The new Grease Monkey - Part 1

Posted on 01 Feb 2024 @ 3:06pm by Captain Ricardo (Rico) Montoya & Lieutenant Jason Mitchell

1,572 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: M-18 The Past is Future
Location: USS Phoenix

The one good thing about being stuck at a starbase was that it freed up a lot of time. Needed supplies had been replenished and secured long ago. Deuterium stores had been topped of and with the ship running on the station power they weren't depleting anything for the time being. Since they were waiting on crew replacements alone ship was operating on essential personnel only with the majority on shore leave. As more key personnel arrived though he was getting closer to recalling the crew, but that time hadn't come just yet.

Rico was walking the corridors, having just left the Marine's gym and it's fighting ring. He could have used any number of sparing programs on the holodeck but he and the Marines had a friendly competition going. He knew there was a pool going on who was going to finally take the Captain but as yet no one had been able to. He had to admit though they had gotten close this time, and he could feel the shiner developing from the kick that had landed to his left eye and was on his way to sickbay to get it taken care of.

"Starbases." Was the softly muttered word in a matter akin to a curse as Jason walked at a fast pace to the transporter room. The massive structures always gave Jason a feeling of work left undone given their sheer size and needs. Fortunately, this had just been the waypoint to his next assignment. The orders detaching him from the Dayan had been met with an unusual amount of glee since it was to a class on his bucket list, a Prometheus. It was naturally slightly dampened by the role of Chief Engineer, but that was the admission price. Stepping into the large room, there was a quick exchange of professional greetings, the orders were verified, and Jason took his place on the pad, and he was finally off the monstrosity.

Upon materialization on the Phoenix, Jason walked over to the receiving officer on duty, requested permission to come aboard and handed over the orders again for verification. Another PADD with his authorizations, a map, and his quarters location was handed over, and once again Jason was off to the races. First stop naturally, was to find his PQ and see what he'd need to requisition and ensure everything had made it over. The practice of cargo transfer was still imperfect, so some manual checks were always needed.

Stepping out of the lift Rico rounded the corner dabbing his eye with his towel and nearly collided with a man coming the other way.

Consulting the map Jason had been given, he noticed there was a turbolift marked that would get him closer to the quarters he'd been assigned. What he didn't expect was the person around the corner. The only thing that prevented a collision was a quick, reflexive pivot that sent him bouncing off the bulkhead with a loud crunch. Stopping for a moment to assess what had just happened, Jason also called out to the other person. "Hey, are you alright? I didn't see you coming from that direction."

Catching a flash of movement Rico flattened himself against the wall as the other person spun himself into the opposite wall. "I'm fine. I should have been watching where I was going. Are you ok? You hit the bulkhead pretty hard. Nice evade by the way."

Looking for the source of the crunching sound, it only took Jason a moment to identify it and mentally groan before turning back around holding some black shards. "I'm fine, taken harder hits from my family members. Think I am going to have to put a note in to replace the plastic in this bulkhead though, it cracked." Straightening out his uniform tunic, he quickly ran his hands over the shoulders to check for embedded shards before the comment about the evasion caught up. "Oh, thanks. You learn to dodge and evade fast growing up with my family."

Now a moment was taken to look over the other person and seeing a similar build and height to his own, but something was off about the left eye, and the towel. "You sure I didn't get you, your left side looks like it took a hit." Jason asked in a slightly worried tone.

"Oh that. No, a couple of Marines did that and was I why I didn't see you at first. One got in a good shot during a friendly, full contact, sparing match that my wife still frowns upon, but rank has its privileges...though not seemingly with redheaded spouses." Swapping his towel from one hand to the other he extended his hand. "Captain Ricardo Montoya, and you are?"

Jason reached out and took the hand firmly, nodding as he followed the information. His head almost started to shake, remembering similar antics at home before he caught himself. "Right, the Phoenix has a SFMC presence. I remember reading that in the orders and honestly was one of the reasons I put this command first on my list, the other it being a Prometheus. Lieutenant Jason Mitchell, Chief Engineer." The customary three shakes given, he withdrew the hand and looked back to his new CO.

"Ah Yes, our new Chief Engineer! Welcome to the Phoenix. Since we're here we can knock out your...", air quotes, "...reporting aboard. I was just on my way to sickbay to get this shiner take care of before it turns into a proper black eye. Why don't you join me and then we head over to engineering to see your new home away from home."

A quick sigh of relief was suppressed from Jason. He wasn't the biggest fan of formality and protocols, so the relative ease Rico was displaying reassured him. "A proper black eye can be distinguishing in its own right, but by all means. I'd be glad to join you, knock out another of these...procedures. Still learning my way around, bigger than my prior commands." Jason gave Rico a quick grin as he stepped aside to allow the more senior officer precedence.

The pair headed down the corridor towards sickbay as he tried to mentally recall his new engineers' previous assignments. "If memory serves the ships you served on weren't that much smaller than the Phoenix."

Jason easily fell into position on the right of Rico, adjusting his step to match. Some habits just couldn't be trained out. "True, but with conditions, sir. Cali's are 535 meters, but it's more up and down, not long. Intrepids are 344 meters, so about 70 shorter than the Prometheus' 415." The stats of his prior commands were literally embedded in his memory, but the information was good to draw on in times of need. "The deck layout is also different on each, so it's a new experience each time." Sickbay wasn't his favorite place on board, but this was required, so it was endured.


Sickbay

Even though still short a Chief Medical Office the ship still had a decent compliment of medical staff to include the EMH, if something serious was needed. Head nurse Anita Valentine was on duty shook her head as the Captain walked in.

She walked over with the hypo and the regen unit as the Captain sat down, exposing his neck for the hypo. "Another match go bad? You know we have a pool on who' going to show up here, You or Gunny Wickham. Looks like I lost."

Rico smiled as he turned his head slightly as she passed the regen over the left side of his face and around the eye. The unit repairing the tissue and capillaries. The bruising that had already started to form vanished, and she picked up a tricorder to make sure there wasn't anything more serious under the surface.

"Well whoever bet on both of us showing is the winner this time; Wickham should be limping in here eventually."

"Well nothing broken this time. You know I'm gonna have to talk to Heather about this..."

Hopping of the biobed he replied to the usual jabs and playful threats. "Do it and you just might find your next leave denied. Thanks again. Oh, and put me down for 5 strips in the next pool", he added playfully.

Having walked in right after Rico. Jason waited as the nurse tended to his developing bruise. When a technician came over to talk to him, the PADD with his history was handed over quickly. "Can you get me an onboarding physical appointment?"

Hearing the comment about the strips, Jason turned his head to look at Rico, yet he refrained from asking. That could come later. Jason was definitely curious however, since this seemed to be an ongoing thing, and if the Fleet side could get in on it.

Looking at the strange face, Anita took the PADD, looking over it with a quick glance. A few quick taps and his medical records were downloaded and the PADD was returned. Turning to grab a medical tricorder she spoke to him. "Seem you just had your annual physical about five months ago. " Facing him again, "No need to redo recent work...unless there's nee any changes, aches...strains...hair loss...irregularity...impotence..." She trailed off straight faced with a questioning brow.

Behind the pair Rico's eyes had widened at the last and stood there shaking his head.


...TBC...

 

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