Montana's Secret Places

Posted on Sat May 6th, 2023 @ 10:17am by Lieutenant Commander Steve Ryan

Mission: The World We Never Knew
Location: USS Montana

[Engineering]

The ship was being refitted and staying on dock allowed the crew some off time.

Steve just finished his turn and walked into main engineering clearly looking for someone. The place was much more cluttered than last time he wandered that area. Both base’s as well as the ship’s personnel were busy tearing things apart and rewiring them back into their original place.
An ensign approached him while still in his working suit. “May I help you, Lieutenant?”

“Oh” Steve turned towards him “I’m just looking for ensign O’Donnel” he kept scanning the area hoping to spot her.
The man nodded and gathered a data PaDD to check the ensign’s location. “Ah, she is not exactly here” he said.
Noting the perplexed face of the senior officer, the ensign continued “She is checking a few relays on the weapons’ targeting sensors, deck 1A. Do you want me to relay something to her?” he offered.

“Hmm, no, no need, thanks ensign” Steve muttered. “I guess I’ll just head there”

The man widened a smile “it’s not quite easy to get there, want me to explain that?” he started recalling a map of the ship into his data PaDD.

Steve nodded “Well, maybe it’s better” closing in to the ensign to get a better view of his screen.

“So” the engineer started zooming in on the USS Montana’s construction plans “You head all the way to the fore section on deck two. Once you get to the further point you can reach walking, you should find TJ #4285. It should be already open since Ms O’Donnel is working in that area.” He paused a little “you need to crawl inside that one, after 30 meters you find a junction, you keep the right side of it till you get to a ladder. Up that ladder will bring you to the area in which the ensign is currently working on, Sir” he concluded with a grin on his face, probably given the fact that he could already picture Lt. Ryan getting lost in a random Jeffrey Tube of the vessel.
Steve nodded “All straight, keep the right and climb the ladder” he recapped the instructions mimicking them. “Thankyou” he thanked the man and headed out of the, now messy, engineering.

[Deck 1A - Weapons’ Targeting Sensors area]

“And even the relay one-seven-three-zero-zero is ok” Deborah said out loud to herself. She used to speak to herself while working alone. It was something she got used to. It helped her in double checking all her actions and to keep her company especially when she was all alone in some lonely and forgotten area of the ship.

Steve’s head showed up from the lower TJ and made her jump.
“Oh my… You scared me” she told him just before laying her tricorder on the floor and helping him out of the hole. “What are you doing up here?” she asked incredulously.
“Well” he panted a bit given the difficulty in reaching the area “I thought you might enjoy joining me for a quick break at the mess” he looked around at the area that was pretty much a rat’s nest of wires and blinking lights here and there.
“A break?” she echoed him “Steve, I’m …I’m quite busy as you can see” she chuckled lightly.

Steve nodded locking his eyes on hers “That’s why I brought something with me” he smiled digging out a couple of chocolate bars from his pockets.

“Chocolate!!!” Deborah exclaimed in awe, throwing her arms at him to hug him. “And it’s even the almonds one, my favorite, you remembered” she took the chocolate bar from his hands.
“Well” he started laughing scratching his head “To be completely honest I didn’t remember” he took a few more chocolate bars from his pockets “I just took a bunch of different ones” he finished blushing a little.

She laughed. “That’s a lovely thought nonetheless. Nobody ever brought me chocolate while I was in the “rats-nest”” she joked.

They both sat down and chatted while they finished their break and the chocolate, sign that Steve had to leave and let Deborah finish her job in that section.

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Lt. Steve Ryan
Chief Operations Officer - USS Montana

Ens. Deborah O’Donnel
Engineering Technician - USS Montana