Short Fiction: the Orville - That Faster than Light thing

 Part 14: That Faster Than Light thing

"The design of these old Sargasso Class vessels is convoluted," Chief Engineer Corlis Newton pointed the torch around the mostly dark engineering section where only the station mode systems were lit up until he could locate the manual actuator for the Drive Ring. "Once you pivot Ops to transit mode then you will be cut off from the rest of the station."

"Basically it means I'm going to be down in engineering for the ride," Chief Newton found the actuator and pulled it. Somewhere locking pylons retracted and the armoured shutter concealing the drive ring opened. "And the flight crew are going to be trapped on the Bridge, though I made modifications so there are toilets and the synthesizer."

...

"Drive Ring exposed." Chief Newton's Voice seemed a little stressed over Comms. "Drive systems are coming online."

"I see it Chief." Captain Ed Mercer looked up from the Ops control and stared at Alara who seemed to be intentionally not looking at him. Ed sighed and looked back at the Ops control systems. One of the engineering lights was red and green at the same time. Ed Mercer scraped away the blood of Lieutenant Halstead and the board was green. "We are Green here but could you check the upper left pylon is fully retracted."

...

"Sure thing Captain." Corlis sighed. That involved climbing the ladder which Corlis didn't particularly enjoy. The rungs chimed with every step of his boots until he reached the top. The pylon had failed to lock fully open. How the hell did he know that? "Upper left pylon failed to lock fully open."

"I'll just hit it with a hammer." Corlis Newton sprayed some lubricant on the pylon and then gave it a slight tap with a large tuning fork shaped tool which he applied the harmonic vibrations of to the pylon. The pylon slid the last half metre at the harmonic vibrations and locked fully open. "We are good to go."

"I'll just climb down here." Corlis missed a rung in the dark and dropped three metres to the deck. Chief Newton could feel the pain. He wasn't going any where soon. "...or not."

...

"Newton to Medical." Claire looked away from her examination of Marcus's teeth at the whispered voice. "Medical emergency in Engineering."

"Chief?" Claire grabbed her medical scan and hurried out into the hallway toward the lift leaving her two sons in medbay. "On my way."

...

"Claire to Ops," Mercer looked up from the control board. "Chief Newton called a medical emergency in Engineering."

"We hear you Claire." Captain Mercer looked in the direction of the only other person in the room finally acknowledging her existence. "Alara is on her way down now."

...

"Chief?" Claire exited the lift to a poorly illuminated Engineering section with no sign of Chief Newwton. "Where are you?"

"Over here." Claire, drawn to the location of the voice in the dark, could barely see the prone form of Chief Engineer Newton. "I... fell from the top of the ladder."

"Damn it." Claire had bumped into something. "Where do I find the Lights?"

"They don't allow anything in Engineering that might interfere with the drive." Alara's voice came from behind Claire and she suddenly appeared holding a lamp over her head that bathed a large area ahead including Doctor Finn and Chief Engineer Newton in a blue light. "Which is why we have these phosphor blue lamps. In a small locker. By the lift. Chief."

"Huh." Claire suddenly remembered a loud noise and the sight of her Great Grandfather holding a phosphor blue lamp just like it over his head with his left hand, and an old hand gun in his right hand outside his cabin, and an eight year old Claire clinging to her Mother who had just been beaten by her husband and was now laying on the ground, the dark of the moonless outdoors illuminated in its great blue light. Her father, mortally wounded, on the ground, just at its edge. "My Great Grandfather had one of those when I was a child."

"Really?" Chief Newton was suddenly interested in Claire's family history. "They only made the blue phosphor lamps for the Sargasso Class vessels."

...

"Captain Mercer to Medical." Ed Mercer needed more crew. Claire would be pissed with him, but he didn't have much in the way of choice. "Ty. Marcus. Report to Ops."

...

"I wasn't..." Marcus sighed. They were obviously in trouble for something, "I didn't do anything."

"Sure you did." Ty smiled at his brother's suffering got up and dragged his brother toward the lift to Ops. "You confessed your love to Alara."

"When is that a Crime?," Marcus followed his younger brother into the hallway and waited until the lift opened. Ty, staring at him like he was stupid for even asking, dragged him onto the lift. "...then why did he ask you to come with me?"

"Ops." Ty considered the only possible answer to Marcus's question as the lift closed and headed to Ops. "Witness."

...

"Ty. Marcus." Ed Mercer waved the boys off the lift into Ops. "Welcome to Ops."

"For the Record... I, Captain Ed Mercer, do declare that Marcus Finn is given a Field Comission to the Rank of Junior Grade Technician." Ed Mercer headed to the Toilet leaving a stunned Ty staring at his smiling older Brother. "Ty, Make sure he doesn't push any buttons while I'm gone."