Enterprise 03
Tyler wandered around the warp core, running a hand along its length. He paused every once and a while to look at what the display screens read. Trip watched him, curious. Here was one of the most bizarre people he'd met so far calmed down by just being in engineering. Or maybe it was all that stuff he'd been drinking, but, whatever the reason, Tyler seemed so much more relaxed now than he had been in the mess hall.
Engineering was pretty much empty, the few night shift engineers keeping out of their way, simply going about their jobs giving Trip a nod when they passed him and glancing curiously over at Tyler.
"So what do you think?"
"Nice engine." Tyler said, turning to face him. "There's jus' one little thing. There's no way you could hold a stable field at warp 5 the way it is righ' now."
"I've been working on the problem." Trip said.
"Well, whatever ye're doing, it obviously isna working; however, I believe I can help. Genesis, with my help, was able to sustain warp 5 for quite some time. It's how we managed to catch up to ye here."
"Not bad. How'd you do it?"
"I'll show ye. It's a lot easier than me having to explain."
"How about in the morning. I don't think I want someone who's been drinking fiddling with my engines."
"In which case you should probably leave as well, Commander Tucker." Tyler flashed a smile.
"I haven't had nearly as much as you have if you're making cracks."
Tyler shook his head, his disorderly grey hair flying around his face as he did so. "You do have a valid point there. I should find Anne's cabin before I pass out here."
"Why do you need to find Anne's cabin?"
"Childhood friend. We grew up together. She's like a sister to me. We even have the same birthday. She's five minutes older than me."
"Ah. So you aren't seeing each other"
"Not in the sense you're talking about, no." He made a last attempt to straighten his unruly hair out and gave up. "Anyways, I know what cabin she's been assigned to." At Trip's questioning glance, she rattled off a number.
"That's only a few doors down from my quarters. I'll walk with you if you don't mind. I'm heading that way anyways."
"Sure. You aren't half bad, Tucker. Most engineers are egotistical pricks."
He nodded. "Yeah, I know. You just have to learn how to get around that. I wasn't too sure about you at first. You didn't come off as being a personable individual."
"I do that on purpose for the most part." He shrugged.
An awkward silence followed after they got into the turbolift. Trip kept staring at Tyler. He's got interesting eyes. He thought to himself. Why am I thinking about that anyways? That's just sick, Trip. Tyler's a guy for pity's sake. He shook his head. Enough of that. I've just had a little too much to drink, that's all.
"Are you ok, Tucker?"
"I'm just tired, had a little much to drink at the party. I'll feel better in the morning."
Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Somehow I doubt that. If your behavior right now is any indication, you'll have a nasty headache in the morning."
"I'll just go see Phlox then."
"There's no need to bother the doctor with something that's so easily fixed." Tyler insisted. "It's not hard, really."
The lift stopped and they walked towards Trip's cabin. "I'm assuming that you know what you're doing."
"Piff. I've watched my uncles do this for years now. Ye've pro'lly heard stories about the Irish love of their drinks, now, haven't ye?"
"Everyone has." Trip shrugged. "It's one of those things that's fairly common no matter where you go."
"Good. At any rate, this won' take long, I promise ye."
"And if I don't want your help?"
"Ye'd be an idiot not to. It's really either ye let me help ye of ye're own free will, or I hit ye really heard on the head. It's guaranteed to be less painful in the end than the hangover ye'll have in the morning."
"Not much of a choice now is it?"
"No' really, no." Tyler grinned, showing his teeth. Trip noted that his incisors were a bit more pronounced than the average human's were giving him a slightly wolfish look, especially with those large eyes of his.
"Ok, then. Come on in." Trip let him in to his quarters. "Sorry about the mess."
"Mine's worse. Or would be if I actually used my cabin for anything other than sleeping. Most of my time is spent in engineering, on the bridge, around the ship fixing things, or down on away missions. I hardly ever see my cabin at all, no' since I was assigned to the Genesis a' any rate."
"Do ye have any water around here I could use? And a cup?"
"I'll grab some from the bathroom." He headed off and returned a little alter with a clear glass full of water."
"Ok, good. Now, this might taste a wee bit awful, so I'm warnin' ye now."
"What might?"
Tyler pulled a small pouch out of the pocket of his pants and sprinkled a little bit of gray powder into the glass. "Drink this entire glass of water down, wait a minute, and then drink as much water as ye can afore going to bed. I'll be doing the same thing myself when I get to Anne's cabin."
Trip looked at the glass in his hand quizzically before downing it. He made a face. "What the hell was that?"
"That? I'm no' really sure, but it's a blend o' herbs that my grandmother makes and sells to the townsfolk. Anne might ken better as to what's in it, but I'm not sure if she does. It doesna really matter anyways. All ye need to ken is that it works."
"I'll take your word for it Tyler. So now's the drinking as much water as I can part, right?"
He nodded. "Aye, and this is where I'll be sayin' good night to ye. I need to be takin' my medicine and headin' for bed if I'm to be helpin' ye with yer engines tomorra."
"Ok then. Goodnight Tyler."
"Goodnight, Commander."
"Just call me Trip. All my friends do."
Tyler nodded and left.
Anne looked up when Tyler walked in and smiled. "So?" she asked eagerly. "How was your evening piuthar?"
"No' bad. It wasna as horrid as I thought it was goin' t' be." Tyler flopped down on the beanbag chair "Yer new chief o' engineering isna a bad person."
"Ah so ye like him?"
Tyler stared at her. "Sort of. He's a decent sort, but I wouldna think o' him the way ye prolly would like me to."
Anne huffed a little as she poured Tyler a glass of water and poured some of the grey powder into it, handing it to him. He made a face and drank it all, getting up to pour another and drinking it down.
"Why can't ye make up yer mind, Tyler? Ye do have certain responsibilities back home and ye canna afford t' take yer time."
Tyler sighed. "I ken, Anna, I ken. It's jus' that I don' like t' be pressured inta tha' sort o' thing. Ye ken that."
"Yes, Tyler, I ken. I'll try t' be patient wi' ye."
"Tha's all I ask."
Tyler wandered around the warp core, running a hand along its length. He paused every once and a while to look at what the display screens read. Trip watched him, curious. Here was one of the most bizarre people he'd met so far calmed down by just being in engineering. Or maybe it was all that stuff he'd been drinking, but, whatever the reason, Tyler seemed so much more relaxed now than he had been in the mess hall.
Engineering was pretty much empty, the few night shift engineers keeping out of their way, simply going about their jobs giving Trip a nod when they passed him and glancing curiously over at Tyler.
"So what do you think?"
"Nice engine." Tyler said, turning to face him. "There's jus' one little thing. There's no way you could hold a stable field at warp 5 the way it is righ' now."
"I've been working on the problem." Trip said.
"Well, whatever ye're doing, it obviously isna working; however, I believe I can help. Genesis, with my help, was able to sustain warp 5 for quite some time. It's how we managed to catch up to ye here."
"Not bad. How'd you do it?"
"I'll show ye. It's a lot easier than me having to explain."
"How about in the morning. I don't think I want someone who's been drinking fiddling with my engines."
"In which case you should probably leave as well, Commander Tucker." Tyler flashed a smile.
"I haven't had nearly as much as you have if you're making cracks."
Tyler shook his head, his disorderly grey hair flying around his face as he did so. "You do have a valid point there. I should find Anne's cabin before I pass out here."
"Why do you need to find Anne's cabin?"
"Childhood friend. We grew up together. She's like a sister to me. We even have the same birthday. She's five minutes older than me."
"Ah. So you aren't seeing each other"
"Not in the sense you're talking about, no." He made a last attempt to straighten his unruly hair out and gave up. "Anyways, I know what cabin she's been assigned to." At Trip's questioning glance, she rattled off a number.
"That's only a few doors down from my quarters. I'll walk with you if you don't mind. I'm heading that way anyways."
"Sure. You aren't half bad, Tucker. Most engineers are egotistical pricks."
He nodded. "Yeah, I know. You just have to learn how to get around that. I wasn't too sure about you at first. You didn't come off as being a personable individual."
"I do that on purpose for the most part." He shrugged.
An awkward silence followed after they got into the turbolift. Trip kept staring at Tyler. He's got interesting eyes. He thought to himself. Why am I thinking about that anyways? That's just sick, Trip. Tyler's a guy for pity's sake. He shook his head. Enough of that. I've just had a little too much to drink, that's all.
"Are you ok, Tucker?"
"I'm just tired, had a little much to drink at the party. I'll feel better in the morning."
Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Somehow I doubt that. If your behavior right now is any indication, you'll have a nasty headache in the morning."
"I'll just go see Phlox then."
"There's no need to bother the doctor with something that's so easily fixed." Tyler insisted. "It's not hard, really."
The lift stopped and they walked towards Trip's cabin. "I'm assuming that you know what you're doing."
"Piff. I've watched my uncles do this for years now. Ye've pro'lly heard stories about the Irish love of their drinks, now, haven't ye?"
"Everyone has." Trip shrugged. "It's one of those things that's fairly common no matter where you go."
"Good. At any rate, this won' take long, I promise ye."
"And if I don't want your help?"
"Ye'd be an idiot not to. It's really either ye let me help ye of ye're own free will, or I hit ye really heard on the head. It's guaranteed to be less painful in the end than the hangover ye'll have in the morning."
"Not much of a choice now is it?"
"No' really, no." Tyler grinned, showing his teeth. Trip noted that his incisors were a bit more pronounced than the average human's were giving him a slightly wolfish look, especially with those large eyes of his.
"Ok, then. Come on in." Trip let him in to his quarters. "Sorry about the mess."
"Mine's worse. Or would be if I actually used my cabin for anything other than sleeping. Most of my time is spent in engineering, on the bridge, around the ship fixing things, or down on away missions. I hardly ever see my cabin at all, no' since I was assigned to the Genesis a' any rate."
"Do ye have any water around here I could use? And a cup?"
"I'll grab some from the bathroom." He headed off and returned a little alter with a clear glass full of water."
"Ok, good. Now, this might taste a wee bit awful, so I'm warnin' ye now."
"What might?"
Tyler pulled a small pouch out of the pocket of his pants and sprinkled a little bit of gray powder into the glass. "Drink this entire glass of water down, wait a minute, and then drink as much water as ye can afore going to bed. I'll be doing the same thing myself when I get to Anne's cabin."
Trip looked at the glass in his hand quizzically before downing it. He made a face. "What the hell was that?"
"That? I'm no' really sure, but it's a blend o' herbs that my grandmother makes and sells to the townsfolk. Anne might ken better as to what's in it, but I'm not sure if she does. It doesna really matter anyways. All ye need to ken is that it works."
"I'll take your word for it Tyler. So now's the drinking as much water as I can part, right?"
He nodded. "Aye, and this is where I'll be sayin' good night to ye. I need to be takin' my medicine and headin' for bed if I'm to be helpin' ye with yer engines tomorra."
"Ok then. Goodnight Tyler."
"Goodnight, Commander."
"Just call me Trip. All my friends do."
Tyler nodded and left.
Anne looked up when Tyler walked in and smiled. "So?" she asked eagerly. "How was your evening piuthar?"
"No' bad. It wasna as horrid as I thought it was goin' t' be." Tyler flopped down on the beanbag chair "Yer new chief o' engineering isna a bad person."
"Ah so ye like him?"
Tyler stared at her. "Sort of. He's a decent sort, but I wouldna think o' him the way ye prolly would like me to."
Anne huffed a little as she poured Tyler a glass of water and poured some of the grey powder into it, handing it to him. He made a face and drank it all, getting up to pour another and drinking it down.
"Why can't ye make up yer mind, Tyler? Ye do have certain responsibilities back home and ye canna afford t' take yer time."
Tyler sighed. "I ken, Anna, I ken. It's jus' that I don' like t' be pressured inta tha' sort o' thing. Ye ken that."
"Yes, Tyler, I ken. I'll try t' be patient wi' ye."
"Tha's all I ask."