There's No Place Like Home

Posted on Wed Feb 8th, 2023 @ 11:19pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Warrant Officer Arlan Harlan
Edited on on Sat Mar 4th, 2023 @ 4:24pm

1,976 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Prelude to Rebirth
Location: San Francisco Navy Yard, Earth Orbit
Timeline: 21 July 2395

[ON]

The shuttle flared and settled down onto the Firebird's shuttle bay with barely a whisper. It hadn't been down for more than a couple of seconds before a group of eight Starfleet officers, all wearing the customary yellow of engineering, emerged. Most of them were conferring over different PADDS they were carrying, all chock full of information. But the one in the lead, a grim-looking human with short cropped hair and narrow-set brown eyes marched towards the one person standing in their way.

"You must be Mr. Harlan," he said. "I'm Commander Wolfe. I'm leading the Firebird's refit. I hope that we can work together." He finished speaking and then held out his hand.

Harlan looked at his new conversation partner up and down briefly and was impressed with his general demeanor and seeming non-nonsense way of carrying themself. He swiftly grabbed the commander's hand with a grunt.

"Warrant Officer Arlan Harlan of the USS Firebird. A pleasure to meet what looks like another person who isn't afraid to get in the tubes and figure things out first-hand. I know this ship in and out and am happy to contribute however your crew needs me; a ship with this one's rich history might offer a surprise or two. In fact, is there anything I can help with right now as your people get started?"

Commander Wolfe smiled. "Absolutely. I know that the last engagement the had was with a couple of Romulan vessels. Their disruptors affect the hulls of our ships in entirely different ways. Can you describe to me what kind of damage the ship suffered, as we make our way down to engineering?"

The rest of the engineering team fell in behind the two officers, except for two who returned to the shuttle to grab a few boxes of specialized engineering equipment.

"Hrmph, it's hard to describe what exactly happened, even if I was there." came Halran's reply.

"Those disruptors caused a lot of the standard damage you can see when you look at the superstructure, but it's worth checking out all the insides from the shielding to warp systems. I don't even remember all the effects that disruptor energy can have on sensitive equipment. Sorry if that isn't very helpful. Things were kind of a blur and I barely had time to process the ship my own self. It's something that needs to be seen in person if you haven't had the chance yet."

Commander Wolfe nodded and the group made their way out of the shuttlebay and down a corridor to the turbolift. The ship was completely empty of crew, Wolfe knew. They had been dispersed for some reason that he didn't know and really didn't care about. As they stepped on the turbolift he spoke again.

"This is the first time I've been on a Diligent Class ship. I guess that's not much of a surprise since there are only two in the fleet. What kinds of engineering problems have you had so far?"

"Hrmmm, well, it might be easier to describe what isn't a problem at this point. I think the lights turn on and replicators mostly replicate, though that's a system that I deal with regularly, but that might be it. If that sounds bad, remember that three Romulan ships are no walk in the park. We've got electrical problems, mechanical problems, structural problems. If it had a field dedicated to it for training, it probably has a problem. That sound like something your team is excited to dive in on?"

Harlan turned to Wolfe with a slight smirk after that clarification and waited for his response as the turbolift reached its destination.

"You betcha," Wolfe said. "There's nothing I like more than digging into the guts of some ship that has been through the wringer and bringing her out nearly brand new when we are finished."

The gaggle of engineers spread through the Engineering Section like a yellow tide. They all sought out any station with a functioning terminal and began digging into the diagnostics. Wolfe stood near Harlan, watching and occasionally offering a bit of advice or answering a question.

"I'd like to get a look at the worst of the structural damage if we could. No sense in painting the wall if the studs are gonna fall down anyway," he said.

Harlan let out a moderate guffaw. "I like the way you put that. I think most of that is around the bridge, weapon ports, and engine nacelles because those darn Romulans wanted to keep us from running or fighting. The bridge might be the best start since it should still be active enough to give you reports on other sections. Walk this way."

He gestured for Wolfe and fell into step next to the fellow veteran. It seemed like the proper opportunity to tell stories on the way to the next lift.

"You sound like you've been through some interesting refits. Any particularly fun stories worth sharing?"

As they fell in step together Commander Wolfe considered all of the times he'd been involved in some hairy situations. "One time we were working on the USS Ticonderoga an old Excelsior class ship. She'd gotten involved in some kind of scrape with a... well the best I can describe it is a space tree. They had huge branches from the dead thing impaling multiple decks. It took us weeks to get it all out. Only time I've ever used a saw during a space walk," Wolfe said. "I've heard you are the master of the Jeffries tubes. You got some you want to show me that will help us get closer to some damage?"

"Sure thing," came Harlan's reply. "There should be an entry junction not too far from our current spot. It's just enough time for me to tell you about the time my crew had to fight off fluorescent space grasshoppers. I can't remember what ship that was on, but it was quite the time seeing phaser blasts and spanners bonk off carapaces. Things were a bear to clean up too; we were vacuuming goo off surfaces for what felt like weeks."

They stopped as Harlan's story hit a natural pause. He gestured at an innocuous-looking hatch about the size of an adolescent human. "Anyway, here we are. You need me to come with you or you good?"

Commander Wolfe was so engrossed with the grasshopper story, he was surprised they'd already arrived. "Oh, yes. I would like for you to come with me. It is always better to have an extra set of hands if needed. Can't grow my own extra set... well not legally anyway," he said and crawled into the Jeffries Tube.

Even this far from the exterior of the ship, there was damage. He could see that there had been a small electrical fire, which had been extinguished by the automated fire control systems. There was a lingering acrid smell that tickled his nose. He continued scanning with his modified tricorder, digging deep into the structure and subsystems of the Firebird.



Three hours later

Commander Wolfe and Harlan were leaning against a dark pair of power pylons that ran vertically through the junction they were resting in. They'd crawled all over the ship, including all of the main systems. They were both covered with grime, and dirt and had a few scrapes, all of which appeared not to bother them at all.

"Harlan," Wolfe said and took a drink from his canteen. "I need to be honest with you. One of the reasons my team is aboard is to determine whether the Firebird is salvageable or whether we should scrap her. And I have to tell you, my first instinct is to put the old girl to pasture and build a new one."

"What! That's ridiculous," came a shout from Harlan. "This thing is perfectly fine. So what if it needs some new wiring, a bunch of replacement consoles, and basically a complete replacement of the weapons, shields, and engine systems? I haven't had a ship taken out from under me due to damage and I will be darned if the Firebird is a first. Starfleet needs heroic ships like this one out there in space inspiring others that anything and everything can be done. What cockamamie higher up put that idea in your head?"

Wolfe smiled sadly. " Truly enjoy meeting old ironsides like you and Stanley. You come from a time when ships became more than metal and warp speed and flew off with your hair on fire. Those were important times and you should be proud of what you've accomplished. I can safely say that without you and Lieutenant Gantt's efforts, this ship would have foundered a dozen different ways. A ship this size shouldn't be able of fighting three state-of-the-art Romulan cruisers. But you did. You want the ship to keep flying, tell me the truth."

Harlan could barely contain his astonishment. "You're darn right I do. This ship is the best of my... I don't even know how many placements. It's the first time where the CO isn't a pompous dingus and everyone else is pretty good too, especially the emergency hologram; I like the cut of its gib. And you've got the right of it with me and Truman. We'd rather retire or request transfer than see our ships taken away from us, which is what I'd do if you wanted the Firebird scrapped."

"How does that sit with you?"

Wolfe sighed. He'd expected nothing less from the Warrant Officer. "I can't say that I am surprised. I read your very lengthy personnel file. I respect the hell out of the work you have done over your career and your loyalty to Commander Llwyedd, even if his career is ruined at this point. But what if I offered you a senior position on my staff? I'm not a dingus either and we could really use you. Your knowledge is irreplaceable. We often work on ships that are long past the point where they would be retired. Ships that you know better than anyone. Why don't we fix the Firebird up and move on to the next project? You'll love the work, I promise you and there won't be anyone telling you how to do your job either."

Harlan paused for a moment. "Interesting offer, but I will decline for now. I want to see what happens with the rest of the crew."

"I'll tell you what, though. The instant I get tired of being on the 'Bird again, I'll send you a communication and ask if a spot is still open. Does that sound like a fair deal for letting this ship get back into space?"

Wolfe nodded. "Alright. I had to try. Now, let's get over to the worst part of the structural damage. You can tell me a story about your experience on the Excelsior. I heard it from someone else but I'd like to get your take," Wolfe said and headed down the tube, his shoes clanking on the metal latticework.

Harlan followed, mildly amused now that the Firebird was probably safe from decommissioning.

"I respect the effort, but you're right. Let's get to this thing's innards. And heck, it's good to remember these stories from time to time. Now, let me see, the Excelsior was quite a time. It all started after one fairly mundane mission...

The story continued as the duo faded into the tube's darkness

[OFF]

Warrant Officer Arlan Harlan
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Commander Alexander Wolfe
Starfleet Engineering
San Francisco Navy Yard, Earth

 

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