Chicken Soup For The Soul

Posted on Thu Jul 8th, 2021 @ 8:45am by Nollel Livaam (*) & Chief Engineer Michael Burnstein

Mission: Mission 13: Stowaway
Location: Cargo Hold
Timeline: MD08 19:00
1309 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Nollel smiled at the scene that greeted her as she entered the cargo bay to search out Michael to check on how he was getting on after she had not seen any engineers all day let alone her engineer. She had barely any time before her bridge shift but it felt important as they were in a time limit. She paused, stepping over several engineers and scientists who were passed out sleeping on the floor but the chief engineer was at the front and centre still working away.

“Hey?” She called before seeing the old fashioned headphones on his head. She moved around the in pieces statis unit and waved revealing she was there.

Burnie was absorbed in his work, his focus somehow only enhanced by running for hours on sugar bomb candy, caffeine, and the tunes blasting in the headphones theoretically there to protect his hearing during the fab work. The playlist was as eccentric as most people took him to be, which was fine; it was for his ears only and for him old earth hard rock and hip hop just worked for working overtime on deadline. The song currently playing was favorite too - primarily because it referenced his home town - and he mouthed the lyrics, head bobbing with the beat as he applied a sonic wrench to the rhythm

...We got a safe in the trunk with money in a stack
With dice in the front and Brooklyn's in the back

No sleep till
No sleep till Brooklyn
No sleep till Brooklyn!

On the last line of the chorus he pumped a fist and lifted his head ...and saw Nollel waving at him.

Oops. He quickly tapped the music off and removed the headphones. "Hey. Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "Music helps keep me going on things like this."

“Hey yourself.” Nollel smiled as he finally realised she was there. It was nice to just watch him for a moment. She could not blame him, she admired his work ethics whilst everyone else was tired or already asleep. She had been up just as long but the coffee was perking her up enough for her to keep going for a bit longer. Maybe it was her species and how they reacted to caffeine. “I brought you some coffee and soup.” She held up two flasks to him.

Coffee... and soup - as much as he needed caffeine to keep going, truth be told, until she said soup he hadn't realized how much needed something other than just stimulant and sugar. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" he said gratefully, taking both flasks.

“Of course but never hurts in a middle of a crisis to be reminded.” She said relieved that she had made the right choice about coming down to the cargo bay. She had immed and ammed wanting to give him space but she was worried about all the people onboard that she cared about.

"Well, remind me to remind you more often," he said, flashing a fond grin before he opened the soup and dug in. As much as he appreciated - and needed, he realized by how hungry he was once he started eating - that she'd thought to bring this to him, the truth was he couldn't take much time from the task to enjoy it. Even skimping on rebuild to get only what was needed operating, this was going to be tight.

“I’m sure it will happen at the right time and place.” The woman smiled at him as she started to run her hand along the statis unit inspecting it as he practically inhaled what she brought down. Very much like him she was on limited time.

He smiled back around a mouthful of soup as he watched her inspect his work. She was undoubtedly under pressure too, but had taken the time to check on him and bring him food and coffee. It warmed him more than the meal; it had been a long time since anyone had cared for him like that. "Everywhere and everywhen," he said. "I hope you got yourself something to eat too. How is it going up on the bridge?"

Nollel looked back and nodded at his checking. She had gotten a sandwich and her coffee earlier. It had been delicious for what it was. It was telling just how hungry everyone was. “I did. You can cut the tension with a knife.” She admitted. It was thick and she was relieved that Gregnol had been sent off for a few hours to rest himself.

"I'll bet." Burnie nodded sympathetically. "It was the same here, so I sent everyone to get some food and rest." He held up a hand. "Not because I'm a great boss. I need to build the bomb for this and that will be much easier if I don't have to also keep an eye on a bunch of tired stressed people."

She nodded. The bridge was not a good place to be when Gregnol acted like a wounded animal and lashed out a little bit, why he had been told to go and catch some sleep as no one could work with him practically growling at them. Nollel's solemn face broke into a grin as she looked at him. "It is like all your Christmases, birthdays and holidays all at once getting to build a bomb with permission isn't it?"

"Christmas isn't really my holiday," he laughed, then flashed a grin. "But yeah. It's not quite as big as some bombs I've gotten to make, but those were back in Starfleet days, so it's been a while." He briefly contained a sigh - he missed that life sometimes. "But doing it with a teardown and scrounged parts certainly ups the level." He rubbed his hands together and smiled. "Always nice to get to show off your best talents."

"Ah yes." She remembered that he did not really celebrate Christmas. Humans had so many holidays, she was allowed to forget which ones applied to different people even if it was Michael. "I will watch from the Bridge and feel a sense of pride that it is my man that did it." She teased him just a little.

She was teasing and he knew it, but Burnie smiled at the thought anyway. He couldn't help it; so few women had seen anything in his love of explosives to take pride in, or in fact view as anything but eccentricity to try to ignore. Nollel really was special. "I'll listen while you get them to take the package as if we're just capitulating with just as much pride in my woman."

Nollel grinned and leant over covering her hand with his and smiled. "Good good. No one else I would rather be." She promised having a sense of completion like nothing she had felt before. It had not been there before she met them or come back onboard. Was this how living your life how you wanted to felt?

"Certainly no one I'd rather you be." He smiled and raised the hand on his to his lips for a brief kiss. All too brief - he looked back at the shell of the stasis box with a small sigh. "But right now I need to get back to being a bomb maker."

“I know. I will see you when this is all over. You still owe me a chocolate fountain.” She teased with a grin pulling her hand back. She set about gathering up the thermos that was empty to put back in the mess hall on her way.

"My next engineering project. Promise," he said as he turned back work, though part of his mind was considering whether he could make a fountain with an extra feature for little exploding puffs of cocoa powder...