Time Flying By

Posted on 25 May 2026 @ 2:30pm by Lieutenant Ryan Collingway

354 words; about a 2 minute read

///Engineering///

For Ryan, the weeks passed by like nothing. Engineering had returned back to a normal routine after leaving Starbase 369, but there was a slight tension in the air. Despite the shore leave, it wasn't easy to forget the damage in engineering, nor a piece of metal penetrating Commander Harlan's skull just meters away from where they worked.

Two events had proved a welcome distraction. Delivering components to a run-down outpost which made Ryan suddenly very grateful on a starship, and helping a freighter for two days. The repair work had given them a chance to focus on fixing something else besides the Arawyn. After that things were relatively normal, although that tension didn't fully disappear from Ryan's mind. He was waiting for the next crises to happen, perhaps.

He still didn't feel quite comfortable settling in Commander Harlan's office, especially since the Commander was still on board. Of course he used his new status to review past mission logs, piecing together anything he missed as a junior grade. But being in the office itself...he still felt like he was intruding, and only used it when he had to.

It was a few weeks after they left Starbase 369 when the crises finally happened.

A power flicker danced across engineering. Not enough to cause any issues-back ups existed for that reason-and main power switched a few seconds later. "Run diagnostics. Every system," he ordered. It wasn't damage. Not quite.

Rather, the ship...reacted to something.

Yellow alert sounded, casting engineering in a different glow. There were procedures that happened after that, and they were followed to the letter. Defense fields are energized and phasers are available at a moment's notice. The warp core is carefully monitored for power fluctuations. Critical systems are fully manned until the alert is removed.

Engineering's main computer was tied to the bridge. He received updates about the situation in real time, which was a welcome change from word of month. He read the sensor readings, then blinked as he learned what the situation was.

"Um, what?" he couldn't help but say.

Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Arawyn

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