Checking things over

Posted on Tue Jul 30th, 2019 @ 3:54am by Lieutenant Jack Carver

Mission: Getting To Know You
Location: Flight Deck
Timeline: Back post, before 'zero hour'

Lucy had been onboard for a while, and with the news that they may be needed soon, she headed down to the flight deck, to give her fighter the once over, to make sure everything was in order. She walked out onto the flight deck, and took a look around. She spotted her craft and headed over to it. seeing a mechanic nearby. She approached him. "How's she looking?" She asked, smiling.

"Ah, Hunter, is it?" Petty Officer Mackerbie offered a smile. "Just about to give your bird a once-over. There were some anomalies in your temperatures when you flew her in. Nothing outside of tolerances, but I'd rather just make sure everything's ok."

Lucy nodded. "Anything I can help with?" She asked, trying to get things sorted as quick as she could, just in case they were needed.

Mackerbie considered for a moment. "If you don't mind and have nothing better to do I could use the company. Always nice to have someone to talk to while I work." he mused, producing a PADD and crawling under Razor 1, 'Hunter'.

Lucy smiled. "So how long have you been here Petty Officer?" She asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Jonathan Mackerbie, flight engineer. Call me Jon." he smiled, tipping his imaginary hat, before unlatching a maintenance hatch and peering up into the revealed machinery. "Been with Lieutenant Carver's flight group for about a year and a half now. You're new, right? Transferred in when we got assigned to Astraea?"

Lucy nodded, then realised the flight engineer couldn't see her. "Sorry. Yeah I joined just before they transferred over...not sure what happened to the old wing leader, but yeah." She said, smiling. "So, Jon, how long have you worked with Razors?" She asked.

"Specialized in them, been working on Razors for - oh - five years? Give or take?" he mused. "I know these ol' girls inside out, you're in good hands, Lieutenant." he added, a smile in his voice, as he connected his PADD to the Razor's systems and started a local diagnostic.

"Good to hear. I wouldn't want them to fall apart while we're flying them. That wouldn't end well, for either of us!" She laughed. "I much prefer these to the Gryphons. Faster, more agile, don't have a turning circle of a battleship. The usual!" She laughed again.

"Well, they're designed to be interceptors. Keep other little flies off of the bigger, more powerful allies." Mackerbie mused, examining the diagnostic readout on his PADD. "Thing is though, if'n you need something bigger than a fighter or a shuttle squashed, Razor's kinda falling behind. And she's not as versatile as a Gryphon, what with the mission packs." He peered at her from under her fighter. "Working together though, they're the ideal package. Gryphons bring the firepower, Razors keep the Gryphons alive, everybody's happy."

"I know, I know...I just prefer the Razors!" She smiled. "I guess that's where I get my callsign from though...Hunter...always trying to hunt the targets, the role of an interceptor." She smiled. "Can I pass you anything?" She asked.

"Well, you're allowed your preference. There's a reason I specialized in Razors, too. Though when I chose a major, Gryphons were still an engineer's wet dream. Just started development, if I recall." he rambled. "Mmmm .... Not yet. Still doing my reading. Probably going to end up being a sensor mal - .... Ah, nope. Not the temperature sensor. Reading low pressure in one of the coolant fluid loops." he said as he slid out from underneath the ship again and hopped to his feet. "Gonna have to climb on top for this one."

Lucy took a step back to allow the engineer past. “So did you ever consider flying one of these? Or do you prefer just fixing them?” She asked.

"What, me? Out there in a tin can built by the lowest bidder, getting shot at?" He smirked at her as he climbed up on top and opened another maintenance hatch. "Naw, I'm perfectly fine in this larger tin can with more powerful shields and escape pods, thank-you-very-much. I'm a tinker, not a fighter."

"I have to admit, it takes a certain kind of crazy to fly these. Good thing that we're all that type of crazy I guess." She answered. "So why fighter engineering over normal engineering?" She asked.

"Not sure, actually. Probably the scale of it. When you're tinkering with Starships you get lost in the large scale. Here, I have immediate results from what I do." Mackerbie made a face as he looked down into the maintenance space. "... Ah. Found your problem. Leaky coolant pipe. You've lost a few liters of fluid. That's gonna be a mess to clean."

"You still wanna help? I could use a fluid pump with reservoir and a few rags. Should be over there in the maintenance closet." he pointed at a nearby closet. "Meanwhile I'll go replicate a new part." he added as he slid back down again.

Lucy nodded, and went to get the desired parts. She was pretty sure she’d grabbed the right things and headed back to the fighter. “Here.” She said as Jon returned.

She arrived back as he did with the pump, a small thing with hoses attached, and some rags. He tipped his imaginary hat again. "Thanky much." he smiled, climbing back up, leading the intake hose into the maintenance space and activating the pump. "Just a matter of draining the space, fortunately it's a hermetically sealed bin so nothing leaked into your ship's internals. Then cleaning the residue, replacing the pipe, replenishing the fluids and idling your ship for about ten minutes. About forty-five minutes, give or take."

“Good...just enough time to pop to the bar for a drink then!” She said winking at Jon.

"Love to, but I have to stay here and oversee the procedure." he smiled. "It involves me doing actual work for my living." Beat. "Love to join you after, though."

"You're more than welcome to join me after, if you'd like to." She answered, smiling again.

=/\=End=/\=

Lieutenant JG Lucy Graydon
Wing Leader
USS Astraea

&

Petty Officer Jonathan Mackerbie (APB Jack Carver)
Flight Engineer
USS Astraea