"She's out to get me..."

[Shane 0]

Shane awoke with a start, his eyes snapping open and looking about. He was lying on the cold, hard grating of the top level flooring, looking down the small, empty passageway. A throbbing pain pulsed on the back of his head and with a groan, he pushed himself up to his knees in the confined space. Slowly, he recalled his steps that had led him to this and remembered being on his way to check a EPS conduit, when he saw a flash of white. The next thing he knew...suddenly, he noticed a ceiling panel lying a couple of meters in front of him and realization dawned along with a flood of anger. This jyking, pe'taQ ship was out to get him! With a growl, he grabbed the panel with his whirring bionic and shoved it back into it's place above him.

 

The cyborg stood up the rest of the way, though still having to bend over in the cramped access corridor and continued onward. His fingers felt the back of his head, checking the size of the bump from the rogue ceiling panel. The other crew members couldn't find out about this, he would never live it down.

 

Counting the Klingon figures labeling the panel that lined the corridor, Shane quickly found the conduit he was searching for. With his organic hand, he carefully removed the panel, set it down and brought out his tricorder while attempting to avoid rubbing his bionic against the live conduit. He didn't need another unintentional nap at the moment. The tricorder beeped as it it finished it's diagnostic, causing Shane to shake his head in annoyance. This section of EPS conduit was corroded and out of sync, just like every other piece of equipment on this flying deathtrap. Carefully, he began tapping on the flow controls next to the plasma conduit, working with the power levels to bring the line to its maximum efficiency.

 

Improving the EPS power grid had become Shane's first goal as his new role as Chief Engineer. That included repairing or replacing already existing EPS conduits, taps, plasma manifolds and coolant ducts along with installing new lines where needed. With a fully-functional power grid, it would be easier to reroute power past damaged lines and consequently, the Qob would become much more reliable...or at least easier to keep running when in tight situations. With the state the Qob was in right now, one lucky shot or even a rough jolt could sever power to half the ship. Shane figured that with the right supplies, William and he could get the project finished within a months time provided they didn't sleep much.

 

With the EPS grid improved, Shane could begin work on updating and improving the Structural Integrity System, something the Qob was desperate for. With her age, the ship couldn't rely as much on the rugged Klingon build of her frame, though that was most likely what had kept her going for so long. What would be the most acceptable would be a reliable, over-competent SI system to keep her from flying apart at the seams. Higher warp speeds wouldn't need to be such a gamble at that point.

 

With a sigh, Shane holstered his tricorder and replaced the panel over the EPS conduit. That was as good as it was going to get without new materials. He'd better go check on the engine diagnostics that had been started earlier, to make sure they hadn't been tampered with. He still wasn't sure of how nosy the crew was at this point. With difficulty, he turned in the crammed space, scrapping his metal arm against the corridor's bulkheads and stomped his way out.

 

As soon as the hatch closed behind the big cyborg, a ceiling panel crashed to the floor.