Go Time
Posted on January 31st, 2024 by Nico Slate

Academy student. Academy graduate. Shipyard technician. Shipyard team leader. Protection detail grunt. Diplomatic security envoy and supervisor. The difference in all of Nico’s positions wasn’t lost on him. In the course of his time being alive he’d had numerous functions and, thus, his skills had a broad spectrum of application to the day-to-day operations of Starfleet.

Slave. Smuggler. Bounty hunter. Wanted fugitive with an expunged record. The ‘unsavory’ aspect of his past also lent itself to accomplishments and qualities that the people he had been working along side since he joined Starfleet would not know about, dream about, or have anything in their repertoire that remotely resembled what he was capable of. While he was still attempting to suppress the life he had left behind, those experiences and attributes were still a part of him. And, maybe, suppressed wasn’t the right word. No, Nico was picking and choosing when he fell back on those instances where what he did was less than couth but still served a greater purpose.

He was Chief Engineer on the USS Minuteman. It was a job he felt he had earned, but he wasn’t a young officer anymore. He’d never had the opportunity to be that person. He was older than most everyone… even some of those in leadership positions, but he knew why he was in Starfleet and why he was doing the work he was doing. It didn’t make acclimating to a new position he’d never done before any easier, but he had a fighting chance.

His brief conversation with Woods reflected his own uncertainties and supported his hypothesis that he was in the right place, with the right people, and the only thing he needed to do was polish the rough edges in his psyche. And his procedure. And his poise. Obviously, that was all easier said than done, but one day at a time. He was still unsettled about ship life. He knew the ins and outs of the systems. He knew the parameters he had to follow. He knew how to lead a team, but this was still different.

The amount of ‘ands’ that he thought about in off hours was infuriating.

When a conversation with a fellow officer could be had – someone that Nico felt comfortable with – he still shied away from the truth of where he’d come from. Rightfully, he assumed that his commanding officer(s) would know some of the details regarding how he ended up as a Marine, but it had never been brought up. Nico also didn’t like to talk about it. Those moments did define him and who he was in the present day. But they were non-Starfleet like events that pristine cadets out of the infancy of adolescences wouldn’t understand. It caused the hairs on his neck to stand on end.

The loneliness was a bit rough sometimes. There were no communiques coming in, there were no relatives to reach out to, and there were no fellow coworkers that Nico ever let himself get close enough to so that a true bond could be formed. Connections bred sadness, no matter how you look at it. That was Telsia. And they had formed a connection and it HAD led to sadness; it had led to death. So, Nico kept everyone at arm’s length and did his job.

“Zuriyev to Slate. I’m sending you some warp field specifications that we need to be able to quickly… adopt. Be ready on the Colonel’s order.”

The vastness of the engine room shrunk. The revelry of a quiet and controlled department disappeared. Nico moved quickly to the closest terminal and entered in his command codes to see the message from the bridge. His eyes scanned quickly the request before him and he bobbed his head with each passing word. He knew exactly what the Colonel was doing. Masked approach. His hands flew deftly across the console to acknowledge the request in the system.

He tapped his combadge. “Roger that, Captain. Be advised that if the other ship is in the area, at all ever, our cover is blown with dual signatures. Trigger of a decoy.”

As a smuggler he had seen captains use this tactic before. Put a veil on the approach to allow a swift and concise entrance. It didn’t come without risk. He wasn’t aware whether or not the ship they were emulating was in the vicinity. However, two of the same warp signatures and engine emissions could turn sour very quickly. Nico had a job to do and he’d do it, but he wasn’t above voicing his concerns for the greater good of the mission. He trusted his commanding officers and the operations of the ship as a whole, but he still would do his part to contribute to the success of the mission.

Zuriyev responded: “The ship I chose isn’t known to presently be in the area, lieutenant, and we have no intel to suggest that she will be any time soon, but thanks for looking out. If the Illusive does show up, we can deal with that, and perhaps even use the moment of chaos to our advantage, yeah?”

Nico realized that while his intentions were good, these were fuckin’ Marines. Of course they knew that. He was still learning. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let the moment pass. He’d make it up later for asking a stupid question. No, it wasn’t a stupid question, it was an honest one. There were marines, AJ, the Colonel, and the Major who were better versed in all this. They’d seen the front lines, they’d done the clandestine, and were battle-hardened in their own right. He would find, in the future, his place where his experience lended a hand. Today was not that day. Following orders was on the menu. Nico tapped his badge again, “Acknowledged. Standby.”

“Huddle! Huddle! Huddle!”

The heads of all his team turned to look at him. They had only ever heard him say that word once when he first posted. Then it had been a meet and greet, but he informed them that when he used that word, it was ‘go time’. Stations were locked down and the center area of the Main Engineering foyer was full with the entire staff on duty. They clasped their hands at attention and awaited orders. If Nico was doing anything right it was that his team knew when they were needed and responded to his call. That made him proud.

“All right, warp signature adjustment. Orders came in that we will be masking our approach utilizing a frequent flyer in this sector. Power relay team, I’ll send changes to the output frequencies shortly. Warp emission team, prepare to scrub the exhaust manifolds on the nacelles so they’re clean and ready to accept the modified parameters. Warp core specialists, hang tight, but prep for the re-attunement of the warp field dynamics based on information I will send you.” Nico watched as the heads of his team bobbed in acknowledgement.

“Are we worried about duplication transmissions, sir?” A young man whom he hadn’t had the chance to introduce himself to spouted out from the back of the crowd. He loved that he had people who were thinking like he did.

“Not our concern right now. That’s command level discretion. Our job is to do what we’ve been ordered to do.” Nico hated saying stuff like that. He didn’t always blindly follow orders, but he knew the ins and the outs of the engine room, what the ship itself was capable of, and he still had the utmost faith in his command staff. Orders were orders – everything else could wait.

“Is this standard procedure for a mission like this?” Another random voice came from his gaggle of subordinates. While Nico didn’t like being questioned, he understood that inquiries were going to happen. The point of the crewman’s ask wasn’t meant to be insubordinate, but inquisitive. He liked that. Hell, he did it himself. But there was a time and a place; this wasn’t it.

“Trust in me, trust in the Colonel, and trust in the mission Starfleet gave us.”

Simple, to the point. Regulations be damned. It wasn’t that, though. What they were doing was not outside the scope of said procedures, but there wasn’t enough time to cite specific sub-sections of regulations to make what they were doing legal and upstanding in the eyes of the crew. It was all above board and Nico made a mental note to admonish, but also commend, the crewman once the mission was complete. Fall in line. That’s what Nico needed in the moment.

“Lieutenant, I do not need the change implemented immediately. Only at the ready, should our need for high warp supersede the priority of remaining undetected.” The Colonel’s voice permeated the diatribe and the intensity of the Chief Engineer’s orders. Nico stood staring at his team with his legs cut out from under him. He’d prided himself on rallying his team to support orders handed down from command. That communication, reinforcing the mission as a direct narrative, put him back. He had to rebound.

“Orders are orders. Move, teams, move!”

And just like that the teams dispersed.

Nico stood in silence for a second. His brain was still wrapping itself around the orders, the back and forth with AJ, and the last communique from the Colonel. He took a breath. His mind leveled. He could feel the uncertainty from his colleagues. They had every right to be on edge: new chief, random mission request, orders handed down quickly. Nico would have to focus on his morale in the future. Again, like the inane questions from before, he’d weather the storm.

The orders were just and true, but just as he had expected, two 2^nd Lieutenants walked up to him with PADDs in hand. The male spoke first. All of twenty years old, eyes focused on the data he had been supplied (which wasn’t the complement since Nico hadn’t sent the full details yet), the young marine looked despondent as he asked the question. “What about shielding residue. If we’re going in stealth-like, our shield signature will give us away too.”

“And if we have to fire weapons the engine emissions are the least of our problems.” The female counterpart, all of twenty-one herself, inquired as well.

Nico loved critical thinking. These were all noble thoughts with merit. Nico didn’t have an answer. Engine output was his primary focus. He fought from sighing exasperatedly in front of his coworkers, nodded, and then waved them off. “Thoughts for another time. I appreciate your diligence, but you have your orders.”

And again he was alone. He saw his people working. He transmitted the data that was passed on to him and he smirked slightly. Nico knew he was surrounded by some of the best and brightest minds in Starfleet, the Federation, the marines, etc. He knew he was in good company. They would do their duty. Nico moved back to his office and sat down at his desk, looking at the readouts as the teams fulfilled their obligations. One by one the green lights lit up for affirmation that the work was complete and they were ready.

Nico breathed a sigh of relief even though the questions posed to him were still floating around in his head. That would be another battle. Those would be problems that would come up if the mission didn’t go well. It was all hypothetical in the present. One mountain to climb at a time. And they were ready. With poise and pride Nico tapped the insignia on his left breast. “Slate to Bridge, we’re ready, Colonel. Give the word and I’ll bring all the modifications online.”

Expediency was his forte. Do it now to not worry about it later.

“Slate to Engineering teams… it’s go time.”