Energy is Everything

Posted on Tue Jun 21st, 2022 @ 1:43pm by Captain Ivan Petrov & Lieutenant JG Melissa Jones

Mission: In-Between (S1:E2-S1:E3)
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: Mission Day 23 at 1430
1082 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Melissa approached the Captain's Ready Room with a PADD. It was the result of calculations she had been going over in her head since the Caretaker Array was destroyed.

"Come", Ivan said with a gruff tone from his desk. Beside him, Yeoman Frisk was standing next to him in the way she often did. She was thin with an almost boyish body, but a face that was quite beautiful. Short hair put into question any real concept of femininity, and though she was wearing the female uniform, she didn't do so with particular grace. Ivan slid a PADD to her. "When will this fucking paperwork come to an end, Jackie?"

"When you finally give up and move to a beachside front in Hawaii, sir." she said in an even Melbourne accent.

Melissa responded to the Yeoman. "I am afraid we will have to undertake some changes on this ship before we can arrive at Oahu, Captain. We are seventy thousand light-years from Terra." Melissa noted. "We have enough energy on this ship to get us approximately one thousand of those light-years. We will have to make significant alterations to the Vengeance. Including the installation of new energy gathering and conversion systems and most importantly. Energy rationing. That means limiting the use of Holodecks, Replicators, Transporters." Melissa noted. "Also, we have approximately seventy Photon Torpedoes.. and currently no way to create more."

Ivan looked at his Chief Engineer, his face not moving from the stoical displeasure he had showed the paperwok. He wasn't upset with her, but he was upset.

"I understand what you're saying, Lieutenant, and I'm willing to hear with you have to offer. I'm going to be honest with you though." He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. "I think its time we started taking what is rightfully ours out here. I've seen several ships with plenty of energy stores on long-range sensors, haven't you? What we need, in my view, is an efficient way to transfer deuterium, anti-deuterium, dilithium, and any other valuables we might want into our possession. Forget about energy shortages, I want to talk about next about what we do with our extra energy."

He sat in his position, strong, and Frisk gave a cocky and amused grin to accompany him. The woman looked at the Chief Engineer and said nothing, but her expression seemed to indicate some statement full of attitude.

'Human emotions are strange.' Melissa thought to herself. "I have voiced a similar concern to the Chief Inspector." She noted. "Apparently one of my Antimatter Technicians decided to turn dissident. I am having Lieutenant Quevremont.. Retrain this technician.... He attempted sabotage, but failed my awareness of all the Vengeance's systems. I was able to circumvent his efforts." Melissa noted. "But the reality is I simply cannot loose his skills. So I'm having him retrained by the Chief Inspector. He will not be disloyal again. But this situation has given rise to a dilemma. We need qualified personnel to replace those we may have to execute. Or at least after I have snapped their vertebrae." Melissa was a beast at times.

Ivan listened and, when she was done, he nodded.

"What do you suggest?"

"We impress people that we require into our crew." Melissa noted. "I have a conceptural design for a modification to our tractor beam that will turn whatever ship it is locked onto into, for all intents and purposes, a shipwide agonizer. After an hour, the crew will be more than willing to submit. They can then be tasked to different departments or turned over to Lieutenant Quevremont for additional processing. This should contribute to our problems involving manpower and trained personnel. This will require the Chief Inspector... inspecting our acquisitions... for specialized skill sets.. and distributing them appropriately." Melissa noted.

“Hmmm. A solid reeducation program is needed. We can design one and work out the kinks. I am hesitant, however, to put the recently…recruited… directly into my crew. We might consider freeing the slaves we need; people who have already served the Empire their entire lives, and then….replacing them. We could focus our education on the slave population, giving them less access to our systems.”

"Not only that, Captain. We will require difficult solutions for impossible problems. We are farther than any Imperial ship has gone in history. Certainly in a region of space we do not have any clue about. I was hoping Lt. Maz would have survived.. Not that he's dead We have to fill one of the most vital positions on this ship that is essential to our survival. And we simply cannot fill it with anyone." Melissa noted. "There will be more things like the Caretaker here. Some will be far more ominous."

He looked at her, lifting his head at the comment.

"It sounds like you have an idea, Lieutenant..."

"Yes, I am qualified to be Chief Science Officer." Melissa noted. "In fact... I can be reconfigured to be qualified to be anything." She noted. "And thus our chances for survival will improve."

Ivan thought for a moment, his eyes shifting down to his desk as his mind worked through the possibility. After several moments, he looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"This is what you want?" he asked in a curious tone. Do you believe Ensign Nazar is capable of serving as Acting Chief Engineer until I can find a permanent replacement?"

"She has learned from me how to inspire respect." Melissa noted. "Did you know I only had to use the Agonizer belts once on all of my team. Just once so that they realized not to trifle with me. Morrison used it liberally. Mostly on Selin. It takes more than an Agonizer to lead. I believe Ensign Nazar understands this. I hope she doesn't disappoint me."

Ivan laughed internally at the woman’s brutal way of thinking. Going to a department of two enlisted technicians and three slaves, the administrative part of her job was about to get a lot easier. Perhaps no agony would be necessary.

“You can start tomorrow morning along with Callie and the others. Be sure to follow protocol and seek experiment and project approval before moving forward with anything dangerous. I don’t want my ship blowing up.” Ivan said with an interested expression.

"Understood, as I don't want the ship exploding either. That would be counter-productive." Melissa noted.

“Right…” Ivan said, watching his strange Officer and steepling his fingers. “Dismissed.