emotions welling within him, that was what it meant to be Azhadi. "And leave your personal opinions about the Chief 'hightailing' it off the ship to your quarters where they belong."

She simply stared at him for a brief moment. "For the record I do have compassion. Which is why I understand why he hightailed it out of here. I have parents residing on Earth who I haven't heard a single word from. But instead of hightailing it myself, I have children here who need me. And clearly you can you use my assistance to help getting this place up and running as soon as possible. So, if you're done, where do you need me, Lieutenant?"

"I'm not sure I do," Standing Bear said. "Need your help, that is."

"I've been here all of ten minutes tops," Sakura mentioned. "You need all the help you can get down here. From what I gather the Captain wants this ship ready for a fight."

"And how would you know," Standing Bear said, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "what the Captain wants?"

"I have never encountered a Captain who wouldn't want his or her ship prepared for a threat. But if I am wrong, please let me know. And I will take the comment back."

That wasn't what she said, Standing Bear thought, and truth was, he didn't know her. At all. "Thank you for your offer and I'll take it under advisement but for now, we don't need the help."

She sat there in silence contemplating what to say next. But the last thing Sakura was going to do was beg to help him out. There was those in his staff that was injured or dead. And they could use the help. Starfleet arrogance at his finest which was why she turned several offers to join over the years. Standing from her seat, Meng simply smiled. "Well Lieutenant, if you find that you need the help. You know where to find me."

Standing Bear, an Azhadi warrior, trained to hold back everything he felt, could, nevertheless, see the emotion behind the smile. He watched her leave, tracked her, in fact, until she had left Main Engineering and then returned to the console and the distribution of tasks. Even with the reduction in numbers, not as many as she had seemed to think, they were well on their way to getting the ship back in shape.

The board held details of every job currently underway -- who was assigned the work, who was assisting, what parts they had needed, the current status of the work, and more. There were views for completed tasks, organized by hours/shifts/days, jobs in progress, and of course, those tasks yet to be assigned. Every engineer at the start of their shift received tasks from this last list, provided they had finished those things already assigned to them, and Standing Bear was no exception. He set up a list for himself, one that would take, he estimated, most of the shift to complete. When he was finished, he'd come back here and prepare the nightly report to be sent to the Bridge.

He turned toward the crewman on duty as he gestured toward the board. "Find me if you need me," Standing Bear said. "I'm going to get to work."

"Aye, Sir," the crewman responded as she stepped up to the board. "I'll monitor progress from here." Along with watching the board and the flow of work in progress, part of her duties including arranging for parts to be readied -- sometimes, from parts storage here in engineering and sometimes from fabrication. Those that could not be replicated and weren't on board were red flagged.

"How are things going with what they brought back from Utopia Planitia," Standing Bear asked.

"We've got a team down there sorting and cataloging everything," the crewman answered. "Should have a report for you by the start of Beta Shift."

"Alright," Standing Bear said. "I'm off then."

Lieutenant JG Ryel Standing Bear
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Jane Addams

Sakura Meng
Computer Systems Specialist
Utopia Planitia

 

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