End of Shift Report

Posted on Wed Oct 28th, 2026 @ 11:16pm by Lieutenant Jennifer Matthews & Petty Officer, 3rd Class Kiyara de Vos

Mission: Sacrifice
1427 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

In the days and weeks following their expedition to the planet and transferring the fuel to the Atlantis Kiyara had settled back into a rhythm of grabbing a repair request list and assigning some to themselves before spending the entire day crawling inside maintenance shafts and poking at wiring until the hums, hisses and odd bleeps disappeared. For the most part it was a nice way to spend an afternoon, their crewmates were happy with the work done and it made the time fly by rather quickly.

They put the repair kit back in its bay and signed off on the completed tasks, returning those they hadn't gotten to back to the backlog. With the engineering crew stretched rather thin they were the only dedicated damage control specialist. The rest of the engineers could obviously repair damage, and would be called on in an emergency, but this kind of maintenance work fell mostly to them alone.

They spotted the Lieutenant in her office and leaned in slightly, "Specialist de Vos signing off." It wasn't protocol or anything, but being in the field they were in it was always a good feeling to know someone knew where they were and when they came back from fiddling around with electronics carrying currents tenfold the daily recommended dose.

Jenni sat at her desk, working on a few tasks of her own. It was one thing to use alien fuel, but it was another to mix it with what little they had left from their home. In many ways, it was a fitting metaphor for what was happening to the Atlantis and her crew. It wasn't long ago that Sloan had departed to pursue his own path in this great unknown, and Atlantis' crew already started to mix in some faces that weren't on board when it first arrived out here. There was no telling how long it would be before the ship crossed a line to become more a conglomeration of this new frontier than a testament to the humanity which invaded it.

Due to that very reason, Jenni felt it critical to remain abreast of the ship's operating condition. Any change in the fuel's composition and structure could be disastrous, whether that be a clogged injector or an explosive blowback into the tank itself, or the warp and impulse manifolds. Neither option was favorable, and only time would tell if either would be possible.

At the sound of de Vos's voice, Jenni turned her head slightly to the left, enough for her bob to shift and drop hair down her shoulder. Normally, Jenni would keep it pulled back into a bun or clipped back while on duty, but seeing how it was already past the end of the shift, and Jenni just refused to take this work to her quarters, she opted to let it down for a while. "Atlantis didn't eat you up today then?" Jenni asked, her tone a mix of jovial and mock sarcasm.

"There's always tomorrow" Kiyara remarked, daring to step into the room slightly. "How's the refining process coming along?" They pointed in the direction of the convoluted maths on the wall panel.

Jenni chuckled at their remark. There were always two positions aboard a starship with a high mortality rate: engineering and armory. If one spent their day around explosive equipment, there was always the risk of being maimed, injured, burned, or else. If there was one thing Jenni had learned in her life was that rank and seniority was not a reflection of one's skill or aptitude, but rather the amount of luck one had been afforded since birth. Sooner or later, it would always run out at the least expected moment.

But this was not a time to reflect on such pessimistic things. After all, such an attitude would cause Jenni to see the fuel refinery as a ticking time bomb instead of life-giving. Answering their question, Jenni stated, "It's coming, which is about the best I can say. We'll have to keep an eye on the injectors to make sure the fuel doesn't leave any constricting deposits behind. But, that's a problem for another day."

She swiveled in her seat to face Kiyara. "How about yourself? How is Kiyara these days?"

"Fine ma'am, give me a list of minor inconveniences and an engineering kit and send me on my way all day every day." Kiyara responded.

"There are days I feel the same way," Jenni admitted. If she were honest with herself, Jenni would have added that she felt that way most days, not just one here or there. "That's not what I meant thought. We've all been pulling long hours. I want to make sure none of us are teetering towards burnout. And if you are, I want to get you some recovery time."

Kiyara shook their head at that, then shrugged. "For the most part being holed up in some maintenance corridor or under a console somewhere nobody can find me is the most recovery time I get. Though if there's any deuterium transfers that need monitoring, I wouldn't mind that either." Their stint on the planet that they left behind had allowed them to catch up on some reading. "Oh, we have boardgames after duty hours every couple of weeks. So, you know, I'm staying happy, healthy, social."

Jenni chuckled at the mention of monitoring. There were days where she felt like monitoring was all that she did, and that very quickly grew old. "Well, if you ever need to hole away, I'd be happy to let you monitor transfers or impulse harmonics any day." With a smile, Jenni changed the subject, piggy-backing off Kiyara's last comment. "Board games, eh? What's your favorite?"

There was a shrug, "It really depends on the setting, mood, group. I like games to have as little 'chance' and as much 'tactics' as possible. Don't want to lose because I can't for the life of me roll a six, you know?" Kiyara smirked a bit. "We only have a small selection on board, though. So it's usually the same three on rotation because that's all we can agree on to play." They cocked their head sideways a bit, "How about you? I don't recall ever seeing you attend board game night."

Jenni's smile slowly faded. It was no secret amongst the crew that Jenni liked to isolate herself off-shift, especially after working on long projects. There was something to be said about wanting a little space after spending day in and day out with the same people all of the time. They worked together, ate together, spent off-duty time together, and some had been sleeping together. Jenni hadn't found anyone to couple up with, but then again, she hadn't been seeking a partner either. "I think I went once or twice in the beginning. But since I got promoted, if I'm not working late, I tend to kick back with my violin."

"I never played any musical instrument. Not for lack of my parents pushing me." Kiyara shrugged a bit at that. "I guess they just don't talk to me like electronics do. I can build you a keyboard from scraps, but don't ask me to play anything beyond Frère Jacques."

"It's not for everyone," Jenni admitted, recalling memories of her brothers trying to learn to play but failing. "My mother played the violin all the time, especially when it was time to put us Matthews kids to bed. I picked it up after she died as a way to honor her memory. Now..." Jenni paused, reflecting on faces she had not seen in a long time, nor would see any time soon. "Now I play to remember what I've left behind and center myself for the future."

"That is a wonderful sentiment. If you ever need someone to appreciate your playing and sit and stare in awe, let me know." Kiyara pointed over their shoulder, "I guess I better hit the showers before the evening rush, don't want to upset my bunk mate by coming in smelling of crawlspace." They stood for a moment, knowing that proper protocol dictated that the superior officer would dismiss them.

The chief engineer smiled, surprised to have a willing audience. Normally, when she played outside her quarters, she used spaces where people already were and didn't muster up an audience of her own. It felt good to know someone actually wanted to hear her play. "I might just take you up on that. Best go hit those showers then. Have a good evening, Kiyara."