"This time..."

[FstLtMcLean 0]

McLean’s Logs

First Lieutenant George McLean

Chief Engineer

USS Reaent- NCC 3345-G

 

“This Time…”

 

This time, it was different. This time, it wasn’t the same. Despite all that had transpired within the last twenty four hours, George couldn’t get himself to despair. Payton had every right to think he was crazy, but maybe she didn’t notice. He was relaxed, laid-back, as if today were a normal day in the life of a Star Fleet officer. Maybe, he questioned, maybe he was just getting used to the stress. Maybe, maybe he was crazy. Maybe, maybe he hit his head a little too hard. Whatever the case, he was joyful. He remembered something Bill Connolly had told him. With that Southern grizzly voice Bill had said, “There will be times that you just feel like laughing and you don’t know why…there will be times that you feel like dancing ‘neath the thunderin’ sky…there will be those moments of peace where you feel so alive.”

 

Bill was right. McLean felt alive.

 

George went to work directly his staff to bring up the remaining critical systems. Everything had come online without a hitch, the emergency procedures had worked. The potential for damage from such a surge of energy could’ve seriously debilitated the ship, but maybe it wasn’t really a surge of energy at all. From the looks of all the status reports, the systems seemed to have just been shut off.

 

Within the next fifteen minutes the ship was back to more than 75% operational with secondary systems beginning to kick in. The Reaent purred, happy again to be in normal space, happy to be alive.