Hands On

Posted on Fri May 25, 2018 @ 2:16am by Lieutenant Venus Quinnell & Lieutenant JG Zander Devereaux

Mission: Falling Star
Location: Deck 22
Timeline: MD 34 || 1100 Hours

Leaving the staff meeting, Venus felt the heavy burden of not only being a department head but chief engineer. The Commodore, as one would expect, wanted his ship fully operational in potentially hostile territory. She had to deliver.

She didn't want to simply remain in Main Engineering any longer and took the matter of the repairs, her department's priority, under her direct supervision. Her Bolian deputy chief may not have liked it but that was the new reality under her.

Deck 22 had suffered among the worse. The hull breach and resulting brownout had cascaded problems throughout the ship. It felt like a legion of gold shirted engineers were buzzing about when she arrived. All having performed double or triple shifts just to get the list of issues rectified.

She approached a familiar officer whom she still found unorthodox yet had to admit was skilled at his job. "Mr. Devereaux, how are the repairs coming along?" She folded her arms, her tone as formal as one came to expect from her. Since the meeting, she had made herself more presentable with nothing out of place.

Zander was on his back half under a console when he heard the Lieutenant's voice and raised up without thinking, banging his head in the process. "It'd be a lot better if I didn't keep abusing myself," he grunted as he wiggled out from under it. A spot of some liquid was smeared across his forehead and his hair, while pulled back in the style she wanted, was a mess.

Once he was out from under the console, he looked up and grinned at the view before he grabbed the edge and pulled himself up. "So far, I have teams working on replacing the gel packs, EPS conduits, re-routing to other systems, replicating patching and shoring things up as best we're able. I'd estimate twelve hours before everything that can be done without a starbase is done."

Venus furrowed a brow at his appearance. "I see." She responded, remaining in her stance. "We are in hostile space and if you can expedite the time of repairs, it would be extremely helpful. I don't wish to keep reporting to the Commodore that his most advanced starship is still broken."

She let out a sigh, the pressures of leadership were indeed heavy. It didn't help that she had little sleep and had to rush to the morning meeting. "The breaches - if we are pulled out of warp - the stresses on the hull, especially at those breach points could cause microfissures. I don't want the ship ripping itself apart at transwarp 34 from a weakened hull integrity." Her hands slid to her hips as she spoke. "You will need to magnetize by perhaps two hundred meters to maintain integrity.."

Another Chief that thinks I can work magic, he internally sighed. "If I pull all the teams off of every other project that needs done, I can cut it down to eight hours at a minimum and that includes a hull patch. I'd strongly suggest not going to transwarp or anything above warp five until we can either get to a starbase or we get a Combat Support Tender out here, which I doubt we will."

He grabbed a clean rag and wiped his forehead clean, then checked his toolkit. "I'll get everyone workin' on this straight through and use the one that collapse as places to put the kits."

Venus motioned with her hand. "No, manage your time and simply prioritize what needs to be done. Any noncritical repairs can wait. Use those Flight Deck maintenance personnel to full advantage to offset your challenges. I didn't get them just to change light filaments."

She studied her Damage Control supervisor. If he had played by the rules, could have easily been her boss. "You just get it done. Any jobs already completed, I'll have those teams redirected to assist you as well." The Chief Engineer rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a stress pain developing. "We can't be exposed for half a day. Those mercenaries could come back or heck, the Romulans could double cross us."

One of her young adjutants approached with a PADD in his hand. "Ma'am, I need you to look over-."

She raised a hand to stop him in mid sentence. "I don't have time to cross your 'T's and dot your 'I's. Take this to Lieutenant Gefel in Main Engineering." Venus snapped losing her cool momentarily.

The adjutant glanced at Zander before nodding to his chief and quickly disappearing for the nearest turbolift.

"Beggin' yer pardon, Lieutenant, but us older Engineers have a trick for neck cramps," Zander said when she snapped at her adjutant. "I know how it is having to twist around at all angles, and I promise that there's nothin' sexual about it. Takes just a minute and no one would have to know, either."

"I thought you were my pain in the neck." Venus commented, wincing as she continued to rub her neck. Normally she would have denied his offer, needing to show utter independence to her subordinates and superiors alike. However the day was still young with a lot of work still to do. There was no time to go to Sickbay.

"Fine." Her tone was filled with impatience and frustration as she turned around. Her hair having been put into its regulation bun, exposing her neck. "Proceed Mr. Devereaux but I warn you this better not be some kind of joke.." Her arms were folded once more to keep them from fidgeting.

He gave a chuckle at her first comment, but declined the response that popped to mind about being a pain in the ass. "This isn't a joke, Lieutenant, and you may want to relax a bit. Being all tense is only going to make it worse."

He cracked his knuckles before he moved his hands to the base of her neck and began working on the knot of muscle tension that was there. He was very careful not to touch her earlobes while his thumbs massaged gently on either side of her spine. He slowly worked the tension out of her, but he knew she was stiff at the very thought of someone walking in on them. He had to admit that it felt good working on her smooth skin, but put the thought out of his mind.

Two minutes later, he stepped back and removed his hands from her after working out the tension that he could get to under her uniform and had been very careful about the placement of his hands. "I'd highly suggest going to The White Lotus and having a spa treatment at the end of your shift, too. My treat."

Venus, eyes closed, let out a low moan of tranquility that escaped her lips. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Zander's fingers were performing magic and his touch brought memories of the night before with the pilot.. causing shivers down her spine. Before she could shake such thoughts, his presence was lifted. She took one deep breath to slow her rthymn, feeling foolish.

When she turned around to face him, she felt composed once more. "Thank you, Mr. Devereaux." She tried to remain as formal as usual. "It appears you have many talents." She smiled then realizing the innuendo, sighed. "Maybe after this is all said and done, I will look into it." She paused. "We all may need such pampering I expect."

The moan didn't escape Zander's notice, but he felt it was more from the tension relief than anything else. "I second that, Lieutenant," he said and meant it. "They also give a great haircut and style and have a full range of other services. After that, maybe a trip to The Black Hole for a real meal would be in order. Nothing like a full belly after a relaxing spa and massage, huh?"

The Chief Engineer pondered his suggestion, with a slice of office politics on the side. She would definitely be in the Commodore's good graces for a fully operational ship if Zander could have repairs completed within the time alotted. "If you finish these repairs sooner than twelve hours, a meal and your company would be a small price to pay." Her tone had shifted, more upbeat as if she believed Zander could pull off such a miracle.

"You'll get it if I have to work everyone like Targ's that eat too much," he promised her. "And you might owe me some change at the end of the night," he laughed at her small price comment.

"Then see to it, Mr. Devereaux." Venus folded her arms again. "The massage, I expect will remain between us. I would hate to assign you latrine duty." She had been blackmailing a bit today and wondered if it was going to become a trend.

"Talking dirty already, huh?" Zander asked with an unrepentant grin. "Don't worry, Lieutenant. We all do it to each other, but it'll be our secret. If you'll excuse me, I have a deadline to meet and a spa treatment to plan."

Venus straightened her tunic. "Of course." Feeling a bit flustered but not enough to forget that she was the boss. He didn't get to simply walk away, oh no, her two solid pips all but said so. "You are dismissed. Carry on." She motioned her hand toward the unit he had previously crawled out of as if he needed her permission to proceed. "I want a status report in two hours on your progress. Do not disappoint."

"You got it, Lieutenant," he said before he gathered up his toolbox and headed off yelling to his team to assemble for the next round of repairs. Another part of his mind was looking forward to getting his hands on her later, but that was for later. For now, he had some serious work to do and an ever bigger grin on his mug.