We Are The Ones Who Do

Posted on Tue Jun 11th, 2024 @ 5:48pm by Ensign Liam O'Connor & Petty Officer 2nd Class Henry Washington

Mission: Character Development
Location: Observation Lounge, Deck 1
1940 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Liam sat alone in his quarters, the soft hum of the ship’s engines providing a comforting background noise. His roommates, fellow ensigns, were on duty, leaving him with some rare solitude. As he sat there, his mind wandered, and he couldn’t shake the thought of Henry, the Petty Officer he had met during his last shift.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Liam tapped his communicator badge and addressed the ship’s computer, “Computer, locate Petty Officer Washington.”

A moment passed before the computer responded, “Petty Officer Washington is currently in the observation lounge on Deck 1.”

With a sense of purpose, Liam rose from his seat and made his way to the observation lounge. As he entered, he spotted Henry sitting by the viewport, lost in thought. With a friendly smile, Liam approached him.

“Hey there, Henry,” Liam greeted, his voice warm with genuine friendliness. “Mind if I join you?”

Henry had been lost in thought. This was normally one of his favourite spots on the ship, a place where he could come and get lost in a book or puzzle, framed by the backdrop of space. The view normally calmed him, the vastness, the colours, the possibilities. Today was different though, today he couldn't shake the spacewalk, the way he had crumbled in front of everyone. He stirred from his reverie and looked up at the familiar face. "Erm, sure," he said with a smile that was forced and disappeared a second after it had appeared. "Is this about earlier?"

“It can be, or it can be about something else” As Liam settled into the chair beside Henry, he couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for his fellow crewmate. Henry had seemed a bit off and was rather quiet, and the failed space walk only added to his worries. "I just wanted to check in on you, mate," Liam said softly, his voice tinged with genuine care. "The space walk didn't quite go as smoothly as we hoped, did it?" He watched Henry closely, hoping for some sign that his friend was doing okay.

Henry looked Liam up and down and scoffed. "I didn't realise that counsellors wore gold now." He regretted the comment the second it left his lips. "Sorry," he immediately rebuttalled. "You're right, today didn't go the way it should have done and I don't like not being good at something."

His second comment didn't bother Liam; in fact, he chuckled, fully understanding Henry's emotions. "It's okay. It wasn't the walk in the space park we'd anticipated. Being only a thin rope away from the eternity of space makes you realize you're all rather mortal," he remarked, his tone empathetic yet lighthearted.

He paused, considering his next words carefully. "Being not good at things comes with the job. That's why we're a team because we all have strengths and weaknesses. As a team, we succeed because we complement each other," Liam continued, his voice carrying a sense of camaraderie and encouragement. He chuckled again, breaking the seriousness with a touch of humour. "Maybe counsellors do wear gold now."

"It's not too late to change fields," Henry said. "It all depends on what credits you have and how many of them are transferable. I suppose you could take some classes on board, but you'd need the help of the department heads, and Commander Zora of course."

Liam considered and then shook his head, “Nah, I’d miss the greasing, wheel turning and midnight oil burning” he said, “I realise until today we’d never really spoken, figured if I’m going to test my mortality I should maybe get to know the crew better before you know a connect the wrong generator line and send a trillion volts through me.” He said in a way of humour. “How long have you been on board? Why did you join Starfleet? What’s your favourite colour?”

Henry's eyes widened in mild shock. He wasn't used to sharing with people that wasn't Charlie and the barrage of questions caught him off-guard. She often referred to him as somewhat squirrel-like; with small, tiny motions, and absolutely no sudden movements. He disagreed with her analogy at the time, but he was realising that she had been right. Why he continued to question her on such matters still baffled him. "A few months now and blue. Not a bold blue, a subtle one," he said, ignoring the Starfleet question. "How are you finding the Athena?"

"It's been brilliant, really," Liam reflected, a genuine smile lighting up his face. "I always knew I'd enjoy being part of Starfleet, but I never anticipated just how much I'd come to love it. The crew here, they've made me feel like I belong, and the work—well, even the routine stuff is invigorating."

Pausing for a moment, he chuckled softly before continuing, "And about the colour comment earlier, yeah, I was only joking, you know"

"Oh," Henry replied, his brows pulling together slightly. "My wife often says I'm too gullible, turns out she was right, again." Henry smiled slightly. "I'm glad you like it here, I do too, it's a good crew and a good posting. I was so eager to get out here, in space," he gestured out of the big window, "that I didn't want to wait the four years of going to the academy. Sometimes I regret that but I know it was right at the time."

"We all have our different paths, the Academy for me was about the journey aswell I always grew up hearing about Starfleets prestigious academy in all honesty it wasn't all that it was made up to be, maybe you did it the better way." Liam conceded, "So how long have you been serving?"

Henry smiled he guessed that he would never know. "Around 7 or 8 years now, right after my apprenticeship at the Daystrom Institute," he replied nonchalantly. In truth, he could tell the man opposite him the exact number of years, months, weeks, days, and maybe hours he had been serving in Starfleet, but Charlie said such accuracy was creepy and he shouldn't do that, so he didn't. "And I still can't do a spacewalk," he joked, though he didn't smile.

"Spacewalks are not something we get to do every day so I wouldn't beat yourself up about it, there's things I'm not good at like being serious." He chuckled. "What made you become an engineer?"

"I can be serious for the pair of us," Henry replied, trying to make a joke but his tone remained flat and even. "I like fixing things," he replied. "How about you?"

Liam appreciated the attempted humor and found it reassuring that they were making progress. "Same here," he replied with a grin, "I love breaking things just to figure out how to fix them again. There's something satisfying about taking things apart and putting them back together."

He leaned in a bit, his voice lowering as if sharing a secret. "You know, there can be a million Starfleet captains, a billion science officers, and a trillion security officers, but none of it would matter without a good engineer to keep things running. Without us, they'd all be stuck planet-side, dreaming of the stars."

Liam's eyes sparkled with a mix of pride and mischief as he continued. "They might think the ship is theirs, with their commands and science experiments, but really, it's ours. We're the ones who make sure everything works, who keep the engines humming and the systems online. Without engineers, Starfleet would be grounded."

He smiled, feeling a deep sense of camaraderie and satisfaction. "So yeah, we might be the ones behind the scenes, but we know the truth. The ship belongs to us, the engineers. We're the heart and soul of this operation."

"That's an interesting way of looking at it," Henry said with a genuine smile this time. "You know, my mom wanted me to join the sciences, in fact, everyone thought I would. But for me, there was only one colour I wanted to wear when I joined and I have never looked back." It felt nice sharing this with someone that wasn't his wife and he wondered if he should do this more often. "Are you any good at puzzles?" He asked tentatively.

Liam considered the question for a moment before responding, “Depends on what kind of puzzle you mean. Engineering puzzles? Mathematical ones? Logical riddles, cryptic crosswords, or even Rubik's cubes? Or perhaps you're talking about something more abstract, like figuring out a tricky romantic relationship or nailing those impossible pub quizzes? What kind of puzzle are we talking about?” He countered with his own question, genuinely curious about the context behind the query.

"Any. All," Henry said simply. His eyes flashed with joy.

“Have you ever heard of a Rubik’s Cube?” Liam queried, his curiosity piqued. “It’s a very old human puzzle, invented back in the 20th century. Over the centuries, there have been countless variations and adaptations of it. Originally, it was a simple three-by-three cube with coloured squares that needed to be aligned. But now, there are versions with different shapes, sizes, and even additional layers.”

He paused, gauging the interest of his companion before continuing. “The basic idea is to twist and turn the cube to get each face to be a single colour. It’s a fascinating exercise in spatial awareness and problem-solving. Some people can solve them in seconds, while others might take hours—or never figure it out at all. It’s all about finding the right sequence of moves.”

Liam leaned back slightly, reminiscing. “I remember spending hours as a kid trying to solve one. It taught me patience and persistence. And the satisfaction when you finally get all the colours lined up—it’s unparalleled. There are even competitions for it now, with people from all over the alpha quadrant showcasing their skills. It’s amazing how such a simple concept has stood the test of time and continued to challenge and entertain people for generations.”

Henry wanted to interrupt but there wasn't a pause for him to do so. Liam seemed so excited whilst explaining all of this to him, that Henry didn't have the heart to shatter that light in his eyes. Henry had always been smart and finding the answers to complex problems had always been his thing, always. He had first encountered a Rubix cube when he was 6 years old and like everything he had been exposed to then, he obsessed over it until it no longer held any secrets. By the age of seven, he could complete a three-by-three cube in under ten seconds. By eight, he had moved on to and completed more complicated versions.

"They sound interesting, you should show me one day," Henry said before he could catch himself.

“I’ll replicate one and bring it with me,” Liam replied quickly. “Well, I have to run. Need to catch some shut-eye before the next shift—I can’t be slacking off. I hope you’re feeling a bit better, and please, don’t be a stranger! You know where to find me if you ever want to chat.”

"Thank you," Henry said politely. He watched the man leave and sighed. He did feel much better than when Liam had first sat with him but now he was worried about the lies he had weaved. He knew Charlie would find the whole thing hilarious and wondered if he should even tell her. Yeah, like that's even an option he thought to himself before he left the lounge.