Aqua Britannica

Posted on Sun Dec 3rd, 2023 @ 12:55pm by Lieutenant Chexor Vonn & Lieutenant Faith Hawkins

3,079 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: To Catch a Thief
Location: Deck 9 - Lieutenant Vonn's Quarters
Timeline: MD5 - 1430 Hours

The Britannic's aquatube sytem was due to be connected to Lieutenant Chexor Vonn's quarters in a matter of minutes. It had taken months to get to this point, and Chex had only been given permission to do it because of the ship's sudden refit after the Gamma Quadrant mission. After it, he'd remained a member of the crew and with that leverage, along with Gary's beady eyes, they were able to convince the necessary engineers to approve the aquatube extension so that the seasloth could feel more at home. Yes, Gary could manage just fine above water, but his natural habitat was under it. Perhaps, giving him something he'd been without for so long would encourage the animal to stop misbehaving.

"You're certain that these transparent aluminum panes will hold the full volume of water?" the Bolian asked, albeit redundantly. He, of course, knew the answer but was interested in hearing it again from the Chief Engineer. Crouching down, he pressed his hand on the window-like pane of the main tube which ran along the floor of his quarters. It led into the next room where a chamber was located that would allow the seasloth to enter or exit the aquatube system without causing a flood. "Gary may thrive in an underwater environment, but I can assure you that I do not." Chex looked over to Faith. "I've never learned how to swim. It just... doesn't agree with me. The few times I've tried, I've always looked like a mad bird who was frantically flapping at the air, trying to get out."

Faith had checked everything over, once, twice, three times. The clear aluminium had been subject to extensive testing before the installation, which had been relatively straight forward. Thankfully. Despite it being one of the more unusual tasks she'd been given, Faith was happy to oblige. It gave her something different to do. It meant she could delegate some of the more humdrum tasks. Temporarily.

"It'll be fine, Lieutenant." said Faith, reassuringly. She admired her work. Soon, one of the more interesting creatures she'd seen would inhabit it. Gary the sea sloth. Meredith would love to meet him, she thought. "I've personally strength tested it three times, before and after it was put together. Gary will be fine in there, as will you out here." Faith smiled, hoping to put Chex at ease.

Chex believed her. Even so, he wasn't one to take any chances. Especially where Gary was involved. The Bolian seemed to disappear for a moment. There was a rustle and a bustle from the adjacent room. When Chex returned, he was dressed in an atmospheric diving suit, helmet and all. He stood there, motionless, in the bulky underwater attire. His mouth seemed to be moving and yet no sound could be heard. When there was no response, he brought his arm up to eye level, made an 'ah' gesture with his mouth and used his other hand to press a button on his wrist control.

"Is this thing on?" he muttered mostly to himself, although it was quite obvious now that the Lieutenant could be heard. Finally, he spoke to Hawkins. "Please, do not take my wearing this...," he pointed to his suit, "...as anything other than for my peace of mind. I have complete faith in your abilities as a fellow builder of things." Chex nodded with conviction.

Faith looked at Chex. She was taken aback, but not offended. Some people just didn't like the water. She kept some of her engineering staff away from the aquatubes for that very reason. "Believe me Lieutenant, I don't judge. Nor am I in a position to." she said. Hopefully, Chex could hear her. The suit he was wearing looked very cosy. No way you'd get me in that, she thought.

"Right. Here we go." said Faith. She tapped her commbadge. Willa Baker was on standby to turn the valve which would fill the tube. =A="Hawkins to Baker. We're good to go."=A=

Moments later, water began to flow into the tube. Slowly, steadily. Baker had obviously remembered her instructions, which pleased Faith. Inch by inch, the water rose inside the transparent cylinder. At this speed, it'd be full in a quarter of an hour. Or, so the simulation said.

"Just so you know, you'll be able to take that off in fifteen minutes Lieutenant."

The Bolian nodded, although it would have been difficult to see. He grabbed a nearby tricorder, opened it and lifted it up so that he could view the readings on the screen. "Structural integrity is at one hundred percent and holding," he commented. "It's a wonder that there aren't more starships outfitted with the ability to accomodate the Federation's aquatic species. For all of its diversity, we are still lagging behind in that domain. Hopefully Lieutenant Queo will appreciate the added space to roam, as well as the company, of course." Chex had spent considerable time in Cetecean OPS prior to the Britannic's launch to prepare it for Gexi the Xindi's arrival. Fortunately, their interaction had gone smoothly... at least he hoped it had.

Cetecean operations were an interesting addition to Faith's duties on Britannic. Arundel did not possess it, being old, obsolete. She had to learn on the job, but it had been an interesting learning curve. Getting the materials at short notice required calling in a few favours. Her father Matthew, a senior Starfleet engineer, had a useful hand in it. Matthew's expertise with the similar Galaxy class was also useful. "Indeed." she said. "Dad tells me cetecean operations will feature on a Sovereign class in build at the moment. Hopefully, that goes well and it becomes standard. I've set up a dedicated team to look after ours, anyway."

"A prudent decision," Chex commented. He continued to watch the readings on his tricorder as the water continued to fill the main chamber. "Ah, so your father is a fellow engineer? Is he the reason you are here today?" he wondered. Many families had a tradition of service in one form or another whether it be as a member of Starfleet, ground forces, or something else entirely. In Chexor's case, it wasn't tradition that had taken him away from the safety of home and on most days he contemplated whether or not he'd made the correct decision in enlisting in Starfleet seventeen years ago.

Faith nodded. It was Matthew who inspired her to be an engineer. He'd show Faith all these fascinating, wonderful starship designs. He'd build model starships with her. He'd show her how everyday household appliances worked, taking them apart and telling Faith what each of the components did. Much to the frustration of his wife, Faith's mother, Emily.

"Yes, my father is Matthew Hawkins." began Faith. From the moment his daughter told him she wanted to be an engineer, Matthew steadfastly encouraged Faith to follow her dream. "He works in research and development. He knows the Galaxy and Nebula class pretty well. He gave me a rundown before I came here. In fact, he's the reason I'm a starship engineer."

He'd heard such stories from people throughout his career and a part of Chexor was envious that, in this case, Faith had had that connection with her father. It was more than he'd ever had whilst growing up. "You must have developed a natural affinity to the profession as a result, given how young you are. It's no small feat to hold such a senior position aboard a starship." Before the Lieutenant could respond to his comment, he held up his hand. "I've read up on everyone's personnel files; at least the basics."

Ah, that explained it. Faith wondered how Chex knew her age. Until he explained why. Of course, reading personnel files was a prudent thing to do. She'd done the same, but only for her department. "I appreciate it, Lieutenant." she replied. Faith never imagined she'd be a Chief on a ship this big so soon, though. She still couldn't quite believe it.

Faith continued. "I was told never to do a hobby as a job, because I'd fall out of love with it. But when you like taking things apart and fixing them like I do...I can't not love it. Well, apart from the paperwork." she concluded.

Ah yes, the most tedious part of our profession: the paperwork. Chex couldn't agree with the Lieutenant more. During his last two years where he served as Chief Operations Officer aboard the Scobee, and prior to the Britannic's refit, he'd kept on top of his administrative work. The refit had made certain that he'd be reading reports every day for the next month, and that didn't include anything new that would come his way.

"What has been your favourite project thus far?" the Bolian asked her. It was commonplace for people such as Faith to work on old classic vehicles whether they were wheeled or not. Chex wondered if she had such an interest or if her 'hobby' encompassed other things.

An interesting question. There'd been many projects in Faith's short career. Of all sizes, which had invaluably provided the fledgling Chief Engineer with the experience, knowledge she possessed today. Expanding, sharing that knowledge was always at the forefront.

"Good question. This has been one of the more interesting ones, I have to say." began Faith, watching as the tube continued to fill up. "Favourite project...probably building a treehouse at my parents' place after I graduated. My Dad took shore leave to build it with me and my brother. My daughter and I camped in it before we came here, actually. I think she'd love to see Gary, actually." she concluded. Meredith loved creatures of all shapes and sizes. She'd love Gary.

"I'm sure she'll get the chance. He's quite popular with the girls," Chex told the engineer. Speaking of which... where was Gary? "I thought that he'd be here. He seemed quite excited about the tank." Chex turned in his bulky suit to look into the other room. "Gary!?" he called out. There was no response, no sign of the sea sloth anywhere. "I fully expected having to continuously pry him off the aparatus as it was filling up."

Typical. The tank was now full, but Gary the seasloth was nowhere to be seen. Of course, the obvious solution would normally be to ask the computer where he was. Except Gary didn't wear a combadge. In this somewhat awkward situation, Faith wasn't really sure what to do or say. "I suppose he could be in Cetecean Operations. I can ask Baker to go and take a look, if you like." suggested Faith. She raised her hand to near her combadge.

Just then, something nibbled at Chexor's toes. "Youch!" he cried out, lifting his bulky boot off the floor in response. After a moment he put his foot back down and he tilted his body at the waist to look down to see what had gotten him. There was nothing there. "Odd. I could have sworn that something bit my toe," he told the engineer.

Faith shrugged, looked down, then around the quarters of the Bolian. She couldn't see anything either. A creature the size of Gary couldn't hide that easily. Or could he? "Well, I don't think he's in Cetecean Operations..." commented Faith, looking around again. He had to be here somewhere. Right?

"No...." the Bolian agreed. As if to confirm their suspicions, there was a frantic scratching noise coming from Chex's left leg, followed by a cry for help.

"Waaaah!"

"I think he's in my suit," he told Faith. How and when the sloth had gotten in it, Chex had no idea. It certainly explained why one leg had been feeling a little warmer than the other. He turned in place so that his back, and more importantly the mechanism that would allow the diving suit to be opened, was facing the engineer. "If you could do the honors Lieutenant and free us from this makeshift prison..."

Faith didn't know whether to be amused or surprised. She was probably a combination of both. Mentally, she told herself to keep a straight face. "Of course." said Faith. She reached for the mechanism, opening it. This evening had certainly taken an interesting turn. "Do you want me to take the helmet off for you?" she asked.

"Oh. Please. That's very kind of you to offer," the OPS officer answered.

Faith obliged. "Not a problem." She took a gentle, but firm grip on each side of the helmet and then slowly lifted it off. In a similar way to removing a sports helmet, something she'd done several times for herself and others. Once the helmet had cleared Chex's head, she lowered it to her right side. "Where do you want me to put it?" asked Faith, looking around for somewhere suitable for it to be deposited.

"Anywhere is fine. It'll have to be returned to storage," Chex answered. "They certainly make these things much easier to get into, than getting out of, that's certain!" he stated as a matter of fact. With the helmet removed now, there was a brief commotion within the body of the suit. "Gary! Wait!" the Lieutenant urged but before anything could be done to help the sloth out, the animal poked his head out of the top, making them to look like some kind of two-headed humanoid. "I hope that you're pleased with yourself Gary," Chexor grumbled.

The helmet was deposited on the nearest table. Gary had appeared from beneath Chex's suit as she'd turned back around again. It was a rather interesting, amusing sight. After mentally telling herself to keep a straight face, Faith approached Chex. "Do you need assistance removing the suit, Lieutenant?" she asked. Neither Chex nor Gary seemed particularly comfortable. It was a less than ideal situation. "Or I can ask for someone else, if you'd prefer?"

They both turned their heads to look at one another. This was, a truly unbelievable situation. Alas, at this point, Chex could get the remainder of his suit off. He pushed up with his arms and the top half of the suit came undone. He pulled it over his head and then deposited it on the ground to the side. With nothing but feedom on his mind, Gary leaped from the diving suit and into the open chamber.

"No Gary, we haven't completed the tests!" the Bolian urged him, but the ever rebellious sloth ignored his pleas.

With a long clawed finger, he pressed a button inside which closed the hatch and allowed the animal to enter the aquatube system. Chex paused for a moment, waiting for something bad to suddenly happen to the entire contraption. No cracking. No obvious leaks. Hawkins and her team had done an excellent job in constructing this thing.

"How are we looking, Lieutenant?" he asked her, hoping that she could alleviate his fears.

As she monitored the tube, Faith saw Gary leap from inside Chex's suit and into his new aquatic domain. It was like something from a 20th or 21st century comedy film. "We're looking good, Lieutenant." replied Faith, confidently. The tube was performing exactly as the simulations had predicted. No cracking. Not even the tiniest microfracture. "Exactly as the simulations predicted." she concluded. She placed a hand on the cylinder. Cool to the touch, as smooth as silk.

"Oh, before I forget. You can adjust the water temperature of the cylinder seperately from the aquatube system." said Faith. "You can use the panel over there. Or, just ask the computer."

Chex nodded, impressed that such a feature had been added. He hadn't even considered it! "Excellent. The waters in the Bay of Bolse are quite warm." He approached the panel that the engineer had mentioned and increased the temperature by a number of degrees. "It'll make him feel more at home. Hopefully all of this," he motioned to the entire system, "will help him acclamate to his new environs. Being here, on the Britannic, has been difficult for him. Even from before you and most of the crew came aboard. Perhaps the war affected him more than I believed was possible..." Did pets suffer from PTSD as well? His sessions at Starbase 12 would have been much more enjoyable had the seasloth been able to attend them with him.

Faith was pleased Chex was satisfied with the work of her team. The many hours of collaboration which had gone into it had born fruit, as Gary seemed happy too. That was the most important thing. It was for him, after all. "I'm glad it appears to be helping, Lieutenant." replied Faith. "It's given some of the team a chance to familiarise themselves with a system which isn't really covered at the Academy. Most importantly though, Gary seems happy."

"For the moment..." the Bolian agreed. How long would it last? As the old adage said: only time would tell. Chex turned towards Hawkins. "Thank you Lieutenant. I will have to repay you and your team for all of the hard work you've done; especially on this personal matter. I appreciate it." He told her whilst nodding his head.

The engineer nodded. "Happy to help, Lieutenant." replied Faith, sensing that this rather interesting encounter was now drawing to a close. "Repaying us isn't necessary, but if you insist, I'm sure the team wouldn't turn down a drink." she concluded, making sure she had everything. Faith gave the Bolian a smile, then headed towards the door.

"A drink and a song or two!" Chexor added. He did always enjoy stirring up a chorus in the mess hall. During the Dominion War his renditions often helped to bring people together. Many joined in. Some only watched. A few of the less cultured folk would take their business elsewhere. In the end, a good time was had. Perhaps an impromptu number was in order.

He turned towards the aquatube sytem and watched as Gary swam happily from one end of the room to the other. How could something so simple make a living being so happy? Chex wondered. The marvel of life! Even though the sloth was a real pain in the ass more often than not, there was something to be said about his outlook. Maybe it was worth being a little sloth-like every day. Would that be the key to unlocking Chex's own happiness?

 

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