Argumentative Engineering

Posted on Sun Jun 2nd, 2024 @ 1:53pm by Ensign Torog Zakhov

Mission: Man & Machine
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Back Post

“So I interlinked the Space matrix restoration coil, cleaned the phase inducer system, and replaced the Magnetic interlock system and…..are you listening to me Torog?” Asked Andrea, looking at the follow Ensign and engineer in front of him as he just picked his food at the mess hall table.

Torog was looking gloomy and just pushing the pasta on his plate around with his fork “Hmmm what?” He responded not looking up at his plate.

Andrea rolled his eyes “are you listening to me Torog, you know the space matrix restoration coils. It took me an hour just to get the grime out of the motivator shaft.” Torog did not even really look up instead he just mumbled something and carried on pushing pasta around the plate. “Hey, what's up?” Asked Andrea sincerely.

Torog shrugged a bit “Oh you know, just thinking about home.” He put his folk down and lounged back in his chair.

“What's her name?” Asked Andrea, mischievously, to try and take Torog’s mind off things.

Torog shook his head gently from side to side. “No nothing like that, you bone headed human.” The Tellerite, smiled a toothy smile, indicating he still had some of his argumentative fire in him. Torog shrugged a little again. “No. I miss home and I don't just mean Tellar. I miss all of it. I miss looking down at it from the space frames, watching it slowly spin. I miss its blue oceans and orange desserts. The rocky jaggy mountains and sprawling cities, hell I even miss the ash zones.” He tutted to himself. “You know the irony is,” said Torog, picking up his fork and taking a bite of pasta, then using the fork to punctuate his points by pointing with it. “I used to hate that Mountains. Stuck there every day looking down at them whilst in an environment suit repairing mining equipment. I used to think I was going to be stuck there forever looking at it and now….” He trailed off a little “

“I hear that” said Andrea wistfully “I would love to see the domes again”

“Domes?” Asked Torog curiously

“I’m a domey” said Andrea matter of factly. Seeing Torogs confused and puzzled expression Andrea went on to explain “I’m domer. You know from the Mars Colony domes.”

“Ahhhhhh," said Torog in understanding, “You miss the dome?”

Andrea nodded “It was always a reassurance that dome, keeping the Mars atmo at bay. To be honest with you, if I dont have some kind of roof over my head I get a bit agoraphobic. Are you going to eat that?” Asked Andrea as Torog had put his fork away and was staring out of the starboard side porthole. Torog nodded and waved a hairy dismiss hand” Andrea smiled and took the plate, greedily eating down the pasta. “Good Stuff” he said with his mouth full.

Torog leaned forward in his chair again, eyeing his human friend opposite who had raised the melancholy mood for the usually jovial Tellarite. Torg burped and scratched his belly “So tell me what you did with the “Space matrix restoration coil.” Andrea scowled shrewdly at his Tellarite counterpart, sensing that a Tellerite argument was on the way. “Like I said I cleaned the phase inducer system and replaced the Magnetic interlock system," responded Andrea.

Torog chortled a little, his belly moving up and down as he did “Ah silly Human. Did your monkey brain forget that you must also re-connect the Theta-matrix compositor to that coil or you will cause a feedback loop to the aft section power transfer conduit in that sector and it would burn out the Pre stage flux chiller!” Andrea looked up from his plate, a face stuffed full of pasta, ready to retort, but now had an uncertain look on his face “Urrrmmmmm” They both looked at each other for a moment. Then suddenly both dropped what they were doing and rushed out of the door in a blur to make sure everything had been re-connected or the Chief engineer would have their hides.