Chapter twenty-five: Lessons in Engineering

Hey did you know that mystery man works in Engineering? Neither did I until La Forge who is head of Engineering brought me there to teach me his department. I had told him earlier that I had wanted to know how to fix the shuttle if it breaks down and it blossomed to the whole ship.

Anyway on that day La Forge gave me a quick tour of Engineering and told me to observe the crew who were doing maintenance on the ship's engine. Imagine my surprise when the head of the maintenance crew was mystery man. La Forge called him over and told him I would be observing and learning about engineering and maintenance. Mystery man just smiled wrapped his arm around my shoulders and dragged me to where he wanted me to stand to observe.

"Now little girl who won't eat pay close attention we are overhauling the engines today." He told me.

I give him this look like 'did you think I didn't know it was you' and just nodded.

"Now girlie stand here, ok boy this is going to be so much fun. I get to have some real fun." He said as he rubs his hands together.

"So what do you do first? Anything to know to keep your team safe and what are the signs that your team is being overly stupid and you need to step in?" I ask him. Hey if he is going to teach me I am going to learn every aspect not just the steps to fix so and so.

"Well maybe I shouldn't have to here since you brought up the stupid part. But first off only I am able to do this by myself without all the gear which you will be wearing." He told me sternly.

"How much gear are we talking about I mean will I even be able to move after I put it on?" I ask him really getting into this now.

Smiling evilly he laughed to himself as he brought over the gear. It must have been twenty pounds all together. Well I thought to myself I did want to build muscles I just imagined lifting weights not walking around on land in an old fashioned diving suit.

The strangest thing happened I could hear mystery man speak without moving his mouth at all. He said "good thing she hasn't learned my secret."

So I asked him "What secret is that and will you teach it to me someday?"

I hear him speak again without moving his mouth "It is official I am going to KILL Arlen when I see him again bloody bastard." I could tell he was having an inner battle with himself but there was this screen thing that stopped me hearing his talking until he says out loud. "I am naturally able to stand the high levels of radiation."

I am confused but not stupid. I know that is neither what the inner fight was about nor the reason behind him now having that screen thing up. But I also know he won't tell me the real reason. So I just sigh in resignation and move on.

I get him to help me put on the gear and I get used to it. We do save the helmet until the lecture part is over and it's time to show the lecture just given.

So he lectured for two and one half hours and where I was standing I could see the clock so I know it was two and one half hours on radiation and how deadly it is. Did I mention that I was a scientist I was well aware of the dangers of radiation he could have summarized that part you know. Then he gives the typical adult threat of "If you ever take the gear off I will kill you personally only after Arlen though."

I roll my eyes but I am wondering why he keeps mentioning Arlen in this conversation. I mean I know he was the guy who spoke to me and carried me when I just couldn't move forward. He was the guy who took out all those men who wanted to kill my family. But the way he was talking it was like we were clansmen or something and he had any say in my life. Weird right? I mean how could he be part of my family if I didn't even meet him until I was nine? So I made the mistake of asking him "What does Arlen have to do with this?"

He went into a four hour long lecture rant about Arlen. Mental note to self, take gear off before long ass lecture. I was sweating so much in that gear there was a pond in my boots and I was in danger of passing out from dehydration. He only stopped when he saw me sway and start to take the gear off.

He went over to the wall where this shelf alcove thing was and says "water" to it and then a glass of water just appears on the shelf. He takes it to me and says "drink." I just stare at the glass and sniff to make sure it really is water; I stick my finger into it and place the finger in my mouth. He huffs and threatens to pour the water down my throat. I notice it really is water and so I drank down the glass in practically one giant gulp. He just got me more until I had enough. Then he seemed to notice all the sweat and got a cold damp cloth for me. Boy did that cloth feel good.

So now he got to the part of the lecture that actually had to do with the maintenance of the engines. Seriously about time this gear is not getting any lighter. This was the type of lecture I could live with it started with "follow" and ended with him showing me how to do maintenance on the engine. The best part is that after he finished showing me he said, "now you do it."

Well it wasn't perfect on the first time but the stuff I forgot to do would only stall the engine and not blow up the engine. I consider that successful for a first attempt.

This was the beginning of many such lessons and they all followed the same pattern. Lecture for too many damn hours on a subject I already know. (there is a difference between knowing and knowing. Besides too many things could go wrong trust me I have seen what happens if a ship loses power when entering a plant you lose everyone. Ps anyone besides me enters that area without gear you will die within 20 minutes.)

Rant about Arlen and apparently his powers. (Arlen is the world's biggest pain in the ass I just had to warn you of him. Besides he has those freaky jedi powers. I DONOT HAVE FREAKY POWERS BOSS. Yes you do. No I don't. Yes he does Christy he can be very freaky and not just in bed.) (TMI way too much tmi, Richard, and Arlen yes you do have freaky jedi powers you are a freaking jedi after all)(no I am not freaky I am awesome I have awesome powers. I AM NOT A FREAK) (Look just because bigoted pieces of shits call mutants freak in the same tone as a swear word but I am proud to be a freak no one can do what I do)(Actually the bigoted humans were the freaks you mutants were normal. This is because human mutation actually happens all the time. It allows for god to make us better physically did you know that having green eyes is a mutation so by not being a mutant you are the one who is a freak and I am not one of those humans hence I am not a freak thank you very much.) (But I don't want to be normal. Normal is boring and it is the war cry of fanatics like those bigoted morons. I don't want to be like them so I'd rather be a freak thank you very much.)(hunny you are far from normal but at the same time you are not a freak. You are Christy and that makes you someone special for no other reason. Than you are a child of god even if you had no other gifts you would still be an amazing woman full of sprit hope and love. Never confuse no gifts with normal, normal is the devil trying to lie to us cause no one is normal there is no normal.)(Thank you for the compliment but let's get back to the journal now this rant is getting old.)(WHIMP the jedi rant was longer but whatever.) Then finally get to the part he was supposed to be lecturing on in the first place. I never got it on the first attempt but I didn't screw up too badly.