round 8 CPO Harold Konstava - Poked the Bear

[Lance]

((Engineering Labs, USS Gemini))

:: Harold was relaxing in one of the Engineering labs of the ship. He couldn’t help but feel useless given the current situation. Since he saw this as part of his down time, he had decided to use it wisely by reading one of the many new papers published in the recent months regarding warp drive. It was becoming increasingly obvious to him that he should probably branch out his certification to include these new fangled Quantum Slipstream Drives. ::

Konstava: oO As if I needed yet another reminder that I am getting old. Oo

:: Sighing to himself and wondering just where the past 40 years had gone, Harold found himself reminiscing on old times both bad and good. He was so wrapped up in his own little world that he failed to notice the distinct hiss of the door as the Transporter Chief walked in. ::

Konstava: oO I wonder how Smitty is finding retirement. Hard to believe it’s going on 15 years since he and I were neck deep in broken wreckage fending off Jem’Hadar. Oo

Arisu: Uhm.... :: Beat.:: Excuse me?

:: The unexpected interruption nearly had Harold jump feet. It took a few moments for the shock to settle before he composed himself enough to respond. ::

Konstava: Sorry, I was a million miles away there, in my own world so to speak. What can this lowly Warp Technician do for you today?

:: The fellow CPO’s body language spoke volumes and Harold knew this wasn’t going to be like one of his famous jovial chats with his colleagues. He stood up out of his chair and straightened his posture, adjusting his uniform as he rose. If the fellow non-com in front of him wished this to be a formal meeting, he would certainly act the part. ::

Arisu: I have a problem. :: She made an audible sigh. :: Apparently a problem that someone only of your skills can solve.

:: Konstava was old enough and wise enough to pick out sarcasm when it was presented. Fortunately for the woman who had presented herself to him, that wisdom allowed him to keep his cool in confrontational situations. They may have held the same rank but he was certainly her senior by merit of the fact he had been serving in Starfleet since her parents were probably in diapers. Pulling seniority was something Harold did not have to very often but if push came to shove, he would do so. He shot the CPO a hard glare whilst answering her statement courteously. ::

Konstava: Someone of my skills eh? What exactly is the problem? oO I’ll play your little game. Oo

:: Harold could be sarcastic as well, not that he liked it. He considered sarcasm both demeaning and arrogant however, when faced with a colleague such as the one in front of him now he could and would make exceptions. If she wanted to play herself up as all high and mighty, he would oblige for as long as he felt the charade was worth keeping up. ::

Arisu: Here.

:: The CPO threw the PADD at Harold in a haphazard manner. Fortunately for Harold working with warp cores and their various systems and subsystems had granted him excellent hand-eye coordination. He caught the flying device and promptly turned it once settled to begin reading its contents. ::

Konstava: Hm, interesting and most curious. :: He scrolled through the information. :: Should be a simple fix.

:: Keeping one eye on the obnoxious intruder who was eating into his very valuable time, he continued to read. Had she actually bothered to pay attention to him she would have realized her next statement was entirely redundant. ::

Arisu: We appear to be having an issue with transport during warp.. :: She raised her eyebrows. :: Think you have the knowledge to fix it?

Konstava: Quite. :: His patience now having evaporated. :: If you had bothered to pay attention to me rather than worrying about this eating up your precious time you would have realized that not only had I gathered that much from the information on this PADD but, that I also had the beginnings of a solution. :: He sat back down in his chair maintaining his posture whilst turning it to face her. :: Of course I am more than surprised that a Transporter Chief doesn’t have a few theories regarding the problem. After all, even for non-coms like ourselves warp theory and annular confinement beams during transport are required reading.

Arisu: ::Face beginning to turn red in anger.:: Your time isn't the only time that is precious. ::She folded her arms.:: The manual states that the confinement beam needed to be boosted in power by almost a magnitude to adjust for the fluctuations during warp.

:: Harold was laughing inside. Outside, he maintained his stoic expression as he listened to her words with intent. If he didn’t know any better who would have said that the CPO in front of him was rather taken aback by his statement. As much as he disliked the tone and direction of the current discussion, he had to admire her gumption and resolve. In a way it reminded him of what he had been like in his early days. A part of him wanted to go easy on the poor woman since she obviously had no clue that she had just poked the bear inside of him but, this was overruled by both his own pride and his perceived authority in the current situation.::

Konstava: Well of course that didn’t work. With all the various sub systems on this ship, there isn’t enough power to boost the confinement by that much, at least not with the personnel transporters.

Arisu: ::Clenching her teeth.:: Instructions that I had on this matter did not mention these limitations. I am the transporter chief, not ::She paused for emphasis.:: the chief engineer.

Konstava: You see that’s your problem. Out here on the fringe, we have to often think outside the box and come up with unexpected solutions to what in ordinary circumstances would be benign problems. When you’ve lived as long as I have, completed as many tours as I have you’ll understand this to. :: A broad grin crossed his face. :: At first it may seem like the cargo transporters are entirely unsuitable but, with a little bit of reprogramming they can do exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Time consuming? Of course it is! But it will solve the problem without risking lives or damage to the ship.

:: As Harold handed her the PADD he looked her directly in the eye with a look that would cause most to run a mile. He very much felt like he was now in control of the situation whilst serving up plenty of life lessons into the bargain. It wasn’t often that Harold Konstava could be labelled as arrogant yet this was one of those times. It appeared his fellow non-com brought out the worst in him, something he would definitely have to relate to Hannah and Katelynn over a very stiff drink. ::

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CPO Harold Konstava
Warp Specialist
USS Gemini

As simmed by

Lieutenant Commander Alexander Richards
Sabbatical
USS Gemini