Shake Your Groove Thing

Posted on Wed May 13th, 2015 @ 4:05pm by Commander Angelica Fairchild & Lieutenant JG Rhett Beaumont

Mission: The New Sydney Fiasco
Location: USS Hera - First Officer's Office
Timeline: Some time after "Refacing"

The young man with his pale exotically appealing green skin and damn good hair, well groomed with some Risian product to spike up his bangs ever so slightly, Rhett Beaumont walked around the USS Hera's main Engineering room shaking his head. “Damn. Damn. More Damn” he muttered to himself as he walked around examining the nooks and crannies of his territory. This is not turning out to be a good day he thought to himself with a sigh. He ran his fingers through his thick hair as he inspected the damaged systems.

“Temporal vagina” he said shaking his head. He had heard the term thrown around the ship. Where it had come from, he did not know nor did he really care to know the source. It had made him chuckle the first few times he heard it, but now it was just a term that made him wince. The USS Hera had gone through something, experienced a voyage through time that had pushed them out a few years in the future. While the Command no doubt were thinking of the diplomatic repercussions of the impromptu voyage to their new time setting, and while the Science squints were surely abuzz squirming about nervously assessing the potential tearing the Hera may have caused in the space time continuum or some shit, Rhett and his mechanical grunts were climbing and crawling about the starship trying to determine how bad of shape the ship was.

Having recently been promoted from Ensign to Lieutenant JG, the extra weight on the young man's collar had affected him significantly. However, the effects were a mix of positive and negative. Positively, he felt more comfortable and in control of his Engineering staff who some had been ranked Ensigns and Lieutenant JG themselves and had been in Starfleet longer than Rhett. He had the seniority from his position of Chief Engineer, but as an ensign, he always had one or two Lieutenant JG ranked engineers under him who did not follow his orders without questioning or defying him openly in front of others. Now, Rhett had rank, positions, and title on his shoulders which had ignited a fire in his belly and kick started the passion of the engineer once again.

Negatively though, Rhett had only become more confidently arrogant in his role as Chief Engineer. He was rubbing his engineers the wrong way at times and cracking the whip a bit hard at times. Confidence was one thing, it could boost his performance and those underneath his leadership. However, his cocky arrogance sometimes produced overworked engineers who in return made the work environment dangerous for themselves and others. Over the past few days, several had caused plasma fires that were quickly thwarted but not without an injury or two. Another engineer had thought he had turned off the power to a conduit which another engineer was working on...resulting in one engineer being electrocuted and rushed to Sickbay while the negligent one pissed Rhett off enough that he out him on the night shift for the next four months.

To worsen matters, Rhett was still trying to get himself used to the new command changes aboard Hera. The starship had a new First Officer in a familiar face. The Security Chief and Second Officer, Angelica Fairchild was promoted to First Officer and was wearing her full commander pips and command red uniform well. Though Rhett did not like that Fairchild had moved up to First Officer, but he had no say in the matter. All he could do was try to get along with his new boss. Snarky, sharp tongued, and ice cold at times, Rhett questioned if the woman even had it in her to command. She had been Security. She was calculated and tactical which would be great in a dog fight or scrap with some unruly folk, but being in command meant to have so much more. Only time will tell he thought as he exited the turbolift and headed across the Bridge and to the First Officer's Ready Room with a stack of PADDs in his hands and a lot on his mind.

Lieutenant Beaumont knew that things were falling apart in Engineering. He needed to change things up down there before it was too late. There were parts that needed repaired and replaced just as there were personnel which may require the same. However, he knew he was not alone. He had PADDs with proposal and more to present to the First Officer.

No matter how much work she did, it seemed there was always more waiting for her. Angel was quickly discovering that she really hated paperwork, but a lot of what she was sorting through now couldn't go to Amelia's desk... or it had been on Amelia's desk and was something sufficiently important that she actually had to lay eyes on it. And she was looking at so much of it that she thought she might actually be going cross-eyed.

The sound of the chime was a welcome relief as it signaled a much needed break from the work. Dumping her stack of PaDDs into a desk drawer to handle later, she took a quick sip of her water. "Come in!"

Rhett proceeded forward through the parting doorway and slowly walked into the woman's office. He looked around the room, examining it. It was authoritative, cold, and very Starfleet. He looked at the First Officer and raised an eyebrow. "You know... you can decorate this place a bit. It doesn't have to be so you" he commented.

The Chief Engineer placed the stack of PADDs on the woman's desk and slid them toward her. "I prioritized them for you and organized them appropriately, Commander" he said with a small smile as he took a 'seat,' planting his ass atop her desk on on corner and turned to face her. "The first has a list of materials we need to appease Hera and get her up and running normally. This old peacock ship did not take her temporal voyage peacefully" added Rhett.

Lieutenant Beaumont then pointed to the PaDDs beneath the top one. "The rest of them deal with personnel matters starting with my evaluations of my Engineering personnel and then go into several complaints filed against me that require your attention. The last few are requests for transfer... some people I want gone."

More PaDDs? She was running out of room in her desk drawer! At this rate, she'd be drowning in them soon. "I haven't exactly had time to decorate," Angel said dryly, pulling open the drawer that held the PaDDs she was already working on. "Get in line. And maybe next time see if Amelia can handle any of it? I hired her for a reason." Uncomfortable with him sitting quite so close, she poked his leg. "Off. You're making me claustrophobic."

Mildly offended by the cold Commander's poking his leg off her desk, has cast an appalled glare upon her. "Well, you make me feel aphenphosmphobic" countered the light green skinned man with the glare then breaking away.

The Chief Engineer scoffed at the woman and shook his head. "You and your own personal Yeoman. Less than 800 souls aboard and you need a Yeoman. I'm sorry to add to your already copious amount of PaDDs, Commander, but no... Your little secretary is of no use to me. We need these materials and I need engineers who can get things done without harming one another, making their work environment unsafe. You are the First Officer of this starship now. Personnel matters are your thing and I do believe you would want this starship fully operational and battle ready. I cannot get you that without these materials. Unfortunately, I cannot have said materials without your pretty signature and blessing" added Rhett.

"Well you are going to have to wait. Your department does not trump the needs of Starfleet Command or the needs of other departments who have filed before you did. As for my personal yeoman, the specifics of why I have one are none of your business, Lieutenant." Wondering just how the hell Rhett had gotten this far in Starfleet with this kind of attitude, Angel physically shoved him off the desk, standing up as she did so. "I am aware of my responsibilities, and discipline is one of them. So unless you would like to see that particular duty carried out on you, you will stay off my desk and act like the officer you are supposed to be."

Rhett shook his head. "Your foreplay is flattering, Commander, but I would rather not be disciplined by you. Now, the Captain is a whole other story" replied the Chief Engineer. "I am well aware that I am not your priority, but I thought you should know that until I get these materials, I cannot ensure you safe travel beyond warp 5 point something" added Rhett.

"We aren't going anywhere. We are staying in orbit of New Sydney for the foreseeable future, and you will get your materials before we leave." Angel had half a mind to stun the engineer and transport him into the brig, but that would be crossing the line. "Now get out of here before I have you scrubbing manifolds with a toothbrush."

"Har har" replied the Chief Engineer, crossing his arms and looking at the woman. "The toothbrush will not be necessary. I will leave, but before I do... in that stack is an invitation. Some of the crew and I are throwing some sort of weird human dance thing. It is called a Disco and it would be nice if you made an appearance."

Being invited to any sort of off duty function was a rarity for Angel, and she cracked a smile despite being annoyed with Rhett a moment before. "I'll try to be there."

"It would help boost morale" quipped Rhett flashing a smile. "You could get out on the dance floor and shake your groove thing and I've watched you at the tactical station, you have a nice little groove thing."

"I do not 'shake my groove thing' at the tactical station!" Angel laughed a little at the thought, shaking her head. "I hope you don't mind if I bring a date."

Rhett snorted and smiled at the woman. "You can bring whoever you want. I did not know you had someone, is it the Captain?"

"The chief science officer, actually." Angel blushed ever so slightly talking about her relationship, and she looked away, trying not to seem too flustered.

Rhett looked a bit surprised as he remained at a loss for words. She's with him? The pointy eared science officer? thought Rhett. He really could not believe it. "Ah fuck! I just lost seven bars of latinum on this. I bet Spinelli seven bars that you were a lesbo."

"You were betting on my sex life? What the hell kind of department are you running?" Despite some indignation, Angel had to admit that was pretty funny. "You know.... I think Enalia thought so too."

"Oh trust me, we stay busy down there, Commander" replied Rhett with a small smile. "However, we do like to bet on things or play little trivia games to pass the time down there. Sometimes, we sing songs as we work. Really, you kind of have to do something to keep it lively down there. It isn't like us engineers really get away missions. If we do, it is go to this alien ship and fix their broken technology that we have no idea how to even work."

"All right, just try to keep it under control." Angel smiled a little, not able to say much about wanting to have a bit of fun while keeping busy. She'd injected enough strange scenarios into combat training herself.

Rhett gave a wink and proceeded to leave. "Always, Commander" he replied, but he knew just how out of control he could get.