Generarae

by Chichaco

AU-The E2 emerges from a wormhole and the crew is saved by Enterprise. While en route to Earth, Malcolm Reed finds that the E2's armory officer, Lt. Andrew Welles, is just not his cup of tea. (And I'm sure you will figure out everything before you finish the first chapter, but remember, it's not the destination, it's the journey.)

4. Chapter 4

(So I'm guessing you've figured out what's going on here; whether you have or haven't, I hope you are enjoying this story)

Ch 4

The next morning, Lieutenant Reed headed for the armory. There was a full list of work repairs and updates to be finished and he wanted to make sure his team was covering everything. He was also a bit angry at himself for the way he'd treated Welles in the gym the day before. He knew the other man was having trouble adjusting to being just another crewman on the armory staff; after all he'd held the top position on his Enterprise for many years. And truth be told, Malcolm admitted to himself as he traveled through the hallway, the man's record on that ship was exemplary. Welles had saved his ship and crew many times over, often at the expense of his own health and safety. Welles had been as dedicated to his mission as Reed was to his own. The two of them were very similar, Malcolm mused, in their sense of duty and honor. Maybe it was the old case of the two of them being so much alike they wouldn't really get along with each other. Malcolm shook his head as he stepped off the turbo lift. But the man had to accept that on this Enterprise, Malcolm was in charge of the armory, security, and tactical positions, and there would be no exceptions to that, none at all. Malcolm had fought too hard for this duty, and in his heart it stood above all else.

In any case, he reasoned as he approached the armory, in a few weeks it wouldn't matter. Welles and all the other people from the other Enterprise would arrive on earth and he would in all probability never see Welles again. Maybe the man would be assigned to another ship, take command of another armory, and in that Malcolm really did wish him well.

Malcolm automatically straightened his uniform as he walked into the room, expecting to see the crew hard at work. Instead he was astounded to see a few of them standing around the main console, chatting away. "What's going on?" he asked in his stern, authoritative voice as he strode into the center of the knot of crew and glared them all into silence. Lieutenant Quinlon stepped forward, and handed him a padd. "Here are the details of what's been done, sir," he answered. "I think we've covered everything except the forward phase cannons maintenance, and Lieutenant Welles is on that right now." He took a breath. "We thought we'd wait to see what your current orders are before starting anything else."

Malcolm accepted the padd silently, perused the list of work completed, then returned it to Quinlon. "Very good, Lieutenant" he commended him. "I think we're ready to move on to routine maintenance of all hand weapons, and installing the updates we just received from starfleet." He watched for a moment as the crew moved quickly to begin, then he headed to the forward phase cannons.

Lieutenant Welles was on his back, halfway under the right forward phase cannon, his toolbox within easy reach. As Malcolm approached, Welles slid quickly out from underneath; the man must have detected his footsteps, Malcolm noted with approval. Exactly what a good armory officer should do–never let his guard down.

"Sir," Welles jumped up to attention. Malcolm motioned him to relax, and asked, keeping his voice mild and non-threatening, "How's it coming along, Lieutenant?" Andrew still stood tensed, as if he expected an attack, but answered, "It's coming along fine, sir, I should be finished in about an hour." "An hour?" Malcolm questioned, "when did you start?" Andrew's jawline stiffened, "About an hour ago, sir."

Malcolm frowned, "How did you get through all this in an hour?" he asked. Welles allowed himself a shrug, and a smile quirked his face for a moment before disappearing. "Practice and prioritizing," he answered. Malcolm stepped past him to inspect the cannons, and noted that everything was in perfect shape. "Very good," he stepped back, "carry on." He turned on his heel and walked away. Welles watched him go, feeling a perverse pride that he'd both surprised and impressed Reed with his achievements that morning. But it didn't matter, Andrew told himself as he slid back under the cannon and resumed his work. It didn't change a thing to him.