CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
He made his way to engineering even before going to the bridge. He hoped his chief engineer had gotten enough rest to think through the issue on engine number two. He also silently prayed it wasn't something serious. When he got there, he saw Garnett elbows deep into the bowels of the engine. Tom approached her slowly.
"Find the issue, Commander?" Tom asked over the engine noise.
"Maybe, Sir," Garnett answered as she wrenched something. "I think it's a power supply issue. There's a glitch of some sort in our power gird. I think it's starving engine two at times which is accounting for the weird timing issue."
"And how do we fix it?"
"I have to find what's causing the power drain on the grid. There has to be something shorting out that is taxing the grid and therefore causing the power starve to the engine."
"And how long are you thinking?"
"I don't know Sir. It's going to be methodical search to figure out what is causing the issue as nothing is standing out but engine two, but engine two isn't causing the strain, it's on the other end of the problem."
"Will you be able to back track it to the issue?"
"That is my plan, Sir."
"Keep me up informed."
"Yes, sir." Garnett said as she pulled her arms out and moved to another place in the room.
"Chung back on duty yet?"
"Any second, Sir," Garnett replied as she kept moving. Tom nodded and decided to leave them to it. Hopefully they figured this out before too long. He had a bad feeling this was going to be a very long day.
"Captain on the bridge!"
Tom moved past everyone and found Mike had already relieved Jeter. The two exchanged nods as Tom took his seat. He looked over at his XO.
"Anything come off the night watch?"
"Just engine two still being screwy," Mike replied.
"Commander Garnett believes it's a power grid issue and something is shorting it out," Tom said. He noticed Mike's look. "I stopped by there on my way up here."
"Ahh." Mike said with a nod. As the day progressed the power grid issue became a bigger issue. Whatever was drawing on the system and causing the failure was starting to effect other areas of the ship.
They spent the majority of the day relaying between engineering and other areas of the ship as things shorted out or simply quit working. Garnett was getting frustrated as she chased this phantom short around trying desperately to find the source. Tom had managed to stop for a sandwich sometime during the day, but other than that had been on the go working with the crew.
The issue was still bugging the ship well into the night when alarms blared in the main galley. A fire had broken out from power surge through the kitchen and crews rushed into the put the fire out. Luckily, they were able to keep the damage minimal, but it was going to put a strain on the wardroom galley while they made repairs to the damaged appliances. Tom checked his watch and saw it was already zero six hundred the next morning and groaned.
He was feeling the strain of the ship deciding to fall apart around them, or so it felt. Garnett and Chung, and the rest of the engineering were still chasing the phantom electrical problem as the day progressed. Tom pushed through the exhaustion and fueled up on caffeine as he worked with the crew around the clock trying to figure out the issue. Twice they had to drop the ship to ten knots from their twenty-five to retime engine number two.
Frustration brewed as they went through a second day of chasing the phantom electrical issue. Garnett was just as frustrated as he and Mike as she was running out of ideas of what could be causing it. It was nearing Eighteen hundred hours on day two when Garnett got an idea. She called Mike and him down to engineering.
"So, I think I may have the problem figured out," Garnett said. Tom could see the utter exhaustion in the faces of the engineering department. He knew the Garnett had not taken a break, but it looked like maybe she had rotated her personnel around, so they at least had gotten a little rest. The only other one that looked completely worn out was Lt. Chung. "I think there's a power draw on the five inch, causing a drain on the grid, manifesting in all the issues we've face in the last forty-eight hours."
"The five inch?" Tom asked.
"Yes. I'm not sure what the issue is yet because we haven't dug into it, but that's where I've traced this issue three times now. I'm pretty sure this is where our main issue lays."
"Okay. What's our plan of action?" Tom asked. He was having trouble following her line of thought, but he was thinking it was the lack of sleep that was causing his brain fog.
"I need to talk with CIC and see what they are seeing up there. Then we need to break into the electrical grid and see if there's a short on the gun or if it's something else. Pray it's the gun," Garnett said with a sigh. Tom looked at Mike and they both nodded. Sounded like a plan to him.
"Get on it. Fix this issue," Tom said, the exhaustion and frustration slipping into his words. Garnett gave him a weak smile and a nod as she turned.
"Lt. Chung!" she shouted as she grabbed a bag of tools and walked away from them. Tom turned to Mike and saw his eyes following Garnett out of engineering. He waited until Mike's eyes glanced back at him and Tom smiled. Mike blushed slightly then crossed his arms protectively over his chest.
The two made their way to the bridge and Tom noticed his legs felt extremely heavy. He was running on no sleep for close to forty-eight hours and he couldn't quite remember when he had something other than coffee in his system. He made his way to his chair as he brain was hazy and he felt a little sick to his stomach. He glanced at Mike and saw him looking at him curiously.
"What?" Tom mumbled.
"You feel, okay?" Mike asked.
"I just need coffee, this ship to cooperate, and some sleep," Tom said but he found it was hard to form the words. His looked around to see if someone had turned the lights down as his vision dimmed a little. Mike stepped closer to him, but then there were two of Mike. "Shit," Tom mumbled.
He felt the room tilt and wondered why they had altered course without and order, but then the room was spinning, and his vision was growing even darker. His legs and arms felt like they were encased in concrete, and he wasn't sure which way was up for a moment. His stomach was flipping, and he felt like the ship jerked back to its original course. He looked over at Mike and could barely make out the other man, were his lips moving? Tom couldn't hear anything over the rush of water he was hearing…or was it not water? Then he tilted and his vision was gone.
The next thing Tom knew he was laying on his back and the lights were very bright. Someone was rubbing something over his eye, and it hurt terribly. People were talking but he wasn't making out what they were saying. What the hell happened? Then it came to him. He had most likely passed out on the bridge. Great, he thought. He realized one of the voices in the room was Rachel's and she sounded angry, double great. Before he even knew what he was saying he spoke.
"Relax," he mumbled and winced at the pain in his eye and the spike in his brain.
"I will not," she spat at him angrily. Oh boy. His head was throbbing with pain, mostly from the fall, but probably from the lack of nutrition he had been consuming. He worked up the courage to open his good eye and took in her demeanor. She glared at him, and he knew she was mad at him. He saw Mike hanging back behind the two doctors.
"Mike," he said with a sigh.
"Yeah?" Mike said taking a step back. Tom watched as Rachel leaned over him.
"Get back to the bridge and fix the OW!" Tom yelped as Rachel had reached over and pushed on his head wound. Pain rocked through his face and bounced around in his brain. Both of his eyes flew open, and he glared at Rachel while he saw Rios step back with his hands in the air.
"Ah, yes, sir, fix the ow, got it," Mike said with a chuckle. Tom tore his eyes from Rachel and glared at Mike between the two docs.
"Just take over until I can get back up there. Soon as I'm stitched up," Tom was saying but Rachel cut him off and he felt his anger brew a little.
"You're taking a break," Rachel ground out. Tom paused and looked at her. He was definitely not taking a break until they figure out this electrical snafu and fixed the five inch. Rachel turned to face Mike. "And so are you, Commander Slattery."
Tom was irked by her protective nature. He saw Rios duck his head and cover the smile on his face. Tom felt the frustration brew some more.
"Rachel," Tom said in a warning tone. He was getting fed up with her interfering right now, but all he did was provoke her to prod his head again. He winced and let out a grunt as the pain returned.
"If the scuttlebutt is true this ship may be heading into battle. How is the crew going to be able to function when the two highest ranking officers are in sickbay passed out from lack of sleep and nutrition?"
"The ship needs to be fully functional," Tom barked out attempting to sit up. He was growing tired of arguing with her. In a quick practiced move, she knocked him flat on his back, before she looked at Rios. Tom was feeling the toll these last few days had taken on his body. He decided to stay laying down.
"Sutures, please," she said through tight lips. Tom noticed Rios glance at him briefly before he handed the needle and sutures to Rachel.
"I'll be in my office if you need me to help," Rios said and then scurried away. Chicken, Tom thought. His anger returned and he turned to look at Mike.
"Mike, why'd you get her?" Tom said angrily towards the other man. Rachel threw a look at Mike over her shoulder and Tom watched his friend go wide eyed. Another chicken Tom thought.
"Um, I'm going back to the bridge," Mike replied weakly and then turned and left the infirmary. Tom felt himself relax a little once they were alone. He looked at Rachel and saw the fear beginning to creep through her features. He felt a pain in his heart. She was blinking back tears as she shoved a needled in just over his eye and injected something that stung. He winced at the sensation but continued to study her face. He could see she was afraid that this could have been much worse. He could see she was scared of what he had done over the past two days.
"I'm fine," he finally said in a soft tone, trying to alleviate some of her worries. She stood ramrod stiff, with her fists clenched against the bed side.
"You are clearly not," she mumbled. Tom could see she was close to her breaking point. Oh, how he wished this mission was over. The past couple days had him thinking about walking away from sea duty again. He reached over and attempted to pry her fist open so he could take her hand. She resisted him at first but then opened her fingers, and he intertwined his own in hers. He watched her eyes shine with unshed tears.
"I just over did it, trying to get this ship ready."
"And got lucky. How much sleep have you gotten in the last three days?"
"I don't know. Not much. Too many issues to fix."
"And when did you last eat?" she asked him, and he was a little stunned he didn't know right off hand. He thought about the last couple days and could only remember drinking coffee.
"I…don't know." He replied feeling chastised.
"You can't do this, this crew needs you," she mumbled, and he could tell she was still fighting her tears. He could also tell from her tone that she needed him too. He felt a tug between the mission and his personal life. Here yet another reason that these kinds of relationships are not permitted at sea.
"This crew needs me to lead. I'm leading. This isn't my first tour."
"Well, it is mine, and you need to take better care."
"Look, I know this is upsetting to you, and I'm sure the crew too, but I have to get this ship ready because you are right, we're most likely heading into a shit storm."
"Promise me you'll take a break soon?"
"As soon as this current issue is resolved."
"And what is the current issue?"
"There's a short in the firing system for the five inch. I need it functional when we reach port."
"So, delay our arrival."
"I can't," Tom ground out and he was losing his patience. He needed her to understand that she wasn't going to win. He was going back to work, and he needed to get things in order so that they don't sail into St. Louis and get blown out of the water. She reached out and touched him over the eye and surprisingly he didn't feel anything. He watched as she prepared to suture his wound shut. He blew out a frustrated breath as she made their first stitch to close up his head. He decided to relax while she did it, not wanting to distract her while she sutured him. After six stitches she sighed and put the needle down before she retook his hand.
"Tom," she said. He was torn between wanting to please her, knowing he needed to take a break, actually wanting to take said break, and his duty. He had to return to the bridge. He had to get his ship in running order. He was frustrated that they had to keep pushing forward even though the ship was protesting. But the mission was critical, and the president was begging them to arrive.
"I'm really sorry, but I can't just take a break. I'll try to do better about eating at least, but sleep will come when I can."
"I guess that's what I'm going to have to accept.
"Thank you," Tom said as he sat forward. He felt a sharp pain in his head, and he winced.
"Have you eaten since they brought you down here?"
"No," Tom said with a sigh. He knew he needed to eat something before he went back up to the bridge. If the mission wasn't so critical, he would just take a bag of IV fluids, but time was of the essence right now. As if on cue Rios walked back in with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Tom frowned at the man.
"I figured I'd save you from the wrath and get you something that will help. Eat this, and drink this," the man said handing him the sandwich and an orange juice. Rios smiled and walked away. Tom looked at the food and drink and sighed.
"Well at least I know you've eaten," Rachel said bitterly. Tom sighed and reached up with his free hand and touched her face.
"This is the life at sea. Sometimes the captain doesn't get a break," he said before taking a bite of the sandwich.
Rachel nodded reluctantly, and he saw her resolve giving way in her eyes. He relaxed a little bit knowing she was compromising with him. He finished eating the sandwich as she sat next to him quietly. She made him drink the entire orange juice before she would allow him to stand up.
"I really hope I see you tonight…off duty."
"If we can figure this problem out, you will," Tom said with a sigh. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Thank you for stitching me up," he quipped with a wink. He watched as she gave him a tight smile and knew they would be okay; she was more upset over him getting hurt than mad at him. He nodded at her and then walked out the infirmary heading back to his duties, hoping that they had figured out what the heck was wrong with his five-inch gun. He was in the p-way when he heard her call to him.
"Tom?" He stopped and looked back at her over his shoulder.
"Yeah?" he asked,
"Make sure your XO eats some food before he's down here too?"
"Yes, Ma'am," he said with a smile and walked away from her chuckling to himself. He hurried himself to the bridge, touching his fresh sutures gingerly. When he got there he saw his top people huddled around discussing something.
"What'd I miss?" Tom asked as he joined the group. Everyone glanced up at him, all eyes going to the cut over his eye before they got down to business.
"I think we've tracked down the problem," Garnett said, her voice laced with exhaustion. Tom's brain perked up at her admission and hoped they were close.
"What do we know?"
"The five inch had some maintenance done while we were in dock at Norfolk. Should have just been basic routine to keep it in good working order."
"But?" Tom prompted.
"But," Mike took over, "someone seems to have accidently left an exposed wire against the circuit boards. Now whether it was recently replaced or just missed as needing replaced from wear and tear, we don't know."
"And the solution is replacing that wire?"
"Partially," Garnett continued.
"Partially?" Tom asked impatiently waiting for the rest of the story.
"Initially yes, replacing that wire would have stopped the problems."
"But," Tom said with a sigh.
"But," Garnett continued, "now we have a few other places that power surges and grid drains damaged."
"How long till fully repaired?" Tom asked.
"That's the good news. We are ninety percent positive we have found all the issues and will be done in a few hours."
"That is good news," Tom said as exhaustion and pain washed over him. His head was pounding fiercely since he cracked it open. "Get to work."
"Aye, aye, Captain," Garnett said and flashed a smile at Mike. Tom ignored it because he was too tired to rib his friend right now, but he was definitely going to talk to Mike soon. Once Mike and Tom were the only two left, he looked at his XO.
"Eat some food," Tom ordered sternly. Mike laughed and Tom smiled. "I promised someone I'd tell you that."
"Is that an order, Captain?" Mike asked.
"Actually, it is. We don't need you doing a header too," Tom replied, admitting that Rachel was correct. Mike gave him a smile and nodded. "She's right."
"About?"
"Well, a lot of things actually, but today it's…we need to take better care of ourselves when we pull these benders. Sleep may not be an option, but we need to make sure everyone is at least eating."
"Aye, Aye, Sir," Mike said.
"So go, Mike, get something to eat. And make sure Garnett gets something too," Tom said giving his friend a grin. Tom watched as a slight blush rose on Mike for a moment before he nodded and turned to leave. Tom sat down for a moment to let the food settle in him and get some energy back.
A few hours later Mike and Garnett returned to the bridge. He could tell from Garnett's smile that they had indeed fixed the issue. Hopefully for good.
"Good news, Captain," Commander Garnett said excitedly. Tom looked at her with a smile.
"Ship's one hundred percent again."
"At least for now. We were able to find and repair all the spots that were damaged. The electrical grid is back to functioning perfectly. And engine number two is no longer lagging."
"Excellent news. Get some sleep, Commander, you've earned it."
"Aye, Captain," Garnett said and left the bridge. Tom looked over to see Jeter come onto the bridge.
"You too, Mike. Get some shuteye. We've got some busy days coming up pretty quick."
"Aye, Captain," Mike said. Tom looked back at his friend when he felt his hand on his shoulder. "Get some sleep yourself."
Tom smiled and nodded, and Mike walked away. Jeter came up next to his chair. Tom settled for a second, fighting the fatigue. He was about to fall asleep where he sat.
"Captain, I can take the watch. You should get some sleep."
"Yes, I think I'll take that offer, Master Chief. You know the orders."
"Yes, sir. See you in the morning."
Tom left the bridge and by passed his at sea cabin. With the issues resolved and behind them, hopefully for good, he made his way to his stateroom. He barely got his boots off and struggled out of his uniform over coat before collapsing into his bed. He was asleep before he even hit the pillow.
To Be Continued…
