Diagnostics, Interrupted, Part I
Posted on Wed Sep 30th, 2026 @ 3:31pm by Captain Percival "Percy" Tapper & Lieutenant Malax
1,449 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Escape Velocity
Location: Cochrane Shipyards, Alpha Centauri
Timeline: 11 Days Before Launch
The final round of propulsion diagnostics has consumed almost all of Percy's morning, which was impressive when one considers that the warp engines were completely static and that Percy himself had simply assumed an observer role.
Commander Kikuchi and his team of engineers had examined and calibrated just about every subsystem throughout Main Engineering. Percy was convinced there hadn't been one component of the engines they hadn't laid their hands upon.
Now into the early hours of the afternoon, Percy had found himself back aboard Cochrane Shipyards and enjoyed a solitary lunch in the vast commissary before wandering down to the operations center. Immediately after stepping off the turbolift, he had remarked how quiet and subdued the atmosphere was. After all, they were not on a starship or starbase on the frontier.
He had been in Operations Control for only a few minutes when Commander Kikuchi arrived with a diamond-shaped data tablet in one hand and a dubious look upon his face. Percy had learned, during his month aboard Eventide, that Kikuchi's moods were easiest to read through the lens of whatever problem he was facing at that particular moment. A single PADD usually meant an update to a system. Two PADDs often meant a diagnostic had flagged some problems. The diamond-shaped tablet suggested something more serious had occurred--a major setback, potentially.
Percy had perused the more recent diagnostics on the warp engines and, not being an engineer himself, had judged things to be just fine. However, he was not an engineer.
"Good news?" he inquired.
"I'm not sure yet." Kikuchi placed the tablet on the operations island in the center of the room which was displaying a two-dimensional schematic of Eventide.
"The warp engine diagnostics are satisfactory, but that's not currently what I'm worried about."
Examining the schematic, Percy noted a red line drawn-out from Eventide's ventral region.
"What is this?"
Kikuchi's eyes lifted from his tablet and darted to the operations table and the cutaway of Eventide.
"That would be the current crisis."
"Crisis?"
He turned to Percy the same way someone hyperfocused on a task might face an annoyance. "As you're aware, Commander, the Bonaventure Mark-II class sacrifices weapons capabilities for self sufficiency. Older phase cannons, smaller complement of photon torpedoes--all so Eventide can venture deeper into space."
"Yes."
Kikuchi pointed to the red line on the table. "Eventide's weapons systems are overdrawing power."
Percy stroked his chin. "What's the cause?"
"It's a previous generation system," Kikuchi said pointedly. "Though, aside from the power draw and the armament size, it's identical to the newer ones which will be fitted onto the Mark-I."
"Will the load on Eventide be sustainable?"
Kikuchi shook his head. "Not long-term. However, we have a specialist who has been working with us for the past couple of months. He's somewhat of an expert when it comes to these systems. He's a genius when it comes to weapons integration and defensive systems."
Percy inhaled slowly. "So what is the problem?"
"He's very hands-on. Finding him can be a task unto itself."
[Deck 10 - Phase Cannon Control]
Squirreled away in the bowels of the exploration ship, Malax tugged at a strand of hair as he stared at the diagnostic PADD hooked up to the phase cannon controls. Appropriate enough on a science vessel this is the room farthest away from everyone else, he thought wryly. His long years in Starfleet had made him familiar with the Mark I phase cannon - before the refits, the Daedalus class had sported them instead of the newer, shinier tech the NX had been given.
Still it doesn't help explain why the calibration is off today, Malax wound his finger around the hank of hair he played with when deep in thought. He absently thumbed an interface on the PADD in front of him. 'Computer ... run scenario M-Twelve-See.' The Denobulan watched as the ship's computer ran the numbers, showing a .3 improvement in accuracy. He blew out a frustrated breath through his teeth, crossing his legs and pulling back his shoulders in an effort to lessen the tension building between the blades. 'Must be something to do with the sensors,' he muttered, bringing out another diagnostic PADD and beginning to slot in cables along its side.
"Lieutenant Malax?" came a voice with a slight rasp, near the hatch which led back to the Ventral Shuttle Bay.
Phase Cannon Control was buried deep into Deck 10 and was one area that Percy had not personally visited aside from the Shuttle Bay. There were a few work lights which cast a pale glow across the consoles here but they left the corners in complete shadow. It also made the brand-new starship feel considerably older.
Malax popped up from behind the console, letting go of the hank of hair he was worrying, leaving it twisting away from the rest. 'Hello, yes. I'm Lieutenant Malax. To whom do I owe the pleasure?' he asked, squinting as the work lights flooded his vision.
Percy ducked low beneath an overhead strut that was crossed by a metallic conduit. When he successfully navigated to where the Denobulan was, he offered a hand. "Commander Percy Tapper."
'Oh, oh. Yes you must be him,' Malax replied with a wide Denobulan smile as he leaned in to see the man better. 'Yes, it is you. You bear an uncanny resemblance to your photo, unsurprisingly. I should have recognised you, but I'm afraid my eyes aren't the best in these lights.' He paused for a moment and licked his lips. Then, 'so to what do I owe this pleasure?'
The archaeologist-turned-commanding officer watched his feet carefully as he stepped over some torn sheathing and several components he didn't immediately recognize, nearly fumbling the data PADD he held in his right hand. Once he reached the Denobulan officer, he gave him a warm smile.
"I'm told you're the shipyards' resident genius when it comes to tactical systems," Percy said half-excitedly.
He chuckled good-naturedly, 'I wouldn't say genius, that's too kind of you. I've just worked across several different fleets in my time. Starfleet has become particularly good at integrating the different systems, but it sometimes requires a bit of jiggery-pokery before things come good - like the phase cannons, the targeting is off by a few degrees so they need recalibrating. Which is why I'm here. In the dark it seems,' Malax flashed a smile. 'You need a hand with something I take it, Captain?'
Percy felt at ease with the Denobulan officer, despite their current surroundings. Something about this gentleman was calming and a little inspiring.
"Actually, Lieutenant," he began, recalling the reason for his visit. "Eventide is just under two weeks away from launch and I've been informed by Commander Kikuchi there's a massive power overdraw coming from the tactical systems."
Malax cocked his head. 'That's certainly not normal,' he replied in a reasonable tone. 'Do you have the diagnostics? It would be helpful to see how the power grid has been decked out to see if the issue is indeed that simple to solve.' The Denobulan figured it might not be, otherwise the Captain would not have come down in person to ask him.
"Yes," Percy said, proffering the PADD, "although simple solutions are often hard to come by."
'That's space, Commander,' Malax replied, taking the PADD and offering a smile in return as he studied the Eventide's Commanding Officer for a moment. He found it hard to gauge a human's age. The whims of different generations seemed to age them differently. 'But you must have plenty of experience of that if they placed you in command.'
The PADD whirred through it's diagnostics as the silence stretched.
Percy grinned. "Through personal experience, yes. However, that hardly lends itself to command. I find I must surround myself with people I can trust to solve the more technical issues when it comes to starships, and those are even further afield from simple solutions."
He watched the Denobulan work and still felt a sense of calm around the officer. Despite his messy coif of hair, the Lieutenant seemed efficient in his work and easy to interact with.
To Be Continued...
Captain Percival Tapper
Commanding Officer
USS Eventide
Lieutenant Malax
Chief Armoury Officer
USS Eventide
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